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Johan Anthoniszoon 'Jan' van Riebeeck (April 21, 1619 – January 18, 1677), was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town. Commissioned by the Dutch East India Company, the merchant Jan van Riebeeck established the European settlement in South Africa at Cape Town, anchoring in the bay at the foot of the Table Mountain on April 6, 1652. Cape Town is called the Mother City to this day.<br/><br/> Van Riebeeck joined the Dutch East India Company and sailed to Batavia in April 1639, as an assistant surgeon, having learned the craft from his surgeon father. From there he went to Japan, and in 1645, Van Riebeeck was given charge of the company trading station at Tongking (Tonkin, now in Vietnam). Van Riebeeck was recalled from the post in Tongking by the Dutch authorities when it was discovered that he was conducting trade for his own account.<br/><br/> On his voyage back from and Indochina, the ship stopped for 18 days in the sheltered Table Bay, near the Cape of Good Hope at the south end of Africa. While there, van Riebeeck realized that the area could supply passing ships with fresh produce.<br/><br/> Jan van Riebeeck has been viewed as the founding father of their nation by many of the Afrikaner population of South Africa. His image appeared on stamps and currency for many years, and April 6 used to be known as Van Riebeeck's Day.
Clarence Coles Phillips (1880 – 1927) was an American artist and illustrator who signed his early works C. Coles Phillips, but after 1911 worked under the abbreviated name Coles Phillips.<br/><br/> He is known for his stylish images of women and a signature use of negative space in the paintings he created for advertisements and the covers of popular magazines.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher born in Kanyakumari sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 8th century CE. His contribution to Tamil literature is the Thirukkural, a work on ethics.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher born in Kanyakumari sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 8th century CE. His contribution to Tamil literature is the Thirukkural, a work on ethics.<br/><br/> Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher born in Kanyakumari sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 8th century CE. His contribution to Tamil literature is the Thirukkural, a work on ethics.<br/><br/> Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher born in Kanyakumari sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 8th century CE. His contribution to Tamil literature is the Thirukkural, a work on ethics.<br/><br/> Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher born in Kanyakumari sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 8th century CE. His contribution to Tamil literature is the Thirukkural, a work on ethics.<br/><br/> Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher born in Kanyakumari sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 8th century CE. His contribution to Tamil literature is the Thirukkural, a work on ethics.<br/><br/> Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
East Indiaman was a general name for any ship operating under charter or license to any of the East India Companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. Thus, one can speak of a Danish, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, or Swedish East Indiaman.<br/><br/> In Britain, the Honourable East India Company itself did not generally own merchant ships, but held a monopoly granted to it by Queen Elizabeth I of England for all English trade between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, which was progressively restricted during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.<br/><br/> English (later British) East Indiamen usually ran between England, the Cape of Good Hope and India, where their primary destinations were the ports of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. The Indiamen often continued on to China before returning to England via the Cape of Good Hope and Saint Helena.<br/><br/>
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli or the Battle of Çanakkale (Turkish: Çanakkale Savaşı), took place on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire (now Gelibolu in modern day Turkey) between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul) and secure a sea route to Russia. The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. The campaign was considered one of the greatest victories of the Turks and was reflected on as a major failure by the Allies.<br/><br/> The Gallipoli campaign resonated profoundly among all nations involved. In Turkey, the battle is perceived as a defining moment in the history of the Turkish people—a final surge in the defence of the motherland as the ageing Ottoman Empire was crumbling. The struggle laid the grounds for the Turkish War of Independence and the foundation of the Republic of Turkey eight years later under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, himself a commander at Gallipoli.<br/><br/> The campaign was the first major battle undertaken in the war by Australia and New Zealand, and is often considered to mark the birth of national consciousness in both of these countries.
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was an English-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%.<br/><br/> An ardent believer in British colonialism, he was the founder of the state of Rhodesia, which was named after him. In 1964, Northern Rhodesia became the independent state of Zambia and Southern Rhodesia was thereafter known simply as Rhodesia. In 1980, Rhodesia, which had been de-facto independent since 1965, became independent from Britain and was renamed Zimbabwe.<br/><br/> Rhodes represents the high water mark of British colonialism and the 'Scramble for Africa'.
