Ko Yao Yai is the larger of the two big islands in the Ko Yao Archipelago. The island group is in

Phang Nga Bay Phang Nga Bay ( th, อ่าวพังงา}, ) is a bay in the Strait of Malacca between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Kra Isthmus of southern Thailand. Since 1981, an extensive section of the bay has been protected as the ...

in the Phang Nga Province of southern

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 ...

. ''Ko Yao Yai'' means 'big long island'. The other main island of the group is '' Ko Yao Noi'' ('little long island'), off Ko Yao Yai's north side and separated from it by a narrow sound. The two islands form Phang Nga's Ko Yao District. The population of Ko Yao is about 18,000 (2018). Ninety percent are

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s. The area of the archipelago is 147 km². It lies some 600 km south of Bangkok and about 50 km from Phuket or Phang Nga. Ko Kao Noi is more popular with visitors as it has more facilities. Ko Yao Yai

Legends say that the island of Ko Yao was split into two islands by battling sea serpents.

References

External links

Phang Nga Bay map
{{coord, 8, 00, 08, N, 98, 34, 08, E, source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title Islands of Thailand Geography of Phang Nga province Yao Yai