Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand, the Southeast Asian country borders Laos and Burma to the north; Laos and Cambodia to the east; the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south; and the Andaman Sea and Burma to the west. It is the 50th largest country in terms of area and 20th largest country in terms of population in the world. The city of Bangkok is the capital of Thailand.

HISTORY:- The Thais first settled in Thailand around the 6th century. The Thais remained engaged in conflicts with the Cambodians to the east and the Burmese to the west for near 400 years. In 1824, Britain colonized Thailand. In 1896, the independence of Thailand had been ensured in an Anglo-French accord. 1932 bloodless revolution brought in a new constitutional monarchy with universal suffrage. At the time of the World War II, Thailand was an ally of Japan but at the end of the war, it became an ally of the United States. Military rule was ended in 1973 but returned into power in 1976. All political parties were outlawed. Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda was elected as the prime minister by the national assembly in 1980, 1983 and 1986 elections.

GEOGRAPHY:- Thailand is located at 15 00 N, 100 00 E in Southeastern Asia. Thailand spans through total 514,000 sq km area in which land masses and internal waters capture 511,770 sq km and 2,230 sq km areas respectively. The coastline is 3,219 km long along with the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The lowest point is the Gulf of Thailand (0 m) and the highest point is Doi Inthanon (2,576 m). The terrain of Thailand varies from central plain to Khorat Plateau in the northeast, to mountainous west. The southern isthmus connects Thailand with Malaysia.

CLIMATE:- The climate of Thailand is mostly tropical while the southern isthmus is always hot and humid. There are two rainy seasons- cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September) and dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March).

GOVERNMENT:- Thailand has a constitutional monarchy. The constitution was signed by the King in 2007. The legal system is a blend of civil law system and the common law system. The principal branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises the King (chief of state), the Prime Minister (head of government), the Deputy Prime Ministers, and the Council of Ministers and the Privy Council. The monarch is hereditary following the 2007 constitution. After the national elections of the House of Representatives, the leader of the majority coalition usually is appointed the prime minister by the king.

Legislative branch comprises the bicameral National Assembly, consists of the Senate (150 seats), and the House of Representatives (480 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court. The judges are appointed by the monarch.

Democrat Party or DP, Matchima Thippatai, Motherland Party, People Power Party, Royalist People's Party, Ruam Jai Thai Party, and Thai Nation Party are the major political parties of Thailand. Communist Party is prohibited. Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.

King                                          Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)

Prime Minister                          Samak Sundaravej

Deputy Prime Minister              Kowit Wattana, Man Pattanothai, Sahas Banditkun,  Sanan Kachornprasat, Somchai Wongsawat, Surapong Suebwonglee

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Thailand is composed of 75 provinces and 2 special governed districts- the capital Bangkok and  Pattaya.

CULTURE:- India, China, Cambodia, and Southeast Asian cultures influence the culture of Thailand. Respect towards ancestors, strong sense of hospitality and generosity, strong sense of social hierarchy, priorities to the elders in families are derived from Asian culture. Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand. Thai cuisine is a fusion of five fundamental tastes- sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. The tourism sector of Thailand also recovered from the economic crisis caused by 2004 tsunami by the end of 2007.

ECONOMY:- Export-dependent Thai economy has a developed infrastructure. Thailand has made up from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. In the financial year of 2002-04, Thailand emerged as one of the best performers in East Asia. Thailand is world's 2nd largest tungsten producer and 3rd largest tin producer.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $519.4 billion; per capita $7,900.

Real growth rate: 4.8%.

Inflation: 2.2%.

Unemployment: 1.4%.

Arable land: 28%.

Agriculture: Rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans.

Labor force: 36.9 million; agriculture 49%, industry 14%, services 37% (2000 est.).

Industries: Tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts.

Budget:  

Revenues: $44.09 billion

Expenditures: $49.84 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 37.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $58.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Natural resources: Tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land.

Exports: $105.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances.

Imports: $107 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels.

Major trading partners: U.S., Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan (2004).

Monetary unit: baht

LANGUAGE:- Thai is the official language of Thailand. English is the secondary language of the elite while many ethnic and regional dialects are widely spoken.

CITIES:- Bangkok is the capital and the largest city of Thailand. Other large cities are Nonthanburi and Chiang Mai.

POPULATION:- The population is estimated 65,068,149 with an average growth rate of  0.7.

Density per sq mi: 329

Literacy rate: 96% (2003 est.)

RACE:-

Thai 75%

Chinese 14%

Other 11%

RELIGION:-

Buddhist 94.6%

Muslim 4.6%

Christian 0.7%

Other 0.1% (2000)

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 13.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 7.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 18.23 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.83 years

Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 58,000 (2003 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 323

UNICEF:- children mortality rate is reduced by 50% and immunization coverage reached above 90% children in Thailand. UNICEF focuses on provision for social services for vulnerable children. ‘Child-friendly’ schools are being set up. UNICEF works against gender discrimination, HIV, violation of children rights, and child trafficking in the nation. 

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 4,071 km (2002).

Highways: total: 64,600 km; paved: 62,985 km; unpaved: 1,615 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 4,000 km.

Ports and harbors: Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha, Songkhla.

Airports: 111 (2002).