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. |
 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. |