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, of which up to 109 species have been described and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China.<br/><br/> The tulip's centre of diversity is in the Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Tien Shan mountains. A number of species and many hybrid cultivars are grown in gardens, as potted plants, or to display as fresh-cut flowers. Most cultivars of tulip are derived from Tulipa gesneriana.<br/><br/> Sydenham Teast Edwards (1768 – 8 February 1819) was a natural history illustrator born in 1768 in Usk, Monmouthshire, Scotland.
William Hodges (28 October 1744 – 6 March 1797) was an English painter. He was a member of James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean, and is best known for the sketches and paintings of locations he visited on that voyage, including Table Bay, Tahiti, Easter Island, and the Antarctic. Hodges accompanied Cook to the Pacific as the expedition's artist in 1772-1775. Many of his sketches and wash paintings were adapted as engravings in the original published edition of Cook's journals from the voyage.
William Hodges (28 October 1744 – 6 March 1797) was an English painter. He was a member of James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean, and is best known for the sketches and paintings of locations he visited on that voyage, including Table Bay, Tahiti, Easter Island, and the Antarctic. Hodges accompanied Cook to the Pacific as the expedition's artist in 1772-1775. Many of his sketches and wash paintings were adapted as engravings in the original published edition of Cook's journals from the voyage.
Ragamala Paintings are a series of illustrative paintings from medieval India based on Ragamala or the 'Garland of Ragas', depicting various Indian musical nodes, Ragas. They stand as a classical example of the amalgamation of art, poetry and classical music in medieval India. Ragamala paintings were created in most schools of Indian painting, starting in the 16th and 17th centuries and are today named accordingly, as Pahari Ragamala, Rajasthan or Rajput Ragamala, Deccan Ragamala, and Mughal Ragamala.
The term Cape Coloureds refers to the modern-day descendants of slave labourers imported into South Africa by Dutch settlers as well as to other groups of mixed ancestry originating in the present-day Western Cape. They are the predominant population group found in the Western Cape Province. Their population size is roughly 4 million. Most Cape Coloureds are mother tongue Afrikaans speakers, as a result of their cultural development in the Dutch and Afrikaans-speaking areas of South Africa; but a minority are English speaking. Slaves of Malay ancestry were brought from Indonesia, Malaysia, Madagascar, and Mozambique; and from these diverse origins they gradually developed into a grouping; along with coloured people (African and European origin); that was subsequently classified as a single major ethnical grouping under the Apartheid regime.
Kanyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin, lies at the southernmost point of mainland India. It is the southern tip of the Cardamom Hills, an extension of the Western Ghats which range along the west coast of India.<br/><br/> Kanyakumari takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess.
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli or the Battle of Çanakkale (Turkish: Çanakkale Savaşı), took place on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire (now Gelibolu in modern day Turkey) between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul) and secure a sea route to Russia. The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. The campaign was considered one of the greatest victories of the Turks and was reflected on as a major failure by the Allies.<br/><br/> The Gallipoli campaign resonated profoundly among all nations involved. In Turkey, the battle is perceived as a defining moment in the history of the Turkish people—a final surge in the defence of the motherland as the ageing Ottoman Empire was crumbling. The struggle laid the grounds for the Turkish War of Independence and the foundation of the Republic of Turkey eight years later under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, himself a commander at Gallipoli.<br/><br/> The campaign was the first major battle undertaken in the war by Australia and New Zealand, and is often considered to mark the birth of national consciousness in both of these countries.
<i>Gardenia jasminoides</i>, (common gardenia, cape jasmine or cape jessamine) is an evergreen flowering plant of the family Rubiaceae. It originated in Asia and is most commonly found growing wild in Vietnam, Southern China, Taiwan, Japan, Myanmar and India. With its shiny green leaves and heavily fragrant white summer flowers, it is widely used in gardens in warm temperate and subtropical climates, and as a houseplant in temperate regions.<br/><br/> It has been in cultivation in China for at least a thousand years, and was introduced to English gardens in the mid 18th century. Many varieties have been bred for horticulture, with low growing, and large- and long-flowering forms.
