Quick answerChiang Mai is a city in Thailand, with 127,240 people inside the city limits in 2019. The wider metropolitan area had about 1.2 million people in 2019. It is best known for the Old city walls and moat, the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and the Night Bazaar. Its official language is Thai, and its currency is the Thai baht.
Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand, with about 127,000 people in the municipality and about 1.2 million in the urban area (2022). It stands on the Ping River in a mountain basin and is known for its old city walls, temples and night markets.
Key facts
| Country | Thailand |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 127,240 (2019) |
| Population (metro) | 1,198,000 (2019) · Urban area (principal city area), 2022 |
| Elevation | 304 m above sea level |
| Time zone | Asia/Bangkok |
| Language | Thai |
| Currency | Thai baht (THB, ฿) |
| Coordinates | 18.79528° N, 98.99861° E |
Overview
Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand and the capital of Chiang Mai province, about 700 kilometres north of Bangkok. The city municipality covers only 40.216 square kilometres and had 127,240 residents in 2019, but the wider urban area held 1,198,000 people in 2022, making it Thailand's second-largest city by urban population. It sits in a broad basin in the Thai highlands, at an average elevation of about 300 metres.
Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 as the capital of the Lan Na kingdom, and its old city is still ringed by walls and a moat, entered through gates such as Tha Phae Gate. Its best-known temple is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on the mountain west of the city, and the old city holds Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chiang Man. The city joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2017 for its crafts and folk art.
Today Chiang Mai is a centre for tourism, education and digital nomads, famous for its night bazaar, its Sunday walking street, its food — above all khao soi noodle soup — and festivals such as Yi Peng, when thousands of lanterns are released into the sky. The mountains around it hold elephant sanctuaries and hill-tribe villages.
What Chiang Mai is known for
- Old city walls and moat
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
- Night Bazaar
- Khao soi
- Yi Peng lantern festival
- Tha Phae Gate
Landmarks
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
- Tha Phae Gate
- Wat Phra Singh
- Wat Chiang Man
- Night Bazaar
- Doi Suthep–Pui National Park
- Chiang Mai University
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Chiang Mai?
About 127,000 people live inside the Chiang Mai municipality (127,240 in 2019), which covers only 40 square kilometres. The wider urban area had about 1.2 million people in 2022. That gap is why Chiang Mai can look small on a map and feel like a big city on the ground.
Where is Chiang Mai located?
Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand, on the Ping River, about 700 kilometres north of Bangkok. It is the largest city in the north, famous for its old city walls and moat, the mountain temple of Doi Suthep and its night markets. Its coordinates are 18.80° N, 99.00° E.
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Keep exploring
- Thailand — the country Chiang Mai is in
- Bangkok — another city in Thailand
- Hat Yai — another city in Thailand
- Nakhon Ratchasima — another city in Thailand
- All cities in Thailand
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.