Chiang Dao ( th, เชียงดาว, ) is a district (''

amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...

'') of

Chiang Mai province Chiang Mai ( th, เชียงใหม่, ; nod, , ) is the largest Province (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lam ...

in northern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. It is nicknamed "little Tuscany" and several wines are produced in the area.

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the northeast clockwise)

Fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fang ...

, Chai Prakan, Phrao, and Mae Taeng of Chiang Mai Province; Pai of

Mae Hong Son province Mae Hong Son province ( Burmese: မဲဟောင်ဆောင်; th, แม่ฮ่องสอน, ; Northern Thai: ; Shan: ; formerly called ''Mae Rong Son''), also spelled ''Maehongson'', ''Mae Hong Sorn'' or ''Maehongsorn'', is one of ...

; and Wiang Haeng of Chiang Mai. To the north is the

Shan State Shan State ( my, ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်, ; shn, မိူင်းတႆး, italics=no) also known by the Endonym and exonym, endonyms Shanland, Muang Tai, and Tailong, is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. Chiang Dao is the only district in Thailand that has all twelve

hill tribe Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

s in residence. The

Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าเชียงดาว) is a protected area in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Established on 25 August 1978, the sanctuary covers 521 km2 ...

, with over 300 species of birds, surrounds the mountain of

Doi Chiang Dao Doi Chiang Dao ( th, ดอยเชียงดาว, ), also known as Doi Luang Chiang Dao (, ), is a high mountain in Chiang Dao District of Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. It is one of the highest peaks of the Daen Lao Range on the Thai sid ...

Pha Daeng National Park Pha Daeng National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติผาแดง), formerly known as Chiang Dao National Park, is a national park in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Established on 2 November 2000, the park covers 702,085 r ...

is another nature reserve located within the district. The

Ping River The Ping River ( th, แม่น้ำปิง, , ), along with the Nan River, is one of the two main tributaries of the Chao Phraya River. It originates at Doi Thuai in the Daen Lao Range, in Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai province. After pas ...

, one of the main tributaries to the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

, originates at Doi Thuai, in the mountains of the

Daen Lao Range The Daen Lao Range ( th, ทิวเขาแดนลาว,
; my, Loi La) is a mountain range of t ...

in Chiang Dao District. The

Taeng River The Taeng River or Mae Taeng River ( th, น้ำแม่แตง, , ) is a tributary of the Ping River, one of the two main contributories of the Chao Phraya River. It originates in the Daen Lao Range in Wiang Haeng District, Chiang Mai Provin ...

, a river that has its source in the mountains of the Daen Lao Range in neighbouring Wiang Haeng District, also flows through Chiang Dao District on its way to its confluence with the

in Mae Taeng District.

History

Chiang Dao was a smaller city state (''

mueang Mueang ( th, เมือง ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( lo, ເມືອງ ''mɯ́ang'', ; Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''muang''), Mong ( shn, ''mə́ŋ'', ), Meng () or Mường (Vietnamese), were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or principali ...

'') in the northern Thai

Lan Na The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...

Kingdom. As part of the ''Thesaphiban'' administrative reforms at the end of the 19th century it was made a district of Chiang Mai Province. Originally a minor district (''

king amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...

''), it was upgraded to a full district in 1908.

Administration

The district is divided into seven sub-districts (''

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...

''), which are further subdivided into 83 villages (''

muban Muban ( th, หมู่บ้าน; , ) is the lowest administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74,944 administrative mu ...

''). Both Chiang Dao and Mueang Ngai are sub-district municipalities (''

thesaban tambon Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

''), which cover parts of the same-named ''tambon''s. The sub-district municipality Phra That Pu Kam (พระธาตุปู่ก่ำ) covers the remaining parts of sub-district Mueang Ngai. Mueang Na, Ping Khong, and Thung Khao Phuang are sub-district municipalities which cover the whole of the same-named sub-districts. There are a further three

tambon administrative organization ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...

s (TAO): Mae Na and Mueang Khong covering the same-named sub-districts, and Chiang Dao the non-municipal parts of the sub-district.

References

External links

*
amphoe.com
(Thai)
Pha Daeng National Park
Chiang Dao Populated places in Chiang Mai province {{ChiangMai-geo-stub