Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma. Read our Thailand Travel Information page for more details on how to get in and around the country.
Geography: Thailand’s total area is 514,000 sq km, making it slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming. Its climate is tropical, with two distinct seasons: a rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September), and a dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March). The southern isthmus is always hot and humid. The terrain is noted for its central plain, Khorat Plateau in the east, and mountains elsewhere. Its highest point is Doi Inthanon with a height of 2,576 m. Thailand’s natural resources consist mainly of tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, fluorite, and arable land.
Population: More than 65,000,000 people live in Thailand. Life expectancy is 72.55 years. Birth rate is 13.73 births per 1,000. Literacy rate is 92.6%.
Languages: Thai is spoken widely, followed by English (a secondary language of the elites); the rest of the country speak the numerous ethnic and regional dialects
Ethnic Groups: Thai, Chinese
Religion: Buddhism (practiced by more than 90% of the population), Islam, Christianity
Political History: 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 separatist violence in its southern ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces.
Economic Overview: With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was one of East Asia's best performers from 2002-04. Boosted by increased consumption and strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004 despite a sluggish global economy. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth.
