Phuket city is the capital of Phuket Province situated in Phuket Island in Thailand. It is the country's largest island that's about the same size as Singapore. A 2007 census reports that the city has a population of 75,573 people. It was elevated to the status of city in February 13, 2004. Phuket was originally referred to as 'Thalang'. Its current name, however, is said to have been derived from the Malay word for mountain.

The island is also the setting of one of the most devastating tsunamis to ever hit a highly populated area. The wave originated from the Indian Ocean as a result of an earthquake. It occurred on December 26, 2004. It affected the entire island of Phuket as well as the neighboring areas of Thailand and others areas in Asia. The tsunami killed as many 250 people in Phuket and far more in other places. Most of those who perished in Phuket were locals and many foreign tourists. By 2005, the resort industry in Phuket started to recover and by the end of the year, life slowly ebbed back into the island and its tourist industry.

Historically, the island of Phuket relied on tin mining but as the price for tin declined, the island then turned to the tourism industry. Development of the beaches surrounding Phuket has been ongoing since the 1980s. In 2005, Fortune Magazine voted Phuket as one of the top 5 retirement destination in the world. At present, thousands of expatriates live in Phuket. Costs in Phuket, however, have risen dramatically over the past decade making it one of Thailand's more expensive tourist and retirement destinations.