Guide Note
Chiang Mai is the second-largest city in Thailand. It is the northern socioeconomic hub of the country, and an exploration base for the Myanmar and Laos provinces. Chiang Mai is located by a moat on the Mae Nam Ping riverbanks.
Fast Facts
- Full name: Nopphaburi Si Nakhonping Chiangmai
- Country: Thailand
- Governor: Mr. Wibool Sa-nguanphong
- Currency: Thai Baht
- Language spoken: Thai
- Population: 148,477 (2008)
- Country code: 66
- Area code: 53
- Time zone: UTC +7
- Religion: Approximately 85% are Buddhist
- "Chiang Mai" means "New City"
History
Chiang Mai was founded by King Mengrai in 1296, and became the capital of the Lanna Kingdom. To protect the new city against Burmese raiders, a wall and moat was built around it. When the kingdom dissolved, the land was inhabited by people from Ayutthaya as well as Burma.
Brutal wars from the 1500s to the 1700s forced occupants of Chiang Mai to flee until the late 18th Century.1 The city became an official part of the Kingdom of Siam in 1774, and was ruled by numerous princes until the 1900s. The Bangkok Government assumed total power over Chiang Mai and the northern provinces in 1939.2
Mahalo Suggests
If planning a trip, please see our Chiang Mai Vacation, Chiang Mai Hotels and Chiang Mai Restaurants.
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