Thailand Map and Country Information

Thailand Map

Physical
Thailand is located in Southeastern Asia , southeast of Burma , bordering the Andaman Sea , and the Gulf of Thailand . Thailand Map 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.

People
More than 64.2 million people live in there . Thai is their primary language, while English is considered the secondary language of the elite. Other ethnic and regional dialects can also be found. Thailand is primarily Thai (75%) with some Chinese (14%) and various other ethnic groups (11%). Religions practiced in Thailand are: Buddhism (95%), Islam (4%), with Christianity, Hinduism, and other beliefs practiced by a little more than 1% of the population.

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. Thailand is 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).

Economy
After enjoying the world's highest growth rate from 1985 to 1995 - averaging almost 9% annually - increased speculative pressure on Thailand 's currency in 1997 led to a crisis that uncovered financial sector weaknesses and forced the government to float the baht. Long pegged at 25 to the dollar, the baht reached its lowest point of 56 to the dollar in January 1998 and the economy contracted by 10.2% that same year. Thailand entered a recovery stage in 1999, expanding 4.2% and grew 4.4% in 2000, largely due to strong exports - which increased about 20% in 2000. An ailing financial sector and the slow pace of corporate debt restructuring, combined with a softening of global demand, however, slowed growth in 2001 to 1.4%. Increased exports led growth to over 5% in 2002 despite a sluggish global economy. Gross domestic product (GPD) is comprised of: agriculture (11%), industry (40%), and services (49%).

Areas of Concern
Air and water pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, and illegal hunting of wildlife are the nation's primary environmental concerns. Of major concern for health officials are the 755,000 HIV/AIDS cases in the country. Economic concerns center around the ailing financial sector, the slow pace of corporate debt restructuring, and decreasing global demand.

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