Tarutao National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติตะรุเตา) consists of 51

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

s 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

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

of Satun 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 b ...

. The Tarutao National Park consists of two island groups: ''Tarutao'' ( th, หมู่เกาะตะรุเตา, or ) and ''Adang-Rawi'' ( th, หมู่เกาะอาดัง-ราวี, ), which are scattered from 20 to 70 kilometres' distance from the south-westernmost point of mainland Thailand. The park covers an area of 931,250 rai ~ of which ocean and island. The southernmost end of the park lies on the border with

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

, just north of

Langkawi Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata Kedah ), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) loc ...

. Tarutao became Thailand's second marine national park on 19 April 1974. The coastal

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park Khao may refer to: * Khao, Iran ( fa, خاو), a village in Kurdistan Province, Iran * Khao ( th, เขา, pronounced ), the term for 'mountain' in Central and Southern Thailand; see List of mountains in Thailand * Khao ( th, ข้าว, pronou ...

had been designated in 1966. The name "tarutao" is a Thai corruption of its original Malay name, "pulau tertua", "old, mysterious, and primitive island." Ko Tarutao was the setting for '' Survivor: Thailand'', the 2002 season for the U.S. reality television series, '' Survivor''.

Main (larger) islands

There are essentially nine islands of note in the Tarutao/Adang-Rawi

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

s: * Tarutao Archipelago (approximately 30 km off the Thai coast) :*

Ko Tarutao Ko Tarutao island ( th, เกาะตะรุเตา) is the largest island of Tarutao National Marine Park in Satun Province of southern Thailand. The island is long and wide. It is one of the most unspoiled islands in Andaman Sea and in ...

( th, เกาะตะรุเตา) – The largest of the islands, Ko Tarutao is 26.5 km long, and 11 km wide. The highest point is over 700 m. Forest covers over 70% of the island. * Klang Archipelago (approximately 38 km off the Thai coast) :*Ko Klang ( th, เกาะกลาง), Ko Khai ( th, เกาะไข), Ko Ta-Nga ( th, เกาะตางาห์) * The Adang/Rawi group of islands (approximately 50 km west of Tarutao) :* Ko Adang ( th, เกาะอาดัง), Ko Rawi ( th, เกาะราวี), Ko Lipe ( th, เกาะหลีเป๊ะ), Ko Butang (also written as Tong or Dong; th, เกาะดง), Ko Lek ( th, เกาะเหล็ก) :* In the Adang Archipelago, the small (4 km²) island of Lipe is the most important. With water available year-round, it is the home of the largest permanent settlement, of approximately 800, and the gateway for boat transportation in and out of the Adang group.

History

The park was established in 1974. In 1982, it was listed as one of the original

ASEAN Heritage Parks ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are selected protected areas in the ASEAN region that are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness and outstanding values in scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism. Its vi ...

. It was also submitted to UNESCO for inclusion as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 1990, but its listing was deferred at the fifteenth session of the

World Heritage Committee The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance ...

in 1991.

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

requested stronger management of the area. The rivers and swamps of Tarutao Island were the last known refuge for the

saltwater crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been l ...

, ''Crocodylus porosus'', within Thailand. The species is now extinct in the area. The oldest surviving eyewitness description of the island dates from December 1606 and January 1607 and is contained in the travelogue of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

Admiral

Cornelis Matelief de Jonge Cornelis Matelief de Jonge (c. 1569 – October 17, 1632) was a Dutch admiral who was active in establishing Dutch power in Southeast Asia during the beginning of the 17th century. His fleet was officially on a trading mission, but its true inte ...

. In the late-1930s the island was used as a

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

for Thai

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although nu ...

s. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, when support from the mainland was cut off, the guards and prisoners banded together and raided ships sailing through the waters near the island. The raids were masterminded by an American plantation owner who blamed the war for the loss of his fortune. He was assisted by two British

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s who were on the run for murder and who ironically landed on Tarutao to sit out the war. They sank 130 ships, always killing everyone on board. After the

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

of Tarutao were eradicated by British forces at the end of the war, fishermen and farmers took up residence on the island.

Attractions

*Son Bay (Ao Son) is the only bay on the west side of Tarutao National Park and is known as a place where turtles come to lay their eggs. Its longest beach is about 3 km. *Luu Doo Waterfall on Son Bay is the only waterfall in Tarutao National Park. Underwater it is full of rock formations. *Pantaemaraka Gulf has many pine trees and a clean white beach. Pantaemaraka Gulf is becoming a popular tourist attraction. *Crocodile Cave is 300 metres deep. Tourists going to Crocodile Cave must go by

long-tail boat The long-tail boat, ( th, เรือหางยาว, , ) is a type of watercraft native to Southeast Asia, which uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and maintainable powerplant. A craft designed to carry passengers on a ...

(15 minutes) from Pantaemaraka Gulf and on the way to Crocodile Cave they can see

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

forest.

Ecosystem

In November 2018, the Department of Natural Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation banned the use of plastic and Styrofoam containers in Tarutao Islands National Park, according to Assistant Park Director Kittipong Sanui.

Additional images

File:Koh_Adang_sunset.jpg, File:Koh Tarutao, Thailand, Rocky beach.jpg, File:West coast of Koh Tarutao.jpg, File:Koh Rawi (island), Tree, Thailand.jpg, Koh Rawi File:Koh Adang (island), Thailand.jpg, Koh Adang File:Koh Lipe (island), Tropical lagoon, Thailand.jpg, Turquoise waters between Koh Lipe and Koh Adang File:TaRuTao14.jpg, File:TaRuTao1.jpg,

References

External links

* * {{authority control Geography of Satun province National parks of Thailand ASEAN heritage parks Islands of Thailand Strait of Malacca Protected areas established in 1974 Tourist attractions in Satun province 1974 establishments in Thailand