Charles Davidson Bell (22 October 1813 Crail, Fife, Scotland - 7 April 1882 Edinburgh) was the Surveyor-General in the Cape, an artist, heraldist, and designer of Cape medals and stamps.
The resort town of Vung Tau, known in French colonial times as Cap St Jacques, lies at the tip of a triangular peninsula jutting into the sea near the mouth of the Saigon River.<br/><br/>During the 14th and 15th centuries, the cape that would become Vũng Tàu was a swamp which European trading ships visited regularly.<br/><br/>東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
Following Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama's success in discovering a sea route around Africa to India in 1498, King Manuel I commissioned Pedro Alvares Cabral to lead a second voyage of 13 ships and 1,500 men to India. Although he intended to stay close to the west coast of Africa, Cabral sailed far off course and accidentally chanced upon the coast of South America.<br/><br/> According to the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494, any land falling within 370 leagues [2.060 km] west of the Cape Verde Islands was to belong to Portugal, whereas any land discovered west of this meridian would be Spanish territory, as decreed by Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI. The coastline of Brazil therefore fell within the Portuguese sphere of influence and was colonized by Manuel I.<br/><br/> Cabral left two men there as ambassadors and continued across the south Atlantic, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, fought off Arab merchants in East Africa, and finally reached Calicut in India in September 1500.
Vasco da Gama (1460 or 1469 – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery, and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India. Under the reign of King Manuel I, Portugal discovered Brazil in 1500. Meanwhile, da Gama set sail from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, with a fleet of four ships and 170 men. He sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, impersonated a Muslim in Mozambique, resorted to piracy in Kenya, and finally landed in Calicut in India on May 20, 1498. For a short time in 1524, he was Governor of Portuguese India under the title of Viceroy.
Vasco da Gama (1460 or 1469 – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery, and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India. Under the reign of King Manuel I, Portugal discovered Brazil in 1500. Meanwhile, da Gama set sail from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, with a fleet of four ships and 170 men. He sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, impersonated a Muslim in Mozambique, resorted to piracy in Kenya, and finally landed in Calicut in India on May 20, 1498. For a short time in 1524, he was Governor of Portuguese India under the title of Viceroy.
Coste Occidentale d'Afrique. Publiee par ordre du Comte de Maurepas en 1738. Taken from a work by Jacques Bellin (1703-1772)
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.
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.
Phuket, at 810sq km Thailand's largest island, lies in the Andaman Sea just off the coast of Phang-nga Province. Joined to the mainland by a wide causeway it has developed into the most luxurious and exquisite beach resort in Thailand.<br/><br/> In centuries past Phuket was an important trading post on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, handling shipping and dealing with sailors from the Arab and Malay Worlds, India, Burma (Myanmar), China and, of course, Siam. By the 16th century the island was also well known to Europeans, as first Portuguese and Dutch, then English and French sailed to its fabled shores.<br/><br/> The island enjoyed an unprecedented surge in wealth when tin was found in large quantities in the nearby shallows. Miners and businessmen flocked to the island from the provinces of south China, adding a considerable Sinitic element to the island's already mixed population.<br/><br/> It was not until around 1975, however, that Phuket's potential for tourism was finally realised. A sweep of warm, sandy beaches line the western, Andaman Coast.
Phuket, at 810sq km Thailand's largest island, lies in the Andaman Sea just off the coast of Phang-nga Province. Joined to the mainland by a wide causeway it has developed into the most luxurious and exquisite beach resort in Thailand.<br/><br/> In centuries past Phuket was an important trading post on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, handling shipping and dealing with sailors from the Arab and Malay Worlds, India, Burma (Myanmar), China and, of course, Siam. By the 16th century the island was also well known to Europeans, as first Portuguese and Dutch, then English and French sailed to its fabled shores.<br/><br/> The island enjoyed an unprecedented surge in wealth when tin was found in large quantities in the nearby shallows. Miners and businessmen flocked to the island from the provinces of south China, adding a considerable Sinitic element to the island's already mixed population.<br/><br/> It was not until around 1975, however, that Phuket's potential for tourism was finally realised. A sweep of warm, sandy beaches line the western, Andaman Coast.
