Getting to Know Phang-Nga Bay

Last Update : Monday 5 March, 2001 0:27 AM

Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park


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Getting to Know Phang-Nga Bay

          About 136-138 million years ago, Tanowsri and Phuket Mountain ranges has a geological formation called “faults”. It occurred emerged limestone mountains spread around in the boundary of Phang-Nga, Krabi, Trang, and Satul provinces.

          When the time passed, the rain and the wind had eroded those mountains to occur many grottos, caves, cliffs, and cracks. Mineral supplement in the rocks reacted with the air and water creating decorated spectacular colors.

          Human beings have been in the area of Ao Phang-Nga for a long time since the end of ice age more than ten thousand years ago. The sea level was a lot lower than at present. Many islands nowadays had been mountains before. The people in those periods used caves, cliffs, and grottos as their home. They had left several evidences for descendants to study such as prehistoric paintings at Khao Kien, Ko Panyee, Khao Raya, Thum Nak, and archaeological evidences like pottery at Khao Pang, rubbed stone axe at Ko Phra Art Tao, and many others.

          In 1987, the archaeological evidences of prehistoric human beings had been discovered in many areas around Ao Phang-Nga, particularly, more than 40 paintings in several forms anticipated more than 5,000-3,500 years prehistory. Most paintings are drawings with color painting, dripping or brushing. Most of them were painted in red and black. They are both single paintings and several-time paintings by doubling up each color. The paintings show both living things such as human beings, fishes, prawns, langurs, birds, and elephants; and non-living things such as boats and aquatic animal catching instruments. Cave paintings are anticipated as for the ritual ceremony or various beliefs in the past, including the paintings of boatmen who passed in the areas.

          After the ice age, the sea level became higher that it was higher than the present level at about 1.5-4.5 meters. The erosion of seawater occurred generally at the edge of limestone islands obviously seen as “Sea Notch”. After that 1,500 years, the sea level became lower as we have seen nowadays.

          From the geography of Phang-Nga Bay, it is regarded the largest bay of the Andaman shoreline. Ko Phuket has shielded the bay from monsoon wind and wave that make calmly wave and wind in this area. The sediments piled up to become a vast muddy shore with various mangrove floras floating in and propagating. It became the largest mangrove forest of Thailand at present with the area of the forest in the whole province at 190,265 Rai, which is 18.17% of the mangrove forest area all over the country (in 1996).

          The beauty of the landscape from its geological formation and the vast abundant mangrove forest led Phang-Nga Bay to be announced as a Sri Phang-Nga Forestry Park in 1974. After that, it was announced to be Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park in 1981 with the area of 400 square kilometers. 80% of the area is seawater and the less is seashores and islands of about 42 islands such as Ko Panyee, Khao Ping Gun, Khao Ta Poo, Ko Panak, Ko Hong, and Ko Lawa.