Ao Phang-nga National Park of Thailand

Until 1974 the island of quaint limestone-rock Ko Tapu, which in Thai means “Rock Nail”, was little known outside the province of Phang Nga (Phang Nga), where it is located. Everything changed when in 1974 on the screens out another part of Bond – The Man with the Golden Gun “(The Man with the Golden Gun), which lit up the island. Since then it started to call the island of James Bond (James Bond Island) and it became a place of tourist pilgrimage.



The province is located on the west side of the Malay Peninsula, and includes many islands of the Phang Nga Bay. The most famous one is the so-called James Bond Island, a needle formed limestone rock in the sea, which featured in the 1974 movie The Man with the Golden Gun. The Ao Phang-Nga (Phang-Nga Bay) National Park was established in 1981 to protect the many fascinating islands. The Similan Islands, one of Thailand’s main diving destinations, are also part of Phang Nga province. It is located 788 kilometres (490 mi) from Bangkok and covers an area of 4,170 square kilometres (1,610 sq mi).

During the reign of King Rama II, nearby areas (including Thalang, now known as Phuket) were occupied by the Burmese and so many people fled to Kraphu-nga. In 1824, Siamese troops defeated the Burmese and the invaders were expelled. King Rama III renamed the area Phang-nga and in 1933 the town was expanded to be a province.

On the fateful morning of December 26, 2004 Phang-nga Bay was devastated by a Tsunami disaster and thousands of people lost their lives.