Thailand is situated in South-East Asia, covering an area of nearly 513,115 square kilometres. It is roughly the size of France. It shares land borders with Myanmar (Burma) in the north and west, the Andaman Sea in the west, Laos in the north and north-east, Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand in the east, and Malaysia in the south.

The shape of the country is similar to the profile of an elephant with a long trunk stretching down the peninsular. At school, students are taught that their country resembles the shape of an ancient axe with the peninsular being the handle.

Geography :

Thailand covers a land area of 513,115 square kilometres (198,114 square miles), extends about 1,620 kilometres (1,007 miles) from north to south and 750 kilometres (482 miles) at its widest point from east to west, or approximately the same size as France, with a coastline of approximately 2,700 kilometres (1,143 miles) on the Gulf of Thailand and 865 kilometres (537 miles) along the Indian Ocean.

Lowest point:   Gulf of Thailand 0 m
Highest point:   Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
Geographic coordinates:   15 00 N, 100 00 E
Natural resources:   tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite
Climate:   The climate is sub-tropical with long hours of sunshine and high humidity. There are three seasons. The hot season lasts from March to June. The rainy season, from July to October. The cool season from November to February. Average low temperature is 20c and high temperature is 37c. The geographic and climatic conditions make the country suitable for the cultivation of a wide range of tropical and semi-tropical agricultural crops.
Land use:   arable land: 34%, permanent crops: 6%, permanent pastures: 2%, forests and woodland: 26%, other: 32%.
Irrigated land:   44,000 sq km)

Thailand is divided into four geographical regions : Central Thailand (including Bangkok), Northern Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, and Southern Thailand. The country has also an Eastern Region which is often included into the Central Region.

People :

Population : About 64,800,000 people. Life expectancy at birth : male 69.4 years ; female : 73,7 years.

Infant mortality rate 20.48 deaths/1,000 live births ; total fertility rate 1,87 born/woman (higher in provinces, lower in Bangkok).

Ethnic groups : Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Religions : Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%

Languages : Thai (English language and Chinese language newspapers available)

Literacy (age 15 and over who can read and write) : 93.8%

Government :

The conventional long name of the country : Kingdom of Thailand. Short name : Thailand, formerly named Siam.
Thailand has a constitutional monarchy. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is head of state. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. The country has 76 provinces.

The latest constitution was signed in 1997 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The present government is headed by Thaksin Shinawatra (Thai Rak Thai political party). Parlementary elections are scheduled every 4 years.

Legislative branch : the National Assembly consists of the Senate (200 seats) and the House of Representatives (500 seats). Members to both are elected every four years.

Judiciary : Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by H.M. the King)

Economy :

Thailand enjoyed very high growth rates between 1985 and 1995 (9% annually). A severe economic crisis followed in 1997. At the time the baht was allowed to float (before it was pegged to the dollar at about 25 baht for one dollar). At present one dollar is worth about 39-40 baht. The last few years under the present government of Khun Thaksin Shinawatra, the economy has been recovering with growth rates between 5-7%.

Contribution to GDP (approximate) : Agriculture 9 % (although a much larger proportion of the population is working in this sector) ; industry 44 %, services 47%.

Labour force by occupation : agriculture 43 %, industry 17 %, services 40 % (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (purchasing power parity) : US$ 8,100 (much higher in Bangkok, much lower in many rural areas).
'Standard GDP' : 2,703 US$. GPD growth in 2005 of 3.5 %.

After years of low inflation (around 2 %), the rate of inflation in 2005 and 2006 is around 5-6 %.

Important industries : Tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural products, beverages, tobacco, cement, jewelry, electric appliances and components, computer and computer accessories, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, tin

Communications :

There are many Thai language T.V. stations. English-language programs are also widely available through cable TV (including BBC, CNN, NSBC etc.)
Mobile phone use is widespread, with approximately half the populations owing a mobile phone. There are more mobile phones than fixed line phones.
Internet access is available throughout the country. Cities and towns in Thailand have Internet-Cafes with cheap rate of access (less than 1 dollar per hour usually). Broadband services are also available and are now being heavily promoted.

Sources : National Statistical Office, Bank of Thailand ; NESDB ; CIA World Factbook