# Ko Samui

Ko Samui (or Koh Samui), often locally shortened to Samui (Thai: เกาะสมุย, pronounced), is an island off the east coast of Thailand. Geographically in the Chumphon Archipelago, it is part of Surat Thani Province, though as of 2012, Ko Samui was granted municipal status and thus is now locally self-governing. Ko Samui, with an area of 228.7 square kilometres (88.3 sq mi), is Thailand's second largest island after Phuket. In 2018, it was visited by 2.7 million tourists.

## History

The island was probably first inhabited in about the 6th century, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and southern China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam.
The origin of the name samui is unknown. It may come from the Sanskrit-Tamil word สมวย, meaning 'sea weather'. Or it may derive from the name of a tree known locally in southern Thailand as ต้นหมุย (full name ต้นสมุย). A third possibility is that it originated from early Hainanese traders to Samui. In Hainanese Chinese, เซ่าบ่วย means 'first island', 'barrier', or 'gate', or literally 'beautiful beach'. As it was their first port of call in Thailand, it became its name and evolved to สมุย. Some people believe that the word "samui" derives from the Malay word saboey, or 'safe haven'. There is no firm corroboration of any of these theories. Ko เกาะ is the Thai word for "island".
Until the late 20th century, Ko Samui was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island was without roads until the early 1970s and the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) journey from one side of the island to the other could involve a whole-day trek through the mountainous central jungles.
Ko Samui's economy now is based primarily on a successful tourist industry, as well as exports of coconut and rubber.
Economic growth has brought not only prosperity but also major changes to the island's environment and culture.

### Governance

The first local government on Samui island was established in 1956 with the sanitary district Ko Samui, which however only covered the area around the settlement. In 1963 it was enlarged to cover the entirety of Samui and Pha-Nga islands, which at that time were still in the same district. In 1973, the area of the Ko Pha-Ngan District became a separate sanitary district. Since 1981, the sanitary district covers the area of the whole district.
Like all sanitary districts, Ko Samui became a subdistrict municipality (thesaban tambon) in 1999. In 2008, the subdistrict municipality was upgraded to a town municipality (thesaban mueang), and in 2012, the town was upgraded to a city municipality.
The conversion of the municipality into a special administrative area with greater powers of self-governance similar to Pattaya has been discussed since 2008, but as of 2018, no action has been taken.

## Geography

Ko Samui is in the Gulf of Thailand, about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Surat Thani town (9°N, 100°E). It is the largest island in the Chumphon Archipelago, measuring about 25 kilometres (16 mi) at its widest point. To the north are the populated resort islands of Ko Pha-ngan, Ko Tao, and Ko Nang Yuan. Close to Bangrak in northeast Samui is the small uninhabited island of Ko Som, and to the northeast of Chaweng is the tiny Ko Matlang. To the south are Ko Taen and Ko Matsum, each of which have small tourist facilities. To the far west are 44 other islands which together compose Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park which is accessible by a day-trip boat tour from Ko Samui.
The central part of Ko Samui is mostly tropical jungle with tree coverage and wildlife and its largest mountain, Khao Pom, peaking at 635 m (2,083 ft). The lowland and coastal areas are connected by a 51 km (32 mi)-long road, encircling the island. Other concrete roads branch off to service other areas.
The town of Nathon on the west coast is the closest town to the mainland and is the original capital which still houses many government offices. Two of the island's five main piers make Nathon the main port for all transportation from the mainland and the commercial centre for Samui residents. The transition from dependence on the local coconut industry and the continued growth and development of the tourist industry, as well as the northeastern location of the airport, has led to the increase of commercial activity in Chaweng and Bophut.

