Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

's northern region is geographically characterised by multiple mountain ranges which continue from the Shan Hills

Shan Hills

The Shan Hills , also known as Shan Highland, are part of the range of hills that extends through Yunnan to Burma and Thailand, linking to the Himalayas, of which they may be considered foothills.-Etymology:...

 in bordering Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

 and Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

, and the river valleys which cut through them. Although, like most of Thailand, it has a tropical savanna climate

Tropical savanna climate

Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories "Aw" and '"As."...

, its relatively high altitude and latitude contribute to more pronounced seasonal temperature variation, with cooler winters than the other regions. Historically it is related to the Lanna

Lanna

The Kingdom of Lanna was a kingdom centered in present-day northern Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries. The cultural development of the people of Lanna, the Tai Yuan people, had begun long before as successive Tai Yuan kingdoms preceded Lanna...

 Kingdom and its culture. The region, as defined by the National Geographical Committee in 1978, consists of nine provinces

Provinces of Thailand

Thailand is divided into 76 provinces , which are geographically grouped into 6 regions. The capital Bangkok is not a province but a special administrative area and is included as the 77th province since it is administered at the same level as the other 76 provinces. The name of the provinces are...

.

Provinces

Seal	Name	Capital	Population	Area (km²)	Density	ISO code ISO 3166-2:TH ISO 3166-2:TH is the entry for Thailand in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Thailand, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
	Chiang Mai Province Chiang Mai Province Chiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Tak, and Mae Hong Son. In the north it borders Shan State of Burma...	Chiang Mai Chiang Mai Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...	1,649,457	20,107.0	82.03	TH-50
	Lamphun Province Lamphun Province Lamphun is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Mai, Lampang and Tak.-Geography:Lamphun is located in the river valley of the Ping River, surrounded by mountain chains....	Lamphun Lamphun Lamphun is a town in northern Thailand, capital of Lamphun Province. It covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang of Mueang Lamphun district...	413,299	4,505.9	91.7	TH-51
	Lampang Province Lampang Province Lampang is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Lamphun and Chiang Mai. The old name of Lampang is Khelang Nakhon.-Geography:...	Lampang Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang to differentiate from Lampang Province, is the third largest town in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang Province and the Lampang district. Traditional names for Lampang include Wiang Lakon and Khelang Nakhon. The city is still growing rapidly as trading...	782,152	12,534.0	62.4	TH-52
	Uttaradit Province Uttaradit Province Uttaradit is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phrae and Nan...	Uttaradit Uttaradit Uttaradit is a town in Thailand, capital of the Uttaradit province. The town covers the whole tambon Tha It of Mueang Uttaradit district...	464,474	7,838.6	59.3	TH-53
	Phrae Province Phrae Province Phrae is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, Sukhothai and Lampang.-Geography:Phrae is located in the valley of the river Yom.-History:...	Phrae Phrae Phrae is a town in northern Thailand, capital of the Phrae Province.The town covers the whole tambon Nai Wiang of the Mueang Phrae district. It covers an area of 9 km² and as of 2005 it has a population of 17,971....	492,561	6,538.6	75.3	TH-54
	Nan Province Nan Province Nan is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Uttaradit, Phrae and Phayao. To the north and east it borders Sainyabuli of Laos.-Geography:...	Nan Nan, Thailand Nan is a town in Northern Thailand. It is located some 668 km north of Bangkok. Its population exceeds 24.000. It is situated in the centre of the province which bears its name, and of which it is the administrative capital. It covers the whole tambon Nai Wiang of Mueang Nan district, an area...	475,614	11,472.1	41.5	TH-55
	Phayao Province Phayao Province Phayao is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nan, Phrae, Lampang and Chiang Rai. In the north-east it borders Xaignabouli of Laos.- Geography :...	Phayao Phayao Phayao is a town in northern Thailand, capital of the Phayao Province. It covers the tambon Wiang and Mae Tam of Mueang Phayao district. As of 2005 it has a population of 19,118.The town is located the shore of the Phayao lake....	502,780	6,335.1	79.4	TH-56
	Chiang Rai Province Chiang Rai Province Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Phayao, Lampang and Chiang Mai. In the north it borders Shan State of Myanmar and Bokeo of Laos.-Geography:...	Chiang Rai Chiang Rai -Demographics:Official Population count: According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district has a population of 199,699...	1,129,701	11,678.4	96.7	TH-57
	Mae Hong Son Province Mae Hong Son Province Most of the areas of Mae Hong Son Province are complex mountain ranges and likely still pristine virgin forest. Of the approximately 6,976,650 rai of national forest reserves, 88.02% is thought to be pristine virgin forest...	Mae Hong Son Mae Hong Son Mae Hong Son ) is a town in north west Thailand, capital of the Mae Hong Son Province. It is located in the Shan Hills, near the border with Burma along the banks of the river Pai...	248,748	12,681.3	19.6	TH-58

Other classification systems

Sometimes an alternative classification system is used in which Thailand is divided into four regions. In this system, Kamphaeng Phet

Kamphaeng Phet Province

Kamphaeng Phet is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Nakhon Sawan and Tak.- Etymology :...

, Phetchabun

Phetchabun Province

Phetchabun is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Lopburi, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit and Phitsanulok.- Geography :...

, Phichit, Phitsanulok

Phitsanulok Province

Phitsanulok is a provinces of Thailand, located in the north. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos....

, Sukhothai

Sukhothai Province

Sukhothai is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Tak, and Lampang...

 Uthai Thani

Uthai Thani Province

Uthai Thani is one of the provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi and Tak.-Geography:...

 Provinces in the upper central region and Tak

Tak Province

Tak is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani and Kanchanaburi...

 in the western region are also considered to be in the northern region.

Principle rivers and dams

The region's main rivers, the Ping

Ping River

The Ping River , along with the Nan River, is one of the two main contributaries of Chao Phraya River. It originates at Doi Chiang Dao in Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai Province. After passing Chiang Mai town, it flows though the provinces Lamphun, Tak, and Kamphaeng Phet...

, Wang

Wang River

The Wang River is a river in northern Thailand.-Geography:The Wang River is altogether 335nsnp;km long. Its waters flow from north to south. One of the principal settlements along the river is Lampang, which is situated on the north bank of a curve in the river. From Lampang, the river extends...

, Yom

Yom River

The Yom River is the dime main tributary of the Nan River . The Yom originates in Pong district, Phayao Province, Thailand...

 and Nan

Nan River

The Nan River is a river in Thailand. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Chao Phraya River.-Geography:The Nan River originates in Nan Province. The provinces along the river after Nan Province are Uttaradit, Phitsanulok and Phichit. The Yom River joins the Nan River at Chum Saeng...

, flow southwards through mountain valleys and join to form the Chao Phraya

Chao Phraya River

The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital city, and then empties into the Gulf of Thailand.-Etymology:...

 in Nakhon Sawan Province

Nakhon Sawan Province

Nakhon Sawan is one of the provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, Phetchabun, Lop Buri, Sing Buri, Chai Nat, Uthai Thani and Tak.- Etymology :...

 in the central region. Sirikit Dam

Sirikit Dam

The Queen Sirikit Dam is an embankment dam on the Nan River, a tributary of the Chao Phraya River, in Uttaradit Province, Thailand. The dam was built for the purpose of irrigation, flood control and hydroelectric power production...

is situated on the Nan River in Uttaradit Province.