Mueang

Mueang is a Thai term meaning city or town. In modern Thailand, the word is used in the administrative geography of the country to designate the capital area of a province and, more broadly, to denote the central urban center.

In the Thai provincial system, a province (changwat) is divided into districts (amphoe). The capital district, or amphoe mueang, typically contains the provincial capital city and the main provincial government offices. It is usually the most urban and populous district, though its official boundaries may not perfectly align with the core urban area.

The name Mueang appears in the names of many districts, such as Mueang Chiang Mai, Mueang Phuket, and Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima. It is not a separate level of local government; rather, within an amphoe mueang there are subdistricts (tambon) and villages, and local administration is carried out by municipalities (thesaban) or tambon administrative organizations.

Etymologically, เมือง means city, town, or metropolis in Thai. Historically, the term denoted a principal settlement or seat of authority within a larger political unit, and it remains in use today to indicate the central urban area of a province.

Examples of its usage across Thailand reflect the country’s centralized administrative structure, with amphoe mueang serving as the administrative heart of a province and often hosting major economic and civic institutions.