Phuket (pronounced puu gèt) , is Thailand's largest island – 30 miles in length and 13 miles at its widest. It's in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges.  It is 536 miles from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

 

While Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, in recent times Phuket's top earner has been tourism, which has transformed the island into Thailand's wealthiest province.

 

The population of Phuket is 503,000, the capital city Phuket Town accounting for 75,500 of that.

 

On 26 December 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand's western coast suffered extensive damage when they were struck by the Boxing Day tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.