Thailand
About Thailand - The Land of Smiles
Flag of Thailand
five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand
Location : Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
Geographic coordinates15 00 N, 100 00 E
Area:total: 514,000 sq km
land: 511,770 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km
Land boundaries:total: 4,863 km
border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km
Coastline: 3,219 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Status : UN Country
Capitol City : Bangkok (Krung Thep)
Population : 60,609,046 (July 1999 est.)
Currency : 1 Thai Baht = 100 Satang
Languages :Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
Religions : Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other 0.6% (1991)
Religion
Ethnic groups:Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Climate:tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
Terrain:central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
Natural resources:tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite
Land use:
arable land: 34%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 32% (1993 est.)
Data code: TH
Government type:constitutional monarchy
National holiday:Birthday of His Majesty the King, 5 December (1927)
Islands in the Gulf of Thailand :
Koh Samui see also History of Samui
Koh Chang
