The average elevation of the province is 580 m. The north of the province belongs to the so-called Golden Triangle, at which the borders of Thailand, Laos and Burma converge - an area which prior to the rise of agricultural production of coffee, pineapple, coconuts and banana plantations, was unsafe because of the drug smugglingacross the borders. The Mekong river forms the boundary with Laos, the Mae Sai and Ruak River to Burma. Through the town of Chiang Rai itself, flows the 'Mae Kok' Kok Riverand south of it the Lao River, a tributary of the Kok.While the eastern part of the province is characterized by relatively flat river plains, the northern and western part consist of the hilly terrain of the Hills of Northern Thailandwith the Khun Tan Range and the Phi Pan Nam Range in the west and the Daen Lao Range in the north. While not