Koh Samui Information and Travel Guide
 Koh
Samui is Thailand's third
largest island and the largest in the south-east of the Gulf of
Thailand. Koh in the Thai language means island and there are around
eighty islands surrounding Samui: Koh
Pha Ngan, Koh
Tao and Koh Tan are the closest and also inhabited. Samui is
more than 280 sq. km. in area and has a population of approximately
34,000.
The most popular beaches are Chaweng,
Lamai, Bophut
and Maenam beach. The Samui interior
is a tropical jungle with hills up to 600 metres high.
 History
The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago,
settled by fishermen from Malay Peninsula and Southern China. It
appears on Ming Dynasty maps dating back to 1687, under the name
Pulo Cornam. The name Samui is mysterious in itself. Perhaps it
is an extension of the name of one of the native trees, mui, or
it is a corruption of the Chinese word Saboey, meaning "safe
haven".
 Until
the late 20th century, Samui was an isolated self-sufficient community,
having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island
was even without roads until the early 1970s, and the 15km journey
from one side of the island to the other involved a whole-day trek
through the mountainous central jungles.
Today, Samui has a population of about forty-five thousand, and
lives on a successful tourist industry, as well as exports of coconut
and rubber. It even has its own international airport, with flights
daily to Bangkok and other major airports in Southeast Asia. While
the island presents an unspoiled image to the public perception,
economic growth has brought not only prosperity, but changes to
the island's environment and culture, a source of conflict between
local residents and migrants from other parts of Thailand and other
countries. Reflecting Samui's growth as a tourist destination, the
Cunard ship MS Queen Victoria (a 2000-plus passenger ship) will
dock at Samui during its 2008 world cruise.
Geography
Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand, about
35km northeast of Surat Thani town (9°N, 100°E). It is surrounded
by about sixty other islands, most of which comprise the Ang Thong
National Marine Park, but also include other tourist destinations
Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao and Ko Nang Yuan.
The island is roughly circular in shape, and is about 15km across.
The central part of the island is an (almost) uninhabitable mountain
jungle (peak Khao Pom, 635m) and the various lowland areas are connected
together by a single road, that covers the circumference of the
island.
There is one town, Na Thon, on the west coast of the island, with
a major port for fishing and inter-island transportation. Each of
Samui's many beaches is also nominally considered a town, due to
the number of hotels, restaurants and bars that have sprung up in
recent years.
Economy
Historically the island's economy has been
based around subsistence agriculture and fishing, with coconuts
as the main cash crop. From the 1980s onwards however, tourism has
become an economic factor and is now the dominant industry. The
construction of a stable, high-speed internet connection in recent
years has also made the island a practicable location for IT-based
enterprises, which are beginning to provide a certain degree of
economic diversity. The island's climate and accessibility make
it particularly attractive for international investors.
Weather
December
to February (main season) it can get up to 30C(86F). Sometimes brief
tropical rain, mostly in December.
March to June, it becomes very hot, up to 40C (114F), rarely raining.
July to September (main season) is hot, but some days it also rains.
June, October, November are rainy seasons, but it does not generally
rain every day. In contrast to other regions of Thailand, Samui
does not really have a well defined rainy season but sometimes there
are sunless periods of 2 or 3 days, especially during November (monsoon).
Partner Sites
www.samuihoteltour.com
| www.samui-hotels-links.com
| www.hotel-samui.net
| www.1samui.com
| www.samui-hotels.info
| www.ko-samui-hotels.net
| www.samui-map.com
Provided
by Tourism Authority of Thailand
|
