Pang Mapha District
| Pang Mapha ปางมะผ้า |
|
|---|---|
| Amphoe | |
| Amphoe location in Mae Hong Son Province Amphoe location in Mae Hong Son Province |
|
| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country |  Thailand |
| Province | Mae Hong Son |
| Seat | Soppong |
| Area | |
| • Total | 798.375 km2 (308.254 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 19,708 |
| • Density | 24.7/km2 (64/sq mi) |
| Time zone | THA (UTC+7) |
| Postal code | 58150 |
| Geocode | 5807 |
Pang Mapha (Thai: ปางมะผ้า) is the northernmost district (Amphoe) of Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand.
Etymology
In the Shan language, Mapha or Makpha (มะผ้า or หมากผ้า) means lime and Pang means hill, so a translation into English might be Lime Hill.
History
Several prehistoric sites are known within the Pang Mapha area. The most famous one is the Spirit Cave, discovered by Chester Gorman in the mid 1960s, was occupied from about 9000 till 5500 BC by Hoabinhian hunters and gatherers. Two other significant sites nearby are the Banyan Valley Cave and the Steep Cliff Cave. Much more recent are the coffin caves like Tham Lot.
During World War II the Japanese troops built a road from Pai to Mueang Mae Hong Son and further to Myanmar. Later people used the road for transportation and commercial, using Ban Sop Pong Mae Umong (บ้านสบป่องแม่อูมอง) for the overnight stop. The government built a police station in the area that called Pangmapha in 1948. Later in 1977 the government improved the road, many people from other districts and provinces, hill tribes and refugees from Myanmar moved to the area. This created problems like drug trafficking and deforestation. To improve the administration of the area, the government created the Pang Mapha minor district (King Amphoe) on April 1, 1987, by splitting the two tambon Soppong and Pang Mapha from Mueang Mae Hong Son district.[1] It was upgraded to a full district on December 5, 1996.[2]
Geography
The Daen Lao Range dominates the landscape of this district. Neighboring districts are (from southeast clockwise) Pai, Mueang Mae Hong Son of Mae Hong Son Province and Shan State of Myanmar.
The main river of the district is the Khong River.
Administration
The district is subdivided into 4 subdistricts (tambon), which are further subdivided into 38 villages (muban). There are no municipal (thesaban) areas, and 4 Tambon administrative organizations (TAO).
| No. | Name | Thai name | Villages | Inh. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Soppong | สบป่อง | 8 | 7,398 | |
| 2. | Pang Mapha | ปางมะผ้า | 11 | 4,017 | |
| 3. | Tham Lot | ถ้ำลอด | 7 | 3,784 | |
| 4. | Napu Pom | นาปู่ป้อม | 12 | 4,509 |
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- amphoe.com
- http://cddweb.cdd.go.th/pangmapha/ (Thai)
- Photo Gallery from the Telegraph (UK)
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
