Koh Samui is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland province of Surat Thani. It is Thailand's third largest island located in the Gulf of Thailand.

The people on Koh Samui come from all over the country and has a population of about fifty thousand. Most people live on a successful tourist industry, as well as on exports of coconut and rubber.

Koh Samui’s first settlers came some 150 years ago from Hainan Island now located in the People’s Republic of China. They arrived here and setup the foundations for the coconut industry by planting coconut trees in organized rows to maximize the coconut yield. In fact, Koh Samui boasts the largest variety of coconut trees concentrated in one location.

Koh Samui is circular in shape and is surrounded by over eighty smaller islands, several of which are well known as tourist destinations: Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao and Ko Nang Yuan.

The island is about 15km in width and the central part of the island is a mountain jungle which is almost uninhabitable. The highest peak on the island is Khao Yai at 635m and is surrounded by various lowland areas connected together by a single road that covers the circumference of Koh Samui.

The Samui International Airport has daily flights to Bangkok and other major airports in Southeast Asia. At the moment, Bangkok Airways is the only airline on Koh Samui since they originally helped build the Samui Airport.

Koh Samui's primary beaches are considered towns due to the number of hotels, restaurants and bars located on them.