The Phuket Range ( th, ทิวเขาภูเก็ต, ''Thio Khao Phuket'', ) is a subrange of the

Tenasserim Hills The Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range ( my, တနင်္သာရီ တောင်တန်း, ; th, ทิวเขาตะนาวศรี, , ; ms, Banjaran Tanah Seri/Banjaran Tenang Sari) is the geographical name of a r ...

in the Kra Isthmus,

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 ...

Geography

The Phuket chain is a continuation of the greater Tenasserim range, forming one of the southern sections of the central Indo-Malay cordillera, the mountain chain which runs from

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

through all of the

Malay peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The ar ...

extending southwards for over 200 km. The Nakhon Si Thammarat Range begins 60 km to the east of the southern part of the Phuket Range. Between the ranges there are isolated peaks rising from the lowlands, the highest of which is 1,350 m high Khao Phanom Bencha near Krabi.Peninsular Thailand
/ref> The highest elevation is Khao Langkha Tuek with an elevation of 1395 m. As the hills raise directly from the western coast there are no notable rivers west of the ridge. To the east the largest rivers are the Phum Duang River and the

Lang Suan River Lang may refer to: * Lang (surname), a surname of independent Germanic or Chinese origin Places * Lang Island (Antarctica), East Antarctica * Lang Nunatak, Antarctica * Lang Sound, Antarctica * Lang Park, a stadium in Brisbane, Australia * L ...

. The largest lake within the mountains is the Chiao Lan (Ratchaprapha dam) at 165 km², an artificial lake within the Khao Sok National Park. The mountains mostly consist of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

, which leads to the

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

geography of steep hills. The hills west of the ridge contain several tin mines, mostly exhausted.

Protection

The range is in the Tenasserim-South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

. Most of the mountains are protected in various

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

s and other protected areas. These are (from the south) Si Phang-nga NP,

Ton Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary The Ton Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าโตนปริวรรต) is located in the north of Mueang Phang Nga district, Phang Nga Province, southern Thailand. It covers an a ...

, Khlong Phanom NP, Khao Sok NP,

Khlong Yan Wildlife Sanctuary Khlong Yan ( th, คลองยัน) is a wildlife sanctuary in southern Thailand, located in the west of Surat Thani Province. It is located between the Khao Sok and Kaeng Krung National Park within the hills of the Phuket mountain range. ...

, Kaeng Krung NP,

Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary Khlong Nakha ( th, คลองนาคา) is a wildlife sanctuary in southern Thailand, located in the southeast of Ranong Province. It is located within the hills of the Phuket mountain range. It covers an area of 530 km², covering area of ...

and Namtok Ngao NP (formerly named Khlong Phrao NP).

References

External links

Geography of the Kra river area
(Thai) Tenasserim Hills Mountain ranges of Thailand Malay Peninsula Kra Isthmus Southern Thailand {{Thailand-geo-stub