Ko Lanta Yai ( th, เกาะลันตาใหญ่) is an island in the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
off the west coast 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 ...
, between the
Phi Phi Islands
The Phi Phi Islands ( th, หมู่เกาะพีพี, , ) are an island group in Thailand between the large island of Phuket and the Straits of Malacca coast of Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi Province. Ko Phi ...
and the mainland. It is administratively part of
Krabi Province, most of which is on the mainland.
Together with neighboring
Ko Lanta Noi, which forms the
Ko Lanta archipelago, and several other islands, it forms the amphoe of
Ko Lanta District
Ko Lanta ( th, เกาะลันตา, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') in Krabi province, Thailand.
History
The district was established in December 1901. It consists of four island groups: Mu Ko Lanta (170 km2), Mu Ko Klang (162&nb ...
.
The island is long and wide, with an area of , and a small portion of it belongs to the
Mu Ko Lanta National Park.
The area was designated as the 62nd national park of Thailand in 1990.
Recently, it has become well known, especially in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. The island is relatively less developed, with most of the accommodation available being basic
bamboo huts. In 2015, a new bridge was built connecting it to the island of
Ko Lanta Noi. There are very few paved roads on the island, mostly in the north, and they deteriorate gradually towards the south.
Ban Saladan, the main town and port, is at the northern tip of the island and is served by ferries from Krabi,
Phuket
Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...
, and Phi Phi. The main beaches are on the western shores of the island, the largest being Klong Dao, Pra-Ae (Long Beach), and Klong Khong Beach. There are other, much less accessible, beaches at the southern end.
Lanta escaped the worst of the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
. Although there was widespread devastation along the west coast, significantly fewer injuries and fatalities were reported in comparison to the Phi Phi Islands. It is reported that 11 people lost their lives. Assisted by tourists, most businesses were up and running within a few days.
[Lonely Planet]
References
External links
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{{coord, 7, 35, N, 99, 03, E, region:TH_type:isle, display=title
Lanta Yai
Lanta Yai
Geography of Krabi province