Thailand

Full name of country: Kingdom of Thailand

Region: East and Southeast Asia

Official language: Thai

Population: 69,920,998 (2024 est.)

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

Land area: 510,890 sq km (197,256 sq miles)

Water area: 2,230 sq km (861 sq miles)

Capital: Bangkok

National anthem: "Phleng Chat Thai" (National Anthem of Thailand), by Luang Saranuprapan/Phra Jenduriyang

National holiday: Birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn (July 28, 1952)

Population growth: 0.17% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +7

Flag: The flag of Thailand consists of five horizontal bands, with the center blue band being the largest, and flanked with white bands below and above it. Above and below the white bands are bands of red. (The white and red bands are of equal size, with each being roughly one-half of the width of the blue band.)

Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Legal system: civil law system with common law influences

The Kingdom of Thailand (Prathet Thai) is located in Southeast Asia, bordered by Laos on the north and east, Myanmar on the northwest and west, and Cambodia on the southeast. Thailand's southern peninsula connects the country to Malaysia and is flanked by the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

Referred to as Siam until 1939, the country's name means "land of freedom" in the Thai language. Thailand has a diverse population and culture that incorporates influences from Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian cultures. The country has been unified as a kingdom since the fourteenth century, though the name "Thai" has been used to describe its people only since the twentieth century.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: The population of Thailand is a diverse mixture of regions, dialects, and cultures, the result of generations of migration southward through the Thai mainland to the peninsula. Since ancient times, Thailand has functioned as a crossroads for the rest of Southeast Asia.

Approximately 97.5 percent of the population is ethnic Thai (2015 estimate); these people were known until recently as Siamese. Other minority groups include Malays and the Mon, who are descended from the Burmese. Small groups of Mon people are scattered throughout Thailand, but the largest concentration is found immediately west of the metropolis of Bangkok near the Gulf of Thailand. Different dialects of the Thai language are spoken throughout the country, but are concentrated mostly in the Chao Phraya River region. Thai serves as the official language of the country, dominating the schools and the press. Thai speakers can also be found in the surrounding countries of Laos, Vietnam, and China.

Smaller groups include the Khmer people, who live in the east near the border with Cambodia; the Karen, who speak a variety of Sino-Tibetan languages; and the Lawa, who are thought to be the