NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Kingdom of Thailand
former: Siam
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma |
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00 N, 100 00 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia |
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Area:
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total: 514,000 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km land: 511,770 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,863 km
border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km |
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Coastline:
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3,219 km |
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid |
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Terrain:
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central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m |
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Natural resources:
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tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 32.88%
permanent crops: 7% other: 60.12% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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47,490 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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64,265,276
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 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 24.2% (male 7,955,597; female 7,604,652)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 21,819,445; female 22,362,085) 65 years and over: 7% (male 2,081,768; female 2,441,729) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 30.1 years
male: 29.4 years female: 30.8 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.95% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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16.37 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 23.17 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 71.24 years
male: 69.07 years female: 73.53 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.91 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.8% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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670,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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55,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai |
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Ethnic groups:
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Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% |
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Religions:
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Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other 0.6% (1991) |
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Languages:
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Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96% male: 97.5% female: 94.6% (2003 est.) |