Lamphun ( th, ลำพูน, ;
Northern Thai
Kam Mueang ( nod, , กำเมือง) or Northern Thai language ( th, ภาษาไทยถิ่นเหนือ) is the language of the Northern Thai people of Lanna, Thailand. It is a Southwestern Tai language that is closely rela ...
: ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
(''changwat''), lies in
upper northern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise)
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...
,
Lampang
Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang ( th, นครลำปาง, ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for La ...
, and
Tak.
Geography
Lamphun is in 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 p ...
valley. It is surrounded by mountain chains, with the
Thanon Thong Chai Range
The Thanon Thong Chai Range ( th, ทิวเขาถนนธงชัย, , formerly Thanon Range; Burmese ''Tanen Taunggyi'') is a mountain range in northern Thailand. Its tallest peak is Doi Inthanon, the highest point in Thailand. Most ...
in the west and the
Khun Tan Range
The Khun Tan Range ( th, ทิวเขาขุนตาน or, erroneously, ทิวเขาขุนตาล) is a mountain range that occupies a central position in Northern Thailand. Most of the range is located in Chiang Mai, west ...
in the east of the province. It is some 670 kilometres from
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
and 26 kilometres from
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...
. The total forest area is or 57.8 percent of provincial area.
Lamphun is regarded as the smallest province of northern region of Thailand.
National parks
There are a total of three national parks, two ofwhich are in
region 16 (Chiang Mai) and Doi Chong in
region 13 (Lampang branch) of Thailand's protected areas.
*
Mae Ping National Park
Mae Ping National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติแม่ปิง) is at the southern end of the Thanon Thong Chai Range, in Lamphun, Tak, and Chiang Mai Provinces in northern Thailand. Established on 13-07-1981, it is an IUC ...
,
[
]
*
Mae Takrai National Park
Mae is an American rock band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience", based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University.
Histor ...
,
*
Doi Chong National Park,
Wildlife sanctuaries
There area two wildlife sanctuaries in
region 16 (Chiang Mai) of Thailand's protected areas.
*
Omkoi Wildlife Sanctuary,
*
Doi Phu Muang Wildlife Sanctuary,
History
Under its old name of
Haripunchai, Lamphun was the northernmost city of the
Mon kingdom of the
Dvaravati
The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th ce ...
period, and also the last to fall to the Thai. In the late-12th century it came under siege from the
Khmer, but did not fall. However, in 1281 King
Mengrai of
Lan Na finally seized the city, and made it part of his kingdom. After Burmese expansion in the 16th century, Lamphun was under Burmese rule for two centuries. In the 18th century, with the rise of Thonburi and Bangkok against Burmese rule, local leaders from Lampang agreed to be their allies. Lamphun was finally freed from the Burmese and ruled by relatives of Lampang's leader, gaining vassal status from Bangkok. Eventually, after the administrative reform of Bangkok government in the late-19th century, Lamphun became part, as a province, of Siam.
Symbols
The
provincial seal shows the temple Wat Phra That Haripunchai, which was already the main temple of the city Lamphun during
Mon times. The gold-covered
chedi is said to contain a relic of
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
.
The provincial flower is the
Flame of the Forest (''Butea monosperma''), and the
provincial tree is the
Rain Tree Rain tree is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
*''Albizia saman'', a tree in the family Fabaceae, native to a range extending from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil
*''Brunfelsia'' a genus of shrubs and small trees in the family Sola ...
(''Samanea saman'').
Transport
* Air: Lamphun is served by
Lamphun Airport.
* Rail: Lamphun's main station is
Lamphun Railway Station.
Foods
*
Kaeng khae
''Kaeng khae'' ( th, แกงแค, ) is a curry of northern Thai cuisine.
The curry is named after the '' Piper sarmentosum'' leaves, one of its main ingredients, which are known as ''phak khae'' in northern Thailand.
Ingredients
This curry ...
, a spicy curry consisting mainly of vegetables with chicken, frog, fish or snails.
*Kuaitiao lamyai, stewed pork noodles soup with dried
longan
''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known as the longan () and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambu ...
, originated in Lamphun.
Administrative divisions
Provincial government
The province is divided into eight districts (''
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 ...
s''). These are further divided into 51 subdistricts (''
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'' ...
s'') and 551 villages (''
mubans'').
For national elections the province is divided into three constituencies. Constituency 1 covers the Mueang District except Tambon Makhuea Chae; Constituency 2 the districts Pa Sang, Mae Tha, and ''Tambon'' Makhuea Chae of Mueang District; and Constituency 3 the districts Ban Hong, Thung Hua Chang, and Li.
Local government
As of 26 November 2019 there are:
one Lamphun Provincial Administration Organisation (') and 40 municipal (''thesaban'') areas in the province. Lamphun has town (''
thesaban mueang
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 ...
'') status. Further 39 subdistrict 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 ...
''). The non-municipal areas are administered by 17 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (''ongkan borihan suan tambon'').
Human achievement index 2017
Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the
Human achievement index
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
(HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.
Gallery
File:LamhunWPTHaripch200107c.jpg, The Dvaravati
The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th ce ...
-style chedi of Wat Phra That Hariphunchai
File:LamhunWPTHaripch200107b.jpg, The viharn and golden chedi of Wat Phra That Hariphunchai
Wat Phra That Hariphunchai ( th, วัดพระธาตุหริภุญชัย) is a Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Lamphun, Thailand. The temple's origins date from the 11th century but the central stupa is thought to originate in the ...
References
External links
*
Provincial websiteLamphun province, Tourism Authority of Thailand
{{Coord, 18, 34, 45, N, 99, 0, 23, E, type:adm1st_region:TH, display=title
Provinces of Thailand