Phuket, at 810sq km Thailand's largest island, lies in the Andaman Sea just off the coast of Phang-nga Province. Joined to the mainland by a wide causeway it has developed into the most luxurious and exquisite beach resort in Thailand.<br/><br/> In centuries past Phuket was an important trading post on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, handling shipping and dealing with sailors from the Arab and Malay Worlds, India, Burma (Myanmar), China and, of course, Siam. By the 16th century the island was also well known to Europeans, as first Portuguese and Dutch, then English and French sailed to its fabled shores.<br/><br/> The island enjoyed an unprecedented surge in wealth when tin was found in large quantities in the nearby shallows. Miners and businessmen flocked to the island from the provinces of south China, adding a considerable Sinitic element to the island's already mixed population.<br/><br/> It was not until around 1975, however, that Phuket's potential for tourism was finally realised. A sweep of warm, sandy beaches line the western, Andaman Coast.
Phuket, at 810sq km Thailand's largest island, lies in the Andaman Sea just off the coast of Phang-nga Province. Joined to the mainland by a wide causeway it has developed into the most luxurious and exquisite beach resort in Thailand.<br/><br/> In centuries past Phuket was an important trading post on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, handling shipping and dealing with sailors from the Arab and Malay Worlds, India, Burma (Myanmar), China and, of course, Siam. By the 16th century the island was also well known to Europeans, as first Portuguese and Dutch, then English and French sailed to its fabled shores.<br/><br/> The island enjoyed an unprecedented surge in wealth when tin was found in large quantities in the nearby shallows. Miners and businessmen flocked to the island from the provinces of south China, adding a considerable Sinitic element to the island's already mixed population.<br/><br/> It was not until around 1975, however, that Phuket's potential for tourism was finally realised. A sweep of warm, sandy beaches line the western, Andaman Coast.
Phuket, at 810sq km Thailand's largest island, lies in the Andaman Sea just off the coast of Phang-nga Province. Joined to the mainland by a wide causeway it has developed into the most luxurious and exquisite beach resort in Thailand.<br/><br/> In centuries past Phuket was an important trading post on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, handling shipping and dealing with sailors from the Arab and Malay Worlds, India, Burma (Myanmar), China and, of course, Siam. By the 16th century the island was also well known to Europeans, as first Portuguese and Dutch, then English and French sailed to its fabled shores.<br/><br/> The island enjoyed an unprecedented surge in wealth when tin was found in large quantities in the nearby shallows. Miners and businessmen flocked to the island from the provinces of south China, adding a considerable Sinitic element to the island's already mixed population.<br/><br/> It was not until around 1975, however, that Phuket's potential for tourism was finally realised. A sweep of warm, sandy beaches line the western, Andaman Coast.
Phuket, at 810sq km Thailand's largest island, lies in the Andaman Sea just off the coast of Phang-nga Province. Joined to the mainland by a wide causeway it has developed into the most luxurious and exquisite beach resort in Thailand.<br/><br/> In centuries past Phuket was an important trading post on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, handling shipping and dealing with sailors from the Arab and Malay Worlds, India, Burma (Myanmar), China and, of course, Siam. By the 16th century the island was also well known to Europeans, as first Portuguese and Dutch, then English and French sailed to its fabled shores.<br/><br/> The island enjoyed an unprecedented surge in wealth when tin was found in large quantities in the nearby shallows. Miners and businessmen flocked to the island from the provinces of south China, adding a considerable Sinitic element to the island's already mixed population.<br/><br/> It was not until around 1975, however, that Phuket's potential for tourism was finally realised. A sweep of warm, sandy beaches line the western, Andaman Coast.