Ko Pha Ngan
Encyclopedia
Ko Pha Ngan is an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Gulf of Thailand
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand , also known in to Malays as Teluk Siam literally meant Gulf of Siam, is a shallow arm of the South China Sea.-Geography:...
in South East Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It is famous for its full moon party
Full Moon Party
The Full Moon Party is an all-night beach party that originated in Haad Rin on the island of Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand on the night before or after every full moon....
at Haad Rin Beach
Haad Rin
Haad Rin is a peninsular beach area and town on the southern tip of Ko Pha Ngan, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. Its two main beaches are Sunset Beach to the south and the larger Sunrise Beach to the north...
and as a backpackers destination. Ko Pha Ngan has two sister islands: the larger Ko Samui
Ko Samui
Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province , or often, simply Samui as it is referred to by locals, is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand's second largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2 and a population of over...
to the south and the smaller Ko Tao
Ko Tao
Ko Tao is an island in Thailand located near the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km². Administratively it forms a tambon within the district Ko Pha Ngan of Surat Thani Province. As of 2006 its official population is 1382...
to the north.
- Area: about 168 km²
- Estimated perimeter: 50 km EST. (10hrs average walking time)
- Province: Surat ThaniSurat Thani ProvinceSurat Thani is the largest of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
- From mainland: about 55 km
- From Ko Samui: about 15 km
- From Ko Tao: about 35 km
- Population: 11,846 (2004)
- Main town: Thong SalaThong SalaThong Sala is the principal town and administrative centre of Ko Pha Ngan, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. While Haad Rin hosts the Full Moon Party and attracts many of the island's more hedonistic visitors, Thong Sala is mostly used by tourists as a ferry terminal and jumping off point rather...
- Highest Point: Khao Ra, 630m asl.
History
The Bronze Drum of Dongson Culture (500BC - 100BC) that was found on Ko SamuiKo Samui
Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province , or often, simply Samui as it is referred to by locals, is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand's second largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2 and a population of over...
in 1977 is evidence that there were settlements of people on Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, and their islets from more than two thousand years ago. Some historians and archaeologists believe that the first group who migrated to Ko Pha Ngan were the Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
sea Gypsies (Pygmy, Semung, and Proto-Malay) who travelled by boat from the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
. However, nowadays there are few Muslims who live on the island. The name of Ko Pha Ngan comes from the word 'Ngan', the southern dialect meaning 'sand bar', for there are many sand bars offshore around the island. Ko Pha Ngan has been a long time favorite of past kings of Thailand. Specifically Rama V, or Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama V was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Phuttha Chao Luang . He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam...
visited Ko Pha Ngan 14 times during his reign.
Administration
Ko Pha Ngan together with Ko Tao forms the district (amphoeAmphoe
An amphoe is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as district, amphoe make up the provinces, and are analogous to a county seat...
) Ko Pha Ngan. The district is subdivided into three subdistricts (tambon
Tambon
Tambon is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district and province , they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2009 there are 7255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon...
):
| Nr. | Name | Thai name |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ko Pha-ngan | เกาะพะงัน |
| 2. | Ban Tai | บ้านใต้ |
| 3. | Ko Tao | เกาะเต่า |
Originally the island was administrated from Ko Samui district. The minor district (King Amphoe) Ko Pha Ngan was established on October 1, 1970, then consisting of the two tambon Ko Pha Ngan and Ban Tai. It was upgraded to a full district on April 12, 1977.
Parts of the tambon Ko Pha Ngan and Ban Tai form the township (thesaban tambon) Ko Pha Ngan. There are further three Tambon administrative organizations (TAO).
Popular culture
Ko Pha Ngan featured prominently in Alex Garland'sAlex Garland
Alexander Medawar "Alex" Garland is a British novelist and screenwriter.-Early life:Garland was born in London, England, the son of psychoanalyst Caroline and political cartoonist Nicholas Garland. His maternal grandparents were zoologist Peter Medawar and author Jean Medawar...
1996 novel The Beach
The Beach (novel)
The Beach is a novel by Alex Garland about backpackers in Thailand. Influenced by such literary works as Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies, it describes the adventures of a young Englishman in search of and on a legendary, idyllic beach untouched by tourism.-Plot summary:In a cheap hostel on...
and is also mentioned in the song Magick
Magick (song)
"Magick" is a song released by London new rave band Klaxons on October 30, 2006. It reached #29 in the UK singles chart, released on November 5...
by the new rave
New Rave
New rave is a term applied to several types of music that fuse elements of electronic music, new wave, rock, indie, techno, bastard pop, breakbeat hardcore and electro house...
band Klaxons'
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
(but probably more as a reference to the 1996 novel The Beach
The Beach (novel)
The Beach is a novel by Alex Garland about backpackers in Thailand. Influenced by such literary works as Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies, it describes the adventures of a young Englishman in search of and on a legendary, idyllic beach untouched by tourism.-Plot summary:In a cheap hostel on...
than the island itself).
The infamous Full Moon Party
Full Moon Party
The Full Moon Party is an all-night beach party that originated in Haad Rin on the island of Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand on the night before or after every full moon....
, which often involves electronic music, occurs on Ko Pha Ngan every full moon of the month. Recently, though, steps have been taken to make Ko Pha Ngan into a more family-friendly tourist destination. Several razzias and police raids on all beaches and on the streets at night and at daytime helps to prevent drug-abusing. Motorbike accidents are the rule because of drunken or drugged partygoers.
Ace of Base in their new album "The Golden Ratio" mention Ko Pha Ngan in the song "Vision in Blue" .