The island has all the attributes of a fascinating tropical destination: rocky mountains, limestone cliffs, white powdery beaches, tranquil broad bays and tropical in-land forests.

Phuket borders on Phang-nga province to the north. The other three sides are encircled by the Andaman Sea the place where many of the best diving sites are located.

The island has a lot more to offer its visitors other than its natural heritage sea, sand, sky, beach, forest, and world renowned diving sites. Sino-Portuguese architecture casts its spell delighting travelers to the city, while Phuket-style hospitality has never failed to impress visitors from all walks of life.

In addition, accommodations ranging from world-class resorts to tropical-style bungalows have warmly catered to the different needs of travelers. For seafood lovers, there is a lot more to sample than just Phukets famous lobster. Altogether, these characteristics have made Phuket a truly unique destination.

History
Most geologists believe that the area known as Phuket today was once a cape that extended into the Andaman Sea. Geographical formations gradually changed the capes location, finally detaching it from the mainland.

A famous Greek philosopher, Claudius Ptolemy, mentioned the cape in his book written in the year 157. The cape was locally referred to as Jung Ceylon, located between latitudes 6 N and 8 N (the present site of Phuket Island). Natives called the place Cha Lang, which evolved to Tha Lang the name of the main town to the north of the island.

As a perfect stopover sheltering traders from monsoons, Jung Ceylon welcomed merchants from India, Persia, Arabia, Burma, China and also Siam. During the 16th century, the island was also a popular trading port for tin with Portuguese, Dutch, English and French traders flocking to the island. This contributed to making the development of mining so unprecedented. Chinese businessmen and miners later migrated to Phuket and soon enjoyed the thriving tin-mining business