Doi Tung (ดอยตุง) is a mountain in the

Thai highlands The Thai highlands or Hills of northern Thailand is a mountainous natural region in the north of Thailand. Its mountain ranges are part of the system of hills extending through Laos, Burma, and China and linking to the Himalayas, of which they may ...

Mae Fa Luang District Mae Fa Luang (, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the northern part of Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. History The area of Mae Fa Luang was separated from Mae Chan district and created as a minor district (''king amphoe'') on 1 April 199 ...

Chiang Rai Province Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six Provinces of Thailand, provinces that lies in Northern Thailand#Regional classification of northern Thailand, upper northern Thailand and is Thailand's northernmost province. It is bordered ...

, Thailand.

Location

While not the highest elevation of the province, the 1,389 m high Doi Tung rises steeply close to the Thailand-Myanmar border. It is the highest point of the

Doi Nang Non Doi Nang Non (, ; 'Mountain of the Sleeping Lady') is a mountain range in the Thai highlands in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. It is a karstic formation with numerous waterfalls and caves rising at the southern end of the Daen Lao Range. Part ...

, a subrange of the

Daen Lao Range The Daen Lao Range (,
; ) is a mountain range of the Golden Triangle Golden Triangle may refer to: Places Asia * Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia), named for its opium production * Golden Triangle (Yangtze), China, named for its rapid economic development * Golden Triangle (India), comprising the popular tourist sp ...

Description

Most of the bedrock of the mountain is

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

and granite. The vegetation below 1,000 m is mostly

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

forest, and the vegetation above this height is evergreen. The population of Doi Tung is about 11,000 people, consisting of various tribes including Akha, Lahu, Tai Lue, and Lawa. Wat Phra That Doi Tung is on top of the hill. According to the chronicles, this Buddhist place of worship dates back to the year 911. It is an important pilgrimage spot for the devout.

Economy

Coffee plantations cover an area of 15 km². There are 3.5 million coffee trees on Doi Tung. Almost half of Doi Tung's population is in coffee farming, providing a stable source of income for nearly 900 families. The Doi Tung Development Project is focused on the area of Doi Tung and has infused life into a previously moribund economy. Per capita incomes in the area have increased sixfold from 1988 to 2016.

Doi Tung Royal Villa

Doi Tung Royal Villa, former residence of Princess Mother

Srinagarindra Princess Srinagarindra (; ; 21 October 1900 – 18 July 1995) born Sangwan Talapat (; ) was a member of the Royal Thai Family. She was part of the House of Mahidol, which is descended from the Chakri dynasty and was founded by Prince Mahidol ...

, is high up on the hill. The villa was originally built as a summer residence for the princess mother and now houses a museum displaying her work to improve the life quality of local tribes people. The Mae Fah Luang Gardens are a botanical park on the slopes below the royal villa. Flowers and plants grow among rock formations. Due to the princess mother's interest and encouragement, the hills were reforested. She was also instrumental in fighting against the

opium trade Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which is ...

. As a result, the local hill tribes stopped growing

poppies Poppies can refer to: *Poppy, a flowering plant *The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses *''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation *Poppies (Mary Oliver poem), ''Poppies'' (poem) - a poem by Mary Oliver *"Poppies", a song by P ...

and began to grow other crops.

References

External links

*
Doi Tung

Wikimapia - Doi TungThe Switzerland of Thailand - Doi TungEconomic Geology Report
{{Royal palaces in Thailand Geography of Chiang Rai province Mountains of Thailand Daen Lao Range