Ko Tarutao

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title: "Ko Tarutao" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["islands-of-thailand", "islands-of-the-strait-of-malacca"] description: "Island in the Andaman Sea" topic_path: "general/islands-of-thailand" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Tarutao" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Island in the Andaman Sea ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox islands"]

Field	Value
native_name	เกาะตะรุเตา
image	File:Koh Tarutao, Thailand, Ancient Cambrian deposits.jpg
image_caption	Ko Tarutao coastline
archipelago	Tarutao Archipelago
area_km2	152
coordinates
country	Thailand
country_admin_divisions_title	Province
country_admin_divisions	Satun
location	Strait of Malacca
country_admin_divisions_1	Mueang Satun
country_admin_divisions_title_1	District
country_admin_divisions_2	Ko Sarai
country_admin_divisions_title_2	Tambon
::

|native_name=เกาะตะรุเตา |image=File:Koh Tarutao, Thailand, Ancient Cambrian deposits.jpg |image_caption=Ko Tarutao coastline |archipelago=Tarutao Archipelago |area_km2=152 |coordinates= |country=Thailand |country_admin_divisions_title=Province |country_admin_divisions=Satun |location=Strait of Malacca |country_admin_divisions_1=Mueang Satun |country_admin_divisions_title_1=District |country_admin_divisions_2=Ko Sarai |country_admin_divisions_title_2=Tambon Ko Tarutao () is the largest island of the Tarutao National Park in Satun Province of southern Thailand. The island is 26 km long and 11 km wide. It is one of the most unspoiled islands in Andaman Sea and in all of Thailand. Ko Tarutao is located about 10 km north of Langkawi Island in Malaysia. The Malay word tertua or tarutao means old and primitive.

Overview

There is a concrete road running through the island, but the terrain is rugged and mountainous with several peaks stretching more than 500 m high. The highest peak is 713 m high. Most of the island territory is covered in dense, old growth jungle. Mangrove trees and limestone cliffs cover much of the island shores. The western coast has long and wide white-sand beaches which are historical nestling ground sites for turtles. Langurs, crab-eating macaques and wild pigs are common on the island.

Ao Son beach on the west side of the island is over 4 km long and over 100 m wide.

From its eastern side the larger island of Ko Tarutao is encircled by over 10 smaller offshore islands and limestone karst islets, such as Ko Sing, Ko Kaman, Ko Ko Lo, Ko Klang, Ko Pulao Na, Ko Daeng, Ko Laen, Ko Lek, and others.

History

Ko Tarutao is a place of historical importance. Between 1938 and 1948, more than 3,000 Thai criminals and political prisoners were held on the island, including Prince Sithiporn Kridakara, a member of the Chakri dynasty who would later serve as Minister of Agriculture in post-war Thailand under the third premiership of Khuang Aphaiwong. During World War II, food and medical supplies from the mainland were depleted and many prisoners died from malaria. Those who survived, both prisoners and guards, became pirates in the nearby Strait of Malacca. They were later suppressed by British troops in 1951 to deter the rise of more prisoners.

In 2002, Ko Tarutao was used as the filming location for Survivor: Thailand.

A 16 August 2013 Bangkok Post editorial said human trafficking gangsters "use the southern tip of the island to incarcerate and torture Muslim Rohingya boat people to extort ransom money before selling them into slavery".

Gallery

File:West dock of Koh Tarutao.jpg|A dock and 30 m limestone cliff near the old prison site on the east side of the island File:West coast of Koh Tarutao.jpg|West coast of Koh Tarutao

References

References

1. "Ko Tarutao".
2. Williams, China. (2012). "Thailand Travel Guide". Lonely Planet.
3. [http://bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/364843/a-nightmare-in-paradise A nightmare in paradise]

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::