Phuket is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. It is a large island in the Indian Ocean.
It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands off its coast. It lies off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea.
It was a regional headquarters as well, with a rich and colorful history. Known as the Pearl of the Andaman, it derived much of its former glory and its enormous wealth from tin production, which in Phuket dates back over 500 year. Today, Phuket is the major tourist attraction of Thailand.
The surrounding waters contain much varied marine life such as Patong beach, Kata beach Karon beach and the town is notable for its Sino-Portuguese architecture. It is a very attractive island for sightseeing.