## Climate

Ko Samui has a tropical monsoon climate according to the Köppen climate classification, based on an analysis of 1971–2010 Thai Meteorological Department data. The climate is warm and humid for most of the year. In comparison to Phuket and most of the rest of southern Thailand, Samui's weather is relatively drier (Samui receives about 1,960 mm (77.2 in) rain per year, and Phuket gets 2,220 mm (87 in)). Phuket's wet season is spread over six to eight months. Ko Samui has only two months with more than 212 mm (8 in) of rain. The heaviest precipitation typically falls in the time frame from mid October to early December. For the rest of the year, given the tropical climate, rain showers are brief; 20–60 minutes duration is typical.
Climate data for Ko Samui (1991–2020, extremes 1968-present) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.4 (92.1) | 35.1 (95.2) | 35.6 (96.1) | 38.0 (100.4) | 37.2 (99.0) | 37.4 (99.3) | 37.7 (99.9) | 37.2 (99.0) | 36.4 (97.5) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.0 (93.2) | 32.3 (90.1) | 38.0 (100.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.0 (84.2) | 29.4 (84.9) | 30.4 (86.7) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.9 (91.2) | 32.7 (90.9) | 32.3 (90.1) | 32.4 (90.3) | 31.9 (89.4) | 30.6 (87.1) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.3 (84.7) | 31.0 (87.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.4 (81.3) | 28.2 (82.8) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.2 (84.6) | 28.8 (83.8) | 28.5 (83.3) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.8 (80.2) | 28.0 (82.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.4 (77.7) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.1 (77.2) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.9 (76.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.0 (69.8) | 22.0 (71.6) | 22.1 (71.8) | 20.6 (69.1) | 19.9 (67.8) | 21.7 (71.1) | 19.4 (66.9) | 21.4 (70.5) | 19.6 (67.3) | 18.8 (65.8) | 17.8 (64.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 126.8 (4.99) | 64.3 (2.53) | 115.8 (4.56) | 82.9 (3.26) | 131.6 (5.18) | 133.6 (5.26) | 117.0 (4.61) | 102.2 (4.02) | 117.5 (4.63) | 294.9 (11.61) | 444.6 (17.50) | 263.1 (10.36) | 1,994.3 (78.52) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.5 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 11.0 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 15.8 | 16.5 | 11.6 | 120.6 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 82.7 | 81.2 | 81.0 | 80.7 | 79.7 | 78.1 | 78.3 | 78.0 | 80.0 | 84.7 | 85.5 | 82.6 | 81.0 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.3 (75.7) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 198.4 | 214.7 | 238.7 | 201.0 | 192.2 | 150.0 | 155.0 | 151.9 | 144.0 | 145.7 | 174.0 | 176.7 | 2,142.3 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 6.4 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.9 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun 1981–2010)(extremes) ||||||||||||||

## Administration

Ko Samui is an amphoe (district) of Surat Thani Province, divided into seven sub-districts (tambons) and 39 administrative villages (mubans). The entire island is one city municipality (thesaban nakhon). The district covers the island, as well as the Ang Thong archipelago and some other small islands nearby.
| No. | Name | Thai | Villages | Pop. |
| 01. | Ang Thong | อ่างทอง | 06 | 13,043 |
| 02. | Lipa Noi | ลิปะน้อย | 05 | 05,432 |
| 03. | Taling Ngam | ตลิ่งงาม | 05 | 06,138 |
| 04. | Na Mueang | หน้าเมือง | 05 | 05,339 |
| 05. | Maret | มะเร็ต | 06 | 09,051 |
| 06. | Bo Phut | บ่อผุด | 06 | 19,014 |
| 07. | Mae Nam | แม่น้ำ | 06 | 09,248 |
Originally, the district included all of the islands of Surat Thani Province. The islands Ko Pha-ngan and Ko Tao were split off as the minor district (king amphoe) Ko Pha-ngan effective 1 October 1970. In 1980, administrative village number seven of Ang Thong Sub-district covering the islands Ko Chueak, Ko Nok Phao, and Ko Rikan was reassigned to Don Sak District, where it now forms village number 11.

