Ko Chang
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Province: | Trat |
| District office: | |
| Area: | 154.8 km² |
| Inhabitants: | 5,356 (2005) |
| Pop. density: | 34.6 inh./km² |
| Geocode: | 2307 |
| Postal code: | 23120 |
| Map | |
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Ko Chang (Thai: เกาะช้าง) is the second-largest island of Thailand, located on the Thai east coast 270 km away from Bangkok near the border to Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand. The name means Elephant Island. It is a mountainous island with several waterfalls and rainforest. The island is part of the Mu Ko Chang Marine National Park.
During World War II, Ko Chang was the scene of a naval battle between the Royal Thai Navy and a Vichy France squadron. The Thais were decisively beaten.
Until the mid-1980s the infrastructure on the island was undeveloped, but tourism has increased significantly since then. The island now receives 75,000 visitors annually, about half of them Thai.
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[edit] Geography
The island is about 30 km long and almost 14 km wide only 217 km², The national marine park is have a total area of 650 km² and 70 % is marine. The interior of the island is mountainous and covered with tropical rain forest. The highest elevation is Khao Salak Phet, which is 743 m above sea level. Around the coast of the island are several sandy beaches, most of which have many resorts and hotels nearby.
The west coast with Hat Sai Khao, Hat Kai Mook und Hat Ta Nam attracts the most tourists. In the south is the village of Laem Bang Bao. There is one main street on the west coast. The remaining roads on the west coast have a high gradient, while the topography of the east coast prohibits roads. Most buildings are wooden stilt houses. The island is mostly reached by a ferry departing from Laem Ngop near Trat.
[edit] Administration
The island forms a sub-district (King Amphoe) in the province of Trat. The district was formed in 1994, when it was split off from Laem Ngop district. The district is subdivided into two communes (tambon), which are further subdivided into 9 villages (muban). There are no municipal (thesaban) areas, and 2 Tambon administrative organizations.
| Nr. | Name | Thai name | Villages | Inh. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ko Chang | เกาะช้าง | 4 | 3010 | |
| 2. | Ko Chang Tai | เกาะช้างใต้ | 5 | 2346 |
[edit] National park
In 1982 the island together with 50 surrounding small islands was protected as the Mu Ko Chang Marine National Park. About 85% of the island is part of the national park, mostly the rain forest in the interior of the island. Nearby coral reefs are also contained within the National Park. Notable animals in the park include the stump-tailed Macaque, the small Indian Civet, the Javan Mongoose, and 61 resident bird species. The Koh Chang Wart Frog (Limnonectes kohchangae) was originally thought to be an endemic species, but has now been found on the mainland as well.
[edit] External links
- Mu Ko Chang National Park
- Koh Chang travel guide from Wikitravel
- Koh Chang traveller's guide to Koh Chang from an expat resident.
- The Guide Online A comprehensive Online Guide to Koh Chang, Trat and the Eastern Islands of Thailand.
- IamKohChang.com The independent traveller's guide to Koh Chang from an expat resident.
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This Thailand location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Amphoe of Trat |  |
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| Amphoe: | Mueang Trat - Khlong Yai - Khao Saming - Bo Rai - Laem Ngop | ||
| King Amphoe: | Ko Kut - Ko Chang | ||
