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Khun Tan Range
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Khun Tan Range
The Khun Tan Range (Thai: ทิวเขาขุนตาน or, erroneously, ทิวเขาขุนตาล) is a mountain range that occupies a central position in Northern Thailand. Most of the range is located in Chiang Mai, western Chiang Rai, Lampang and Lamphun Provinces.
The geological composition of the Khun Tan mountains is different from the neighboring Thanon Thong Chai Range in the west and the Daen Lao Range in the north. Precambrian rocks are absent in this mountain chain which is thus not part of the Shan Hills system. The geology of the Khun Tan Range is homogeneous with the Phi Pan Nam Range further east and some scholarly works designate the Khun Tan as the "Western Phi Pan Nam Range", including it as part of the Phi Pan Nam Mountain System.
The Khun Tan Range begins south of the Kok River valley, at the southern end of the Daen Lao Range in Fang District. It stretches southwards in a north/south direction turning midway to a roughly NE/SW direction between the Ping River and the Wang River until Doi Tao District. The tallest peak is 2,031 m high Doi Mae Tho (ดอยแม่โถ), also known as Doi Langka Luang (ดอยลังกาหลวง); Other peaks are 2,012 m high Doi Pha Cho (ดอยผาจ้อ), 1,348 m high Doi Khun Tan (ดอยขุนตาน), 1,668 m high Doi Mon Lan and 1,816 m high Doi Saket (ดอยสะเก็ด), also known as Doi Khun On (ดอยขุนออน).
Along with the westernmost range of the Phi Pan Nam Mountains further east this range separates the intermontane basins and plateaus of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Temperatures range from a maximum of 33°C in the hot season (February to July), to a minimum of 2°C during the cold season, between November and January. Snow fell in the Chai Prakan and Mae Suai District areas of the range in 1955, a very rare event in these latitudes despite the altitude.
Historically the Khun Tan Range was a formidable natural barrier between the Lanna Kingdom and the Central Plain of Siam.
The Khun Tan Tunnel was built in 1907 across the southern part of the range and contributed to alleviate the difficulties in communication between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It is the longest railway tunnel in Thailand and it took eleven years to complete. Construction was disrupted owing to the arrest of the German engineers in World War I when Siam, having been neutral until July 1917, declared war on the Central Powers. Khun Tan Station, located at the northern end of the tunnel, is the highest railway station in Thailand at 758 m above sea level.
There are certain Hill tribe communities living in the Khun Tan Range, like the Yao and the Akha who have villages in the mountain sides of the northern areas of the range in Phrao District. Part of the hill people are refugees from troubled areas in Burma and some of these communities are regularly visited by organized tourist groups.
Thailand Route 118 between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai cuts diagonally across the Khun Tan Range from SW to NE about 30 km northeast of Chiang Mai town.
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Khun Tan Range
The Khun Tan Range (Thai: ทิวเขาขุนตาน or, erroneously, ทิวเขาขุนตาล) is a mountain range that occupies a central position in Northern Thailand. Most of the range is located in Chiang Mai, western Chiang Rai, Lampang and Lamphun Provinces.
The geological composition of the Khun Tan mountains is different from the neighboring Thanon Thong Chai Range in the west and the Daen Lao Range in the north. Precambrian rocks are absent in this mountain chain which is thus not part of the Shan Hills system. The geology of the Khun Tan Range is homogeneous with the Phi Pan Nam Range further east and some scholarly works designate the Khun Tan as the "Western Phi Pan Nam Range", including it as part of the Phi Pan Nam Mountain System.
The Khun Tan Range begins south of the Kok River valley, at the southern end of the Daen Lao Range in Fang District. It stretches southwards in a north/south direction turning midway to a roughly NE/SW direction between the Ping River and the Wang River until Doi Tao District. The tallest peak is 2,031 m high Doi Mae Tho (ดอยแม่โถ), also known as Doi Langka Luang (ดอยลังกาหลวง); Other peaks are 2,012 m high Doi Pha Cho (ดอยผาจ้อ), 1,348 m high Doi Khun Tan (ดอยขุนตาน), 1,668 m high Doi Mon Lan and 1,816 m high Doi Saket (ดอยสะเก็ด), also known as Doi Khun On (ดอยขุนออน).
Along with the westernmost range of the Phi Pan Nam Mountains further east this range separates the intermontane basins and plateaus of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Temperatures range from a maximum of 33°C in the hot season (February to July), to a minimum of 2°C during the cold season, between November and January. Snow fell in the Chai Prakan and Mae Suai District areas of the range in 1955, a very rare event in these latitudes despite the altitude.
Historically the Khun Tan Range was a formidable natural barrier between the Lanna Kingdom and the Central Plain of Siam.
The Khun Tan Tunnel was built in 1907 across the southern part of the range and contributed to alleviate the difficulties in communication between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It is the longest railway tunnel in Thailand and it took eleven years to complete. Construction was disrupted owing to the arrest of the German engineers in World War I when Siam, having been neutral until July 1917, declared war on the Central Powers. Khun Tan Station, located at the northern end of the tunnel, is the highest railway station in Thailand at 758 m above sea level.
There are certain Hill tribe communities living in the Khun Tan Range, like the Yao and the Akha who have villages in the mountain sides of the northern areas of the range in Phrao District. Part of the hill people are refugees from troubled areas in Burma and some of these communities are regularly visited by organized tourist groups.
Thailand Route 118 between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai cuts diagonally across the Khun Tan Range from SW to NE about 30 km northeast of Chiang Mai town.
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