Phayao

Covering 6,189 km² in upper northern Thailand, Phayao had a population of 454,764 in 2024 and is bounded by Nan to the east, Phrae to the south, Lampang to the southwest, and Chiang Rai to the north. The Phi Pan Nam Range traverses the province from north to south, and the Ing River drains north through the valley toward the Mekong. Kwan Phayao covers roughly 1,980 hectares at a depth of only 1.5 metres and supports an important inland fishery; a flood-control gate completed in 1941 by the Department of Fisheries created the present form of the lake, inadvertently inundating older settlements. The province contains five national parks including Doi Luang (1,169 km²) and Phu Sang, the latter protecting a rare warm-water waterfall. Wat Si Khom Kham on the lake's edge houses the Phra Chao Ton Luang, one of the largest Buddha images in northern Thailand, dating to the early Lanna period.