Koh Tarutao

Tarutao National Marine Park

Koh Tarutao consists of 51 islands located in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Satun Province of Southern Thailand. The Tarutao National Marine Park consists of two island groups: Tarutao and Adang-Rawi , which are scattered from 20 to 70 kilometers distance from the southwestern most point of mainland Thailand. The park covers an area of 1,490 square kilometers (1,260 ocean, 230 island). The southern most end of the Park lies on the border with Malaysia. Tarutao became Thailand's first marine national park on April 19, 1974. The word Tarutao is Malay for "old, primitive, mysterious". The diving sites at the park are considered to be some of the best.

There are essentially 7 islands of note in the Tarutao/Adang-Rawi archipelagoes:
Tarutao Archipelago (located approximately 30 km off the Thai coast) Kok Tarutao - The largest of the islands, Kko Tarutao is 26.5 km long, and 11 km wide. The highest point is over 2,000 feet. Forest covers over 60% of the island. Kok Klang, Kok Lek Adang Archipelago (located approximately 45 km west of Tarutao) Kok Adang , Kok Rawi, Kok Lipe, Kok Dong In the Adang Archipelago, the small (4 sq. km) island of Lipe is the most important. With water available year-round, it is the home of the largest permanent settlement, of approximately 800, and the gateway for boat transportation in and out of the Adang group.

History
The park was established in 1974. In 1982, it was listed as one of the original ASEAN Heritage Parks. It was also submitted to UNESCO for inclusion to the World Heritage in 1990, but its listing was deferred in the fifteenth session of the World Heritage Committee in 1991. The UNESCO requested a stronger management of the area.