Ko Kra ( th, เกาะกระ, ) is a group of small rocky islets in the southern area of the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in l ...

. It is under the administration of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. This islet group should not be confused with other islands of the same name:

Ko Kra Ko Kra ( th, เกาะกระ, ) is a group of small rocky islets in the southern area of the Gulf of Thailand. It is under the administration of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province of Thailand. This islet group should not be confused with other ...

in Chumphon Province or Mu Ko Kra (หมู่เกาะกระ) a group of islets to the west of

Ko Mak Ko Mak ( th, เกาะหมาก, ) is a small island of Trat province, Thailand. It is a subdistrict (''tambon'') of Ko Kut district. The island is named after the areca nut (หมาก), also known as the "betel nut". History The firs ...

in Trat Province. There is also a place by the name of Ko-kra in

Kayah State Kayah State ( my, ကယားပြည်နယ်, formerly Karenni State) is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and wes ...

, mainland

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

Geography

Ko Kra, about 54 km from the nearest shore, consists of three islets: Ko Kra Yai, Ko Kra Klang, and Ko Kra Lek, as well as one small rocky outcrop, Hin Ko Kra. The area surrounding these islets is a good diving spot owing to its relative remoteness.

Territorial dispute

The Ko Kra group, although barren and uninhabited, is part of a territorial dispute along with the islet of

Ko Losin Ko Losin ( th, เกาะโลซิน, ) is a small rocky islet in the southern area of the Gulf of Thailand. It is under the Panare District (administrative area) of the Pattani Province of Thailand. Owing to the islet's relative remote ...

. The dispute over the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

boundary between

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and Thailand arises from the different baselines which the two countries adopt in calculating the equidistant line for boundary. Thailand's proclaimed baseline runs from the terminus at Kuala Tabar (the eastern terminus of the Malaysia-Thailand land border as defined by the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909) northwards to Ko Losin islet and then northwestwards to Ko Kra. Malaysia however does not regard Ko Losin as a valid baseline point and calculates the equidistant line on a baseline running along the shore. India has shown support for the Thais, calling for an end to the dispute.

References

{{reflist

External links

Vietnam’s First Maritime Boundary Agreement

''Limits in the Seas, No 122 Straight Baseline Claim: Thailand;'' United States Department of State Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Kra Territorial disputes of Thailand Territorial disputes of Malaysia Malaysia–Thailand border Uninhabited islands of Thailand Islands of the Gulf of Thailand Ramsar sites in Thailand

Geography

Territorial dispute

See also

References

External links