Refine your search

The results of your search are listed below alongside the search terms you entered on the previous page. You can refine your search by amending any of the parameters in the form and resubmitting it.

Select all Deselect all Add selection to lightbox
Large Small
Thumbnails per page
The coconut palm, or Cocos nucifera, is valued not just for its beauty, but also as a lucrative cash crop. Cultivated throughout the South Seas and Indian Ocean regions, it provides food, drink, shelter, transport, fuel, medicine, and even clothing for millions of people.<br/><br/> The coconut palm lives for around 60 years, and produces around 70-80 nuts annually. The trees are sometimes 40-50 meters (130-160 feet) high.
Ko Tao or Turtle Island, located in the midst of the Gulf of Thailand, was named by early settlers for the island’s hump-backed, turtle-like shape, though it is also a significant breeding ground for both Hawksbill and Green Turtles.<br/><br/> The economy of the island, which was once uninhabited except for transient fishermen, now revolves almost exclusively around tourism and scuba diving. The rapid development of tourism in recent years has had a negative impact on turtle breeding, but since 2004 the Royal Thai Navy in conjunction with a cooperative of local dive centers has sponsored the reintroduction of hundreds of juvenile turtles to Ko Tao’s ecosystem.<br/><br/> The island is about 21 sq km (8 sq miles) in area, and the main settlement, on the western side of the island, is Ban Mae Hat. Most of the island is rugged, with dense forest inland, quiet coves along the relatively difficult-to-reach east coast, and a fine sweep of sandy beach along the western shore.
Ko Tao or Turtle Island, located in the midst of the Gulf of Thailand, was named by early settlers for the island’s hump-backed, turtle-like shape, though it is also a significant breeding ground for both Hawksbill and Green Turtles.<br/><br/> The economy of the island, which was once uninhabited except for transient fishermen, now revolves almost exclusively around tourism and scuba diving. The rapid development of tourism in recent years has had a negative impact on turtle breeding, but since 2004 the Royal Thai Navy in conjunction with a cooperative of local dive centers has sponsored the reintroduction of hundreds of juvenile turtles to Ko Tao’s ecosystem.<br/><br/> The island is about 21 sq km (8 sq miles) in area, and the main settlement, on the western side of the island, is Ban Mae Hat. Most of the island is rugged, with dense forest inland, quiet coves along the relatively difficult-to-reach east coast, and a fine sweep of sandy beach along the western shore.
Ko Tao or Turtle Island, located in the midst of the Gulf of Thailand, was named by early settlers for the island’s hump-backed, turtle-like shape, though it is also a significant breeding ground for both Hawksbill and Green Turtles.<br/><br/> The economy of the island, which was once uninhabited except for transient fishermen, now revolves almost exclusively around tourism and scuba diving. The rapid development of tourism in recent years has had a negative impact on turtle breeding, but since 2004 the Royal Thai Navy in conjunction with a cooperative of local dive centers has sponsored the reintroduction of hundreds of juvenile turtles to Ko Tao’s ecosystem.<br/><br/> The island is about 21 sq km (8 sq miles) in area, and the main settlement, on the western side of the island, is Ban Mae Hat. Most of the island is rugged, with dense forest inland, quiet coves along the relatively difficult-to-reach east coast, and a fine sweep of sandy beach along the western shore.