Ko Lanta: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The Krabi Province is thought to be the longest continually inhabited area of Thailand; it's believed Homo sapiens lived in the region as long ago as 35,000 BC.

The Island of Lanta was known as 'Pulau Satak', a name of Malay origin meaning Long Beach Island. The present name is probably a corrupt form of the Javanese word lantas , meaning 'fish grill'. This eventually led to the island being named Ko Lantas.

Modern History

In 1901 the two main islands of Ko Lantas, together with 51 smaller isles, became a district of Krabi Province. In 1917, its name was changed to Ko Lanta. The island at that time became an important part of the trade route with ships between Kantang and Phuket passing through regularly. But with the construction of road No 4 from Krabi southwards to Trang and Hatyai, transportation of goods changed to the road.

Resorts and bungalows opened up the island to tourists in the late '80s. Since 1996 the island has been connected to the electric power supply of the mainland and can be reached by car ferry. The main street from Saladan to Lanta Pier and Sang Ga-U village on the east coast was paved in late 1998. But other roads are still unsurfaced. In January 2001 the island received its first telephone lines from the mainland; the antenna for the mobile phones followed immediately. In December 2001, the district of Ko Lanta marked 100 years of existence. This event was celebrated with a procession of decorated cars and trucks from Saladan Village to Si Raya, prawns being released into the Andaman Sea, and a sumptuous gala dinner attended by many high-ranking officials.

Recent History

The island has been playing catch-up in the development stakes and now has accommodation to suit all budgets; but Ko Lanta remains a welcoming, chilled-out place to stay. The 20,000 residents are mixed descendants of Muslim-Malay and sea-faring chao leh , commonly known as sea-gypsies. The 2004 tsunami had little effect on most of the island, although four resorts were seriously damaged; they have since been repaired.

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