Koh Tao

Fishermen from neighbouring islands long used Koh Tao as a shelter before it had a permanent population; a mid-19th-century account describes farms and cattle in a village on the west side. King Chulalongkorn visited on 18 June 1899 and left his monogram carved on a boulder at Jor Por Ror Bay, next to Sairee Beach. From 1933 the island served as a prison for political detainees, until in 1947 the government of Khuang Abhaiwongse obtained a royal pardon for the prisoners and the island was largely abandoned again.

Settlers gradually returned to farm coconuts and fish, and the first overseas backpackers began to arrive in the 1980s. In the 1990s Koh Tao developed into a major diving destination. Rapid growth has put pressure on the island's reefs, water and waste systems; local groups and dive operators run reef restoration and clean-up projects, and a turtle-breeding programme launched in 2004 with the Royal Thai Navy has released hundreds of young hawksbill and green turtles around the island.

Koh Tao's permanent population is small, and many residents are linked to the dive and hospitality trades, alongside long-established Thai families who once lived from coconuts and fishing. Mae Haad has the island's main pier, shops and a few local eateries, while family-run restaurants across the island serve southern Thai curries, fresh seafood and fruit shakes. Environmental issues are a frequent topic: waste management is a serious problem on the island, and community groups such as Save Koh Tao work on environmental improvements, including reef and clean-up projects.