Chumphon

Chumphon province covers 6,009 square kilometres on the narrow Isthmus of Kra, with the Tenasserim Hills and Phuket mountain range rising to the west and a low coastal plain fronting the Gulf of Thailand to the east. The archipelago of more than 40 islands includes popular dive sites such as Ko Ngam Yai and Ko Ngam Noi, renowned for their hard coral gardens. Hat Thung Wua Laen, 16 kilometres northeast of the provincial capital, is a long crescent of white sand backed by casuarina trees and regarded as one of the Gulf's finest undeveloped beaches. The province has a population of approximately 505,000 and the economy is driven by fishing, fruit cultivation — particularly durian, rambutan and mangosteen — and a growing dive-tourism industry. Chumphon serves as the principal departure point for high-speed ferries to Ko Tao and Ko Phangan.