Thailand Location:
Physical. Thailand is located in Southeastern Asia, southeast of Burma, bordering the Andaman Sea, and the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area about twice the size of Wyoming. The climate there is tropical with a warm southwest monsoon from May to September and a cool northeast monsoon from November to March. The terrain includes a central plain, the Khorat plateau in the east, and mountains in other regions. Some natural resources include tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, lignite, fluoride, gypsum and arable land.
Thailand Geography:
Geography
Area: 514,000 sq km
Capital: Bangkok (8,539,000 1990 est.)
Environmental concerns: air and water pollution; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting
Geographical features: central plain and the Khorat Plateau in the east with mountains elsewhere
Climate: tropical, rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September) with dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March) however, the southern isthmus is always hot and humid
Thailand People:
People. More than 64.6 million people live in Thailand. Thai is their primary language, while English is considered the secondary language of the elite. Other ethnic and regional dialects are also used. Thailand is primarily Thai (75%) with some Chinese (14%) and various other ethnic groups (11%). Religions practiced in Thailand are: Buddhism (95%), Islam (5%), with Christianity, Hinduism, and other beliefs practiced by a little less than 1% of the population.
64,631,000 estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Thai (75%), Chinese (14%), other (11%)
Annual growth rate: 0.68% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
Religions: Buddhist (95%), Muslim (5%), Christian and other (less than 1%) (2000 census)
Thailand Government:
Government. The country is officially known as the Kingdom of Thailand. Its capital, Bangkok, is located along the northern tip of the Gulf of Thailand. The traditional founding date for Thailand is 1238. The king signed its constitution in October 1997 making Thailand a constitutional monarchy. The prime minister is designated from the House of Representatives. Major political parties include the Democratic Party (DP) and Thai Rak Rhai Party (TRT). Thailand has 76 provinces (administrative regions).
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy.
The chief of state is King Phumiphon Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946). The head of government is Prime Minister Thaksin Chinnawat (since 9 February 2001).
Universal and compulsory suffrage at 18 years of age
Thailand Communication:
Communication and transportation
6.797 million (2004) main telephone lines in use
8.42 million (2005) Internet users
57,403 km of roadways
4,071 km railroads
108 (2005) airports
5.65 million motor vehicles (2004)
Thailand Economy:
Economy. Thailand has recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis and currently has a solid infrastructure, free-enterprise economy, and pro-investment policies. Boosted by increased consumption and strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004. Preferential trade agreements with various partners have increased exports and helped to maintain high growth. In late December 2004, a major tsunami struck Thailand and growth slowed to 4.4% in 2005. (This downturn was also aided by high oil prices, weaker demand from Western markets, severe drought in rural regions, tsunami-related declines in tourism, and lower consumer confidence. The government’s plans for infrastructure and social development have also slowed growth.) In 2006, the economy may be at risk for a possible avian flu epidemic.
Currency: baht
Per capita GDP: $8,300 (2005 est.)
GDP: $560.7 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 4.4% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 4.5% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (49%), industry (14%) services (37%) (2000 est.)
Thailand More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/thailand
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/thtoc.html | 
