Northern Thailand in the context of "Central Thailand"

Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in Thailand. It is 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok in a mountainous region called the Thai highlands and has a population of approximately 127,000 within the city municipality, as of 2023.

The heart of the city is commonly defined by a square area about 1.6 km x 1.6 km. It is bordered by ancient red brick walls (now only remnants), and has a moat surrounding it.

The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (Northern Thai: ᩋᩣᨱᩣᨧᩢᨠ᩠ᨠ᩼ᩃ᩶ᩣ᩠ᨶᨶᩣ, pronounced [ʔāː.nāː.tɕǎk láːn nāː], "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; Thai: อาณาจักรล้านนา, RTGS: Anachak Lan Na, pronounced [ʔāː.nāː.tɕàk láːn nāː]), also known as Lannathai, was a kingdom centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries.

The cultural development of the Northern Thai people had begun long before as successive kingdoms preceded Lan Na. As a continuation of the kingdom of Ngoenyang, Lan Na emerged strong enough in the 15th century to rival the Ayutthaya Kingdom, with whom wars were fought. However, the Lan Na Kingdom was weakened and became a vassal state of the Toungoo dynasty in 1558. Lan Na was ruled by successive vassal kings, though some enjoyed autonomy. The Burmese rule gradually withdrew but then resumed as the new Konbaung dynasty expanded its influence. In 1775, Lan Na chiefs left the Burmese control to join Siam, leading to the Burmese–Siamese War (1775–76).

Mass migration of Tai peoples from China (Guangxi) to Mainland Southeast Asia and Northern Thailand occurred between the 8th-10th century. The Mainland region was ruled by the Khmer Empire since 800 CE. The Thai established their own kingdoms: the semi-legendary Singhanavati Kingdom (691 BCE–638 CE) evolved into the Ngoenyang Kingdom (638–1292). In 1220, the Khmer controlled Sukhothai was conquered by the Thais and made the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom. By 1220, the long declining Khmer Empire was mostly overrun by Thais. By the 13th century, the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438) had replaced the Mon kingdoms in Central Thailand. During the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Thai script was created in 1283, the arts flourished, Thai institutions were developed, and people called themselves "Thai" as freed people from foreign rule.

In 1351, the Suphannabhum city-state (modern-day Suphan Buri), and Lavo city-state (modern-day Lop Buri) merged into the Ayutthaya Kingdom which was founded near the Chao Phraya River. Duarte Fernandes was the first European to arrive in Ayutthaya in 1511. Siam became the popular international name for Thailand.

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables. Considered an annual plant, there are three main types of cucumber—slicing, pickling, and seedless—within which several cultivars have been created. The cucumber originates in Asia extending from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, China (Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi), and Northern Thailand, but now grows on most continents, and many different types of cucumber are grown commercially and traded on the global market. In North America, the term wild cucumber refers to plants in the genera Echinocystis and Marah, though the two are not closely related.

Northern Thailand the oldest region in Thailand the main ethnic group Tai-Lue established their own kingdoms: the semi-legendary Singhanavati Kingdom (691 BCE–638 CE) evolved into the Ngoenyang Kingdom (638–1292). In 1220, the Khmer controlled Sukhothai was conquered by the Thais and made the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom. By 1220, the long declining Khmer Empire was mostly overrun by Thais. By the 13th century, the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438) had replaced the Mon kingdoms in Central Thailand. During the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Thai script was created in 1283, the arts flourished, Thai institutions were developed, and people called themselves "Thai" as freed people from foreign rule.

In 1351, the Suphannabhum city-state (modern-day Suphan Buri), and Lavo city-state (modern-day Lop Buri) merged into the Ayutthaya Kingdom (Tai-Lue from the Northern+Monic from Chao Phra Ya river basin = Siamese Kingdom) which was founded near the Chao Phraya River. Duarte Fernandes was the first European to arrive in Ayutthaya in 1511.

The Kuomintang Chinese in Thailand are mainly Yunnanese Chinese descendants of Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang, KMT) soldiers who settled in the mountainous border region of Northern Thailand in the 1960s, having been pushed out of Southern China following the KMT's defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and later from northern Burma, where they were based in the 1950s.

Chiang Mai is the largest province (changwat) of Thailand by area. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lampang and Lamphun to the south, Tak to the southwest, Mae Hong Son to the west, and Shan State of Burma to the north. The capital, Chiang Mai, is 685 kilometres (426 mi) north of Bangkok.

Phu Sang National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติภูซาง) is a national park in Northern Thailand.

It covers the Thoeng District of Chiang Rai Province and Chiang Kham and Phu Sang Districts of Phayao Province.