Koh Samui, known as simply Samui by the locals is part of the southern province of Surat Thani and is located about 35 km north east of the province capital of Surat Thani. The capital of the island is Nathon that is the seat of the regional government. Nathon is home to a busy passenger and fishing port and has an abundance of old Chinese shop houses.

Chinese Shop Nathon

Koh Samui is Thailand second largest island and has an area of 228.7 km2. The island is 21 kilometers wide at its narrowest point and 25 km at it’s longest and has a population of approximately 60,000.

Koh Samui sits among 60 or so other islands that make up the Ang Thong Marine Park.

Koh Samui is divided into 7 subdistricts, Ang Thong, Liap Noi, Taling Ngam, Na Mueang, Maret, Bophut and Meanam.

The middle of Samui consists of rugged jungle and is largely uninhabited. The lowland towns are connected by the Samui ring road that has recently been partially tarmaced.

The name Samui is thought to have come from either an extended version of the native tree ‘mui’ or possibly from the word Saboey that means ‘safe haven’ in Chinese. The word Koh or Ko simply means island in Thai.

It is thought the island was first inhabited 15 centuries ago by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and Southern China.

Up until the late 20^th century Samui had little to do with the mainland and had no roads right up until around 1970. It could take up to a day to get from one end of the island to the other in those days and involved trekking over rugged mountain tracks.

Samui’s income is based mainly on tourism as well as the export of coconuts.

Samui can now be reached by boat or plane, it has its own privately owned international airport and resident from literally all over the world.