Are you wondering where is Koh Samui on the map? Where the island is in Thailand? Where is the location in regards to Asia and the rest of the world?
Trip planning requires you to understand precisely here Koh Samui is. This large island is made up of many different little towns and beaches that have differing qualities. It’s located around 700km south of the capital Bangkok, and 80km from Southern Thailand’s eastern coastline.
Where Is Koh Samui On The Map in Thailand, Island & World Location
Samui is 21 km in width, and 25 km in length. Given its size, the island is perfect for several days, even weeks of exploration, offering a wide range of activities for travellers. Despite its size, you can circumnavigate the entire island in just over an hour in a car or on a motorbike.
It was first inhabited around 15 centuries ago by fishermen originally from southern China and the Malay Peninsula. Samui appeared on Chinese maps back in 1687 as an island which was referred to as Pulo Cornam. To this day, no one knows where its current name came from. The island remained generally remote and isolated, only inhabited by a small village and fishing community until near the end of the 20th century. This was due to the lack of a connection to Thailand’s mainland.
When researching where is Koh Samui, you’ll also find that its road network is relatively new. It wasn’t until the early seventies when the first roads were developed, and it required one to trek through dense mountainous jungles to travel 15km from one side to another.
The seventies also brought the initial wave of tourist to the island, and early on in its tourism stages, there were only a few bungalows found here. Sometime in the 1990s, tourists started arriving by the boatload, and it was the beginning of what is now one of Thailand’s most famous tourist destinations.
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