Phang Nga

Phang Nga is one of the southern provinces (Changwat) of Thailand, on the shore of the Andaman Sea to the west and Phang Nga Bay to the south. Neighbouring provinces are (from north, clockwise) Ranong, Surat Thani, and Krabi. To the south is the Phuket province, connected by the Sarasin Bridge. Geography The province is on the west side of the Malay Peninsula and includes the islands of the Phang Nga Bay. The most famous may be the pair of Khao Phing Kan and Ko Ta Pu, the so-called James Bond Island from the 1974 movie The Man with the Golden Gun, Khao Phing Kan is the home base of the villain, with the needle-shaped limestone rock of Ko Ta Pu, off the main beach, featured prominently. Ao Phang Nga (Phang Nga Bay) National Park was established in 1981 to protect the many islands. The Similan Islands and Surin Islands, two of Thailand's main diving destinations, are also part of Phang Nga province. The total forest area is or 32.4 percent of provincial area. Toponymy Phang Nga is the modern Thai transliteration of the archaic Malay word Pangan, literally 'jungle'. The phrase orang Pangan denotes 'heathen, pagan, primitive people', about a generalized tribe or people typically inhabiting jungle areas of the Malay Peninsula and its offshore islands. History Historically, during the reign of King Rama II, nearby areas (including Thalang, now known as Phuket) were occupied by the Burmese and so many people fled to Kraphu Nga. In 1824 when Siamese troops defeated the Burmese and were expelled, King Rama III renamed the area adjacent to the bay phang-nga. This bastardization of Malay pangan offers indicates that the entire region may have been populated by Orang Asli or other aboriginal peoples. In 1933 the town was promoted to provincial status.