Phuket (city)
Phuket (/puːˈkɛt/ poo-KET; Thai: เทศบาลนครภูเก็ต or ภูเก็ต, pronounced [pʰūː.kèt]) is a city in the southeast of Phuket Island, Thailand. It is the capital of Phuket province. As of 2020 the city had a population of 79,308. It covers the subdistricts (tambons) Talat Yai (Thai: ตลาดใหญ่) and Talat Nuea (Thai: ตลาดเหนือ) of Mueang Phuket district.
Phuket
ภูเก็ต | |
|---|---|
| City of Phuket เทศบาลนครภูเก็ต | |
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Thai | ภูเก็ต |
| • Jawi | بوکيت (Jawi) |
| • Hokkien | 普吉市 Phóo-kiat-tshī (Tâi-lô) |
 Phuket | |
 Seal | |
  Phuket Location in Thailand | |
| Coordinates: 7°53′17″N 98°23′51″E | |
| Country |  Thailand |
| Province | Phuket province |
| District | Mueang Phuket |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Municipality |
| • Mayor | Somjai Suwansupana |
| Area | |
| • City Municipality | 12 km2 (5 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 224 km2 (86 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City Municipality | 79,308 |
| • Density | 6,600/km2 (17,000/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 250,474 |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (ICT) |
| Area code | (+66) 12 |
| Geocode | 8399 |
| Website | phuketcity |
Phuket is 862 km (535.6 mi) south of Bangkok.[1]
History
Phuket is one of the oldest cities in Thailand. It was an important port on the west of the Malay Peninsula where Chinese immigrants first landed.
Phuket Old Town is a quarter studded with heritage buildings in ten streets: Klang, Phang Nga, Rassada, Dee Buk, Krabi, Thep Kasattri, Phuket, Yaowarat, Satun, and Soi Rammanee. These older buildings show Phuket town's former prosperity. They were constructed when tin mining was an important industry on the island. Their architectural style is called "Sino-Portuguese", characteristic of which 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 combined.[2] "Phuket Old Town" is a 2.7 km2 area covering a total of 210 rai.
As of 2019, the Fine Arts Department and the Phuket provincial authorities are preparing a proposal to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for Phuket Old Town to be listed as a World Heritage Site.[3]
In 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 Ganesha and Brahma can also be seen.
Climate
| Climate data for Phuket (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.3 (97.3) |
37.2 (99.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
39.2 (102.6) |
38.0 (100.4) |
35.8 (96.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.0 (95.0) |
35.3 (95.5) |
34.8 (94.6) |
34.2 (93.6) |
39.2 (102.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 32.7 (90.9) |
33.6 (92.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
33.8 (92.8) |
32.8 (91.0) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
32.5 (90.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.1 (82.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
29.2 (84.6) |
29.4 (84.9) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.2 (82.8) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.3 (82.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.5 (76.1) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.3 (77.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.4 (75.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) |
18.6 (65.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
21.9 (71.4) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
19.2 (66.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 30.3 (1.19) |
23.9 (0.94) |
73.5 (2.89) |
142.9 (5.63) |
259.5 (10.22) |
213.3 (8.40) |
258.2 (10.17) |
286.8 (11.29) |
361.2 (14.22) |
320.1 (12.60) |
177.4 (6.98) |
72.4 (2.85) |
2,219.5 (87.38) |
| Average rainy days | 4.6 | 3.1 | 6.7 | 11.8 | 18.8 | 18.2 | 19.6 | 19.0 | 22.1 | 22.5 | 15.4 | 9.3 | 171.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 82 | 82 | 79 | 75 | 77 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 279.0 | 245.8 | 275.9 | 240.0 | 158.1 | 117.0 | 120.9 | 117.8 | 108.0 | 179.8 | 219.0 | 260.4 | 2,321.7 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 8.0 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 6.4 |
| Source 1: Thai Meteorological Department,[4]Feb–May record highs, 1951–2022;[5] Nov–Feb record lows, 1951–2021;[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun and humidity)[7] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
Since 2005, the population of Phuket has been increasing.[8]
| Estimation date | 31 Dec 2005 | 31 Dec 2010 | 31 Dec 2015 | 31 Dec 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 74,208 | 75,720 | 78,421 | 79,308 |
Transportation
Sister cities
Photos
Buddha statue on Khao Rang hill
View of Phuket city from Khao Rang hill
References
- "Phuket". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- "Chino-Portugal Architecture Building". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- Chuenniran, Achadtaya (21 September 2019). "Old Town Phuket earns praise". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- "Climatological Data for the Period 1981–2010". Thai Meteorological Department. p. 14. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Thai Meteorological Department. "สถิติอุณหภูมิสูงที่สุดในช่วงฤดูร้อนของประเทศไทยระหว่าง พ.ศ. 2494 - 2565" [Extreme maximum temperature during summer season in Thailand (1951 - 2022)] (PDF). TMD website. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Thai Meteorological Department. "Extreme minimum temperature during winter season in Thailand 71 year period (1951 - 2021);" (PDF). TMD website. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "ปริมาณการใช้น้ำของพืชอ้างอิงโดยวิธีของ Penman Monteith (Reference Crop Evapotranspiration by Penman Monteith)" (PDF) (in Thai). Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department. p. 67. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- "THAILAND: Major Cities, Towns & Communes".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Phuket and Penang become twin cities". Phuket Gazette. 2014-09-18. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
External links
Phuket Town travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, Phuket's Historic Peranakan Community
- Phuket City official website (in Thai)