Tarutao National Park
Thailand · Asia
About
Tarutao National Park consists of 51 islands in the Strait of Malacca, off the coast of Satun Province of southern Thailand. The Tarutao National Park consists of two island groups: Tarutao (Thai pronunciation: [mùː kɔ̀ʔ tàʔ.rúʔ.taw] or [ta.ru.taw]) and Adang-Rawi (Thai pronunciation: [mùː kɔ̀ʔ ʔaːdaŋ raːwiː]), which are scattered 20 to 70 km off the coast. The park covers an area of 931,250 rai or 1,490 square kilometres (580 sq mi) of which 1,260 square kilometres (490 sq mi) is ocean and 230 square kilometres (89 sq mi) is land. The southernmost end of the park lies on the border with Malaysia, just north of Langkawi. Tarutao became Thailand's second marine national park on 19 April 1974. The coastal Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park 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.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.