Unlike most spits, it was probably formed when originally existing islands were connected by silting from the lake precursor.

Just north of the very large Thale Luang (Lake Songkhla complex) in the south of the country, it is one of the few surviving intact freshwater wetland ecosystems in Thailand.

Kuan Ki Sian is a knoll at 0–2 meters above mean sea level in the Thale Noi area.

[4] A small population of Irrawaddy dolphins is found in Thale Luang, near the Si-Ha Islands of Phatthalung.

The IUCN Red List shows several populations, including those in the Mahakam River and Malampaya Sound, as critically endangered.