Phuket (city)

Coordinates: 7°53′17″N 98°23′51″E / 7.88806°N 98.39750°E / 7.88806; 98.39750

Phuket
ภูเก็ต
City Municipality
Phuket Municipality
Country Thailand
Province Phuket Province
Area
  City Municipality 12 km2 (5 sq mi)
  Metro 224 km2 (86 sq mi)
Population
  City Municipality 76,000
  Density 6,300/km2 (16,000/sq mi)
  Metro 230,000
Time zone ICT (UTC+7)

Phuket (/pˈkɛt/ poo-KET; Thai: ภูเก็ต, Thai pronunciation: [pʰūː.kèt]) is a city in south-east Phuket Island, Thailand. It is the capital of Phuket Province. As of 2007 the city had a population of 75,573. It covers the subdistricts (tambon) Talat Yai (Thai: ตลาดใหญ่) and Talat Nuea (Thai: ตลาดเหนือ) of Mueang Phuket district.

Phuket is 862 km south of Bangkok.[1]

History

Phuket Square

Phuket is one of the oldest cities in Thailand. This old town used to be the important port on the west of the Malay Peninsula where Chinese immigrants first landed. Phuket used to be ruled by both Portugal and Holland.

The old buildings in Phuket town certainly represent its former prosperity. These old buildings were constructed when mining was an important Phuket industry. The architectural style, called "Sino-Portuguese", is European mixed with Chinese modern. Characteristic is a single or two-storey building with a narrow front compensated for by considerable depth. The tiles, doors, perforated windows and other details are all influenced by Chinese and European styles mixed together.[2]

On 13 February 2004 the town was elevated to city status (thesaban nakhon, Thai: เทศบาลนคร).

Culture

The major religion is Buddhism. The Buddhist temples in the city are attractive destinations for national and international tourists. Along the streets some Hindu temples depicting the statues of Lord Ganesha and Lord Brahma can also be seen.

Transportation

Phuket International Airport

Sister cities

Gallery

References

  1. "Phuket". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  2. "Chino-Portugal Architecture Building". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  3. "Phuket and Penang become twin cities". Phuket Gazette. 2014-09-18. Retrieved 30 May 2015.

External links

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