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Introduction
Chiang Mai is a city built on the roots of a traditional
heritage that dig deep into the soil of time.
It's a city with a beautiful cultural personality
of its own. In addition, it's been blessed with
much majestic beauty in nature. The people themselves
are an unforgettable part of Chiang Mai. Handicrafts
of silk, silver and wood are timeless souvenirs
for visitors from all over the globe. Along with
all this, a wide variety of accommodations, restaurants,
and entertainment all help to make Chiang Mai
one of Thailand's prime tourist attractions.
Topography
A large part (69.31 %) of Chiang Mai's land is
covered by mountains and forests. These generally
run in a north-south pattern through the province
and give birth to several streams and tributaries
(such as the Mae Jam, Mae Ngud, and Mae Klang)
which in turn feed important rivers and irrigation
canals (such as the Muang and Faay) which provide
the water necessary to Chiang Mai's agriculture.
Chiang Mai's largest and most important river
is the Ping, which originates in the mountains
of Chiang Dao and flows southward for 540 kilometers
(337.5 miles). It is along the banks of this river
that Chiang Mai's flat, fertile valley atea lies.
Chiang Mai is also home to Inthanon Mountain,
which stands 2,575 meters (8,448 feet) above sea
level and is Thailand's highest mountain.
Climate
Cool Season : (late October to end of Februry).
average temperature 21ºC and much cooler at night.
The colest months are December and January.
Hot Season : (early March to end of May)
Average temperature 29.9ºC. The hottest month
is April.
Rainy Season : (early June to end of October).
Average temperature 25.5ºC. The wettest month
is September.
Population
 With
a population of 1,547,085 Chiang Mai is one of
Thailand's largest provinces. Of the above number,
170,348 are currently living in Chiang Mai's city
area with the rest distributed throughout Chiang
Mai's 21 districts, 2 sub-districts. 80% of the
people in Chiang Mai are locals by birth, and
speak a sialext that is a slight variation of
the central Thai language. The remaining 20% is
made up of Thai nationals and foreigners who have
moved to Chiang Mai to work, study, or retire.
There are many hilltribe people living in the
mountainous districts surrounding Chiang Mai such
as Omkoi, Mae Jam, Chiang Dao, and Mae Ai. Statistics
reported by the Tribal Research Institute of Chiang
Mai stated that in the year 1992 there were 1,049
hilltribe villages in the Chiang Mai province,
constituting a total of 174,195 people. Of this
amount, 106,116 were from the Karen tribe, 27,392
from the Lahu (Musur) tribe, 17,198 from the Hmong
(Meo) tribe, 10,873 form the Lisu tribe, 8,862
from the Lua tribe, 2,609 from the Akha tribe,
1,145 from the Mien (yao) tribe, and 485 from
the Palong tribe. The hilltribe people are agricultural;
planting fields, raising animals, and hunting
for a living. Since each tribe has its own culture
and language, they blanket the hills of Chiang
Mai with an interesting patchwork quilt of diverse
variety.
The majority (80%) of the Chiang Mai people earn
a living through agriculture and agricultural
related professions. The second largest vocation
is tourism and its directly and indirectly related
jobs. General commerce and industry-mainly in
the form of handicrafts, and of processing agricultural
products-are the two other major professions in
which the Chiang Mai people are involved. |
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