About Thailand
Posted by Professor Cram in Asia
About Thailand
Map of Thailand
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.
Capital: Bangkok
Currency: baht (THB)
Geographic Data on Thailand
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. To the west is Burma, to the north and east is Laos, to the southeast is Cambodia, and to the south is Malaysia.
The country is comprised of 2,230 square kilometers of water and 511,770 square kilometers of land, for a total area of 514,000 square kilometers — slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming.
The climate of Thailand is tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September) and dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March). The southern isthmus is always hot and humid.
Thailand’s natural resources include tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, and arable land.
Thailand controls the only land route from mainland Asia to Malaysia and Singapore.
People of Thailand
75% of Thailand’s populace belongs to the Thai ethnic group, with 14% Chinese and 11% various ethnic groups.
Thailand is 94.6% Buddhist, with 4.6% Muslim.
The languages spoken in Thailand include Thai, English (the second language of the elite), and ethnic/regional dialects.
Flag of Thailand
Flag of Thailand
The flag of Thailand has five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red.
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