Mae Hong Son province

Statistics

Capital:	Mae Hong Song[?]
Area:	12,681.3 km² Ranked 8th
Inhabitants:	208,835 (2001) Ranked 74th
Pop. density:	16 inh./km² Ranked 76th
ISO 3166-2:	TH-58
Map

Mae Hong Song (Thai แม่ฮ่องสอน) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from east clockwise) Chiang Mai and Tak. To the west it borders Myanmar.

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1 Geography

2 History

3 Demographics

4 Symbols

5 Administrative divisions

6 External links

Geography

The province is located between several mountain ranges and thus enjoys a cooler climate then most of the other areas of Thailand.

History

The province was part of the Lannathai kingdom as well as of Burma. The strong influence of the Burmese can still be seen in the building style of the temples.

63% of the population in the province are members of the hill tribes, among them the Hmong, Yao[?], Lahu[?], Lisu[?], Akha[?] and Karen[?]. Another big ethnic group are the Shan. The province has the lowest population density of all the provinces of Thailand.

Symbols

The provincial seal show an elephant swimming in water. Elephant training for forest work was very popular in the province. Ban Mae Hong Son was one of two communities built around an elephant camp by Prince Kaew Muang Ma. The provincial tree is Millettia brandisiana[?], and the provincial flower is the Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia[?]).

Administrative divisions

Amphoe (districts)
Muang Mae Hong Song Khun Yuam Pai Mae Sariang	Mae La Noi Sop Moei Pang Mapha

External links

Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand (http://www.tat.or.th/province/north/mae-son/index.htm)
Golden Jubilee Network province guide (http://kanchanapisek.or.th/cgi-bin/kp8/oncc/province.cgi?prov=n12)