Mae Hong Son ( th, แม่ฮ่องสอน, ) is a 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 ...

'') in north-west Thailand, capital 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 o ...

. It is in the Shan Hills, near the border with

Burma 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 Wells explai ...

along the banks of the River Pai. As of 2018, the town had 7,066 inhabitants. The town covers the ''

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 ...

'' Chong Kham of the Mueang Mae Hong Son district. Mae Hong Son is north of Bangkok and northwest of Chiang Mai.

History

The territory of Mae Hong Son Province was formerly part of Mawkmai State, one of the Shan States which had been founded in 1767 by Hsai Khiao, hailing from a noble family of

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 ...

. As a result of the Anglo-Siamese Boundary Commission of 1892-93 Mae Hong Son district was ceded to Siam,Home News General - Thailand and Britain Swap Boundary Maps
but the adjacent Möngmaü and Mehsakun trans- Salween districts— also claimed by Siam as territories located on the eastern side of the Salween River— were kept as part of

British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

.Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 17, p. 236.
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Climate

Mae Hong Son has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Aw''). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at . The monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm. Mae Hong Son holds the highest temperature ever recorded in Thailand when was observed on 28 April 2016.

Temperature

Transportation

Mae Hong Son can be reached by car or bus from

by the

Mae Hong Son loop 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. History ...

. The town is also serviced by the

Mae Hong Son Airport Mae Hong Son Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานแม่ฮ่องสอน) is an airport in the town of Mae Hong Son in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the ...

. It is also home to the only commercial Diesel power station in Thailand. The station has only a very small capacity of 4.40 MW (4,400 kW). It seems like it was placed here because of the remote location of the town.

Tourism

The town has some tourist infrastructure, including many guesthouses and several internet cafes. It also has a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

restaurant near the main market. It is a popular jumping-off point for tours to visit

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 ...

villages, caves, and waterfalls in the area. There are also some hot springs nearby. "Thung Dok Bua Tong" in Amphoe Khun Yuam, where the fields of wild sunflowers bloom and cover the hills during the month of November, is best reached from Mae Hong Son and lies some 80 km away.

References

External links

*
Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Training Center Mae Hong Son
{{Authority control Populated places in Mae Hong Son province Cities and towns in Thailand