## Transport

Samui Airport is a private airport built and owned by Bangkok Airways, which is the only airline with services to Ko Samui from mainland Thailand since the airport's construction in 1989. Due to its use of locally produced palm leaves and a natural, open-air cooling system, the terminal complex received an Environment Impact Assessment Award under the guidance of Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth. Ko Samui airport is built in an open style, drawing connections between it and traditional Thai architecture. In 2009, the airport handled 1.3 million passengers and 17,707 aircraft operations.
Flights from Samui to Phuket and other Thai destinations are available, and in 2012, the Thai government announced the possibility of a second Ko Samui airport due to complaints of high airport fees.
Several ferries connect the island with the mainland, including two car/passenger ferries, and connect Don Sak to piers in the west of the island, in Lipa Noi and in Nathon. Public buses to all parts of the mainland operate from a new bus station north of Nathon. Privately operated songthaews circle the ring road like a bus service with fixed fees mostly only in the daytime, and private taxis which charged a fixed, flat fee depending on the destination.

## Tourism

Sociologist Erik Cohen noted that modern tourism to Ko Samui began to pick up pace in the late 1970s. The expansion of tourism on the island has resulted in growth of building resorts, bungalows, and luxury private villas on the island. The island's total of 17,479 hotel rooms in 2013 was increased by an additional 459 new rooms in 2015. A gradual shift in demand is seeing more Asian visitors and families, but the top three source markets have been Germany, the UK, and Thailand, which contribute a combined 27 percent share. Bangkok Airways continues to modernize its fleet with new Airbuses, phasing out older ATR 72 propeller planes, which will provide 189,000 additional airline seats for Samui travelers. The airport has already increased the number of daily flights from 36 to 50.
The island received more than 2.5 million foreign visitors in 2017, up from 2.34 million in 2016. According to a luxury hotelier, tourists traveling to Ko Samui spend an average of 7,700 to 8,200 baht per head per day.
As of 2020, legislators in the Thai parliament have put forward a proposal to build an 18 km (11 mi) bridge linking mainland Nakhon Si Thammarat Province with Ko Samui. The MPs claim that the project would spur economic growth in south Thailand. They propose that—if built—it be named "Chan-o-cha" in honour of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Ko Samui's tourist appeal made it a plotline of the 2000 comedy movie Meet the Parents, starring Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro, as well as shooting location for the third season of The White Lotus.

## Environmental improvements

Ko Samui hosts some 2,700,000 visitors per year. To manage this, every resort, hotel, villa, restaurant, and facility is required to maintain their own septic tank systems so there is no need for widespread wastewater treatment. Rainwater collection from roadway run-off along Samui's main ring road has been vastly improved during the main Ring Road revitalization and improvement project begun in 2017 and nearly completed as of 2020. The project has widened the main ring roads all the way around the entire island, upgrading with new steel-reinforced concrete along with asphalt blacktop, new sidewalks, additional street-lights, and run-off water collection. Ko Samui has three main run-off water treatment plants, in Chaweng, Lamai, and Maenam, to handle the rainwater collection from the roads; since all sewage is handled by each property's own required septic systems.
Other islands such as Koh Tao and Koh Phangan (famous for its full moon parties) have much more serious problems due to lack of good infrastructure and enforcement. Plans to build more water treatment plants on those other island has been stymied by lack of funding, making Koh Samui's better infrastructure much more appealing.

## Medical care

Samui has five private hospitals: Samui International Hospital; Wattanapat Hospital Samui; Thai International; Bandon Hospital; and Bangkok Hospital Samui. The government hospital is in Nathon.

## Gallery

* Mountainside view of Nathon
* Lipa Noi Beach
* Bo Phut Beach
* Sunrise, Ko Samui
* Samui International Airport
* Aerial view of Chaweng
* Laem Yai Cape from Bang Po Beach
* Chaweng Beach between Lamai and Chaweng
* Namuang Waterfall
* Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai)
* Buddha statue, Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai)
* Ko Samui island