Chiang Mai, also spelled Chiengmai, largest city in northern Thailand and the third largest city in the nation after metropolitan Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. It is located on the Ping River, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River, near the centre of a fertile intermontane basin at an elevation of 1,100 feet (335 m). It serves as the religious, economic, cultural, educational, and transporta
tion centre for both northern Thailand and part of neighbouring Myanmar (Burma). Once the capital of an independent kingdom, the city also has strong cultural ties with Laos. The settlement, founded as a royal residence in 1292 and as a town in 1296, served as the capital of the Lanna Thai kingdom until 1558, when it fell to the Myanmar. In 1774 the Siamese king Taksin drove out the Myanmar; but Chiang Mai retained a degree of independence from Bangkok until the late 19th century. In contrast to the normally densely populated Asian city, Chiang Mai has the appearance of a large village—orderly, clean, traditional, and almost sprawling. The older part of town, particularly the 18th-century walled settlement, is on the west bank of the river; it contains ruins of many 13th- and 14th-century temples. Two bridges cross the broad Ping River. Chiang Mai is a flourishing tourist and resort centre. Phu Ping Palace, the summer home of the Thai royal family, is nearby. The city is renowned as a centre of Thai handicrafts. Small villages nearby specialize in crafts such as silverwork, wood carving, and making pottery, umbrellas, and lacquerware. Traditional Thai silk is woven at San Kamphaeng to the east. Educational facilities include the Northern Technical Institute (1957), the Maejo Institute of Agricultural Technology (1934), and Chiang Mai University (1964). Affiliated with the university are the Tribal Research Centre, the Lanna Thai Social Sciences Research Centre, the Regional Centre of Mineral Resources, the Industrial Economics Centre of Northern Thailand, the Anaemia and Malnutrition Research Centre, and the Multiple Cropping Project.
