Introduction 

Background: A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing armed violence in its three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.

Geography

 

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma

 

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 100 00 E

 

Map references: Southeast Asia

 

Area: total: 514,000 sq km;land: 511,770 sq km;water: 2,230 sq km

 

Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming

 

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: territorial sea: 12 nm;exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

 

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, arable land

 

Land use: arable land: 29.36%;permanent crops: 6.46%;other: 64.18% (2001)

 

Irrigated land: 47,490 sq km (1998 est.)

 

Natural hazards: land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts

 

Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting

 

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

 

Geography - note: controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore

 

People

 

Population: 65,444,371

note: 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 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 7,988,529/female 7,633,405);15-64 years: 68.6% (male 22,195,625/female 22,731,767);65 years and over: 7.5% (male 2,251,112/female 2,643,933) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 30.88 years;male: 30.11 years;female: 31.66 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 0.87% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 15.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female;under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female;15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female;65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female;total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 20.48 deaths/1,000 live births;male: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births;female: 19.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.57 years;male: 69.39 years;female: 73.88 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 1.88 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.5% (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 570,000 (2003 est.)

 

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

Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high;food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A;vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague are high risks in some locations;animal contact disease: rabies;water contact disease: leptospirosis (2004)

 

Nationality: noun: Thai (singular and plural);adjective: Thai

 

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

 

Religions: Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)

 

Languages: Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects

 

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write;total population: 92.6%;male: 94.9%;female: 90.5% (2002)

 

Government

 

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand;conventional short form: Thailand;former: Siam

 

Government type: constitutional monarchy

 

Capital: Bangkok

 

Administrative divisions: 76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon

 

Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

 

National holiday: Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927)

 

Constitution: new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997

 

Legal system: based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

 

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

 

Executive branch: chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)

head of government: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat (since 9 February 2001) and Deputy Prime Ministers CHATURON Chaisaeng (since 3 October 2002), CHITCHAI Wannasathi (since 11 March 2005), PHINIT Charusombat (since 6 October 2004), SOMKIT Chatusiphithak (since 11 March 2005), SURAKIAT Sathianthai (since 11 March 2005); VISHANU Krua-ngam (since 8 November 2003);cabinet: Council of Ministers

note: there is also a Privy Council;elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister is designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following national elections for the House of Representatives, the leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by the king

 

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consists of the Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 4 March, 29 April, 4 June, 9 July, and 22 July 2000 (next to be held by March 2006); House of Representatives - last held 6 February 2005 (next to be held in February 2009)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TRT 376, DP 97, TNP 25, PP 2

 

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: Thailand has a well developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and welcomes foreign investment. Thailand has fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis and was one of East Asia's best performers in 2002-04. Increased consumption and investment spending and strong export growth pushed GDP growth up to 6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004 despite a sluggish global economy. The highly popular government's expansionist policy, including major support of village economic development, has raised concerns about fiscal discipline and the health of financial institutions. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and maintain high growth, and in 2004 began negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with the US. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took 8,500 lives in Thailand and caused massive destruction of property in the southern provinces of Krabi, Phangnga, and Phuket.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $524.8 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 6.1% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,100 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9%;industry: 44.3%;services: 46.7% (2004 est.)

 

Labor force: 36.43 million (November 2004 est.)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 49%, industry 14%, services 37% (2000 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: 1.5% (November 2004 est.)

Population below poverty line: 10% (2004 est.)

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8%;highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 51.1 (2002)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed): 22.5% of GDP (Jan - Sep 2004 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $30.86 billion;expenditures: $31.94 billion, including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2004 est.)

 

Public debt: 47.6% of GDP (November 2004 est.)

 

Agriculture - products: rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans

 

Industries: tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry, electric appliances and components, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, world's second-largest tungsten producer, and third-largest tin producer

 

Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% (2004 est.)

 

Electricity - production: 118.9 billion kWh (2003)

 

Electricity - consumption: 106.1 billion kWh (2003)

 

Electricity - exports: 188 million kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 600 million kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 225,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 785,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: NA

 

Oil - imports: NA

 

Oil - proved reserves: 600 million bbl (1 January 2003)

 

Natural gas - production: 18.73 billion cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - consumption: 23.93 billion cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - imports: 5.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves: 368.2 billion cu m (1 January 2003)

 

Current account balance: $6.736 billion (2004 est.)

 

Exports: $87.91 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances

 

Exports - partners: US 15.9%, Japan 13.9%, China 7.3%, Singapore 7.2%, Malaysia 5.4%, Hong Kong 5.1% (2004)

 

Imports: $80.84 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities: capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels

 

Imports - partners: Japan 23.6%, China 8.6%, US 7.6%, Malaysia 5.8%, Singapore 4.4%, Taiwan 4.1% (2004)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $48.3 billion (2004)

 

Debt - external: $50.59 billion (2004 est.)

 

Economic aid - recipient: $72 million (2002)

 

Currency (code): baht (THB)

 

Exchange rates: baht per US dollar - 40.222 (2004), 41.485 (2003), 42.96 (2002), 44.432 (2001), 40.112 (2000)

 

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 6,617,400 (2003)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 26.5 million (2005)

 

Telephone system: general assessment: high quality system, especially in urban areas like Bangkok; WTO requirement for privatization of telecom sector is planned to be complete by 2006;domestic: fixed line system provided by both a government owned and commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly and outpacing fixed lines;international: country code - 66; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); landing country for APCN submarine cable

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999)

 

Television broadcast stations: 5 (all in Bangkok; plus 131 repeaters) (1997)

 

Internet country code: .th

 

Internet hosts: 103,700 (2003)

 

Internet users: 6,971,500 (2003)

 

Transportation

 

Railways: total: 4,071 km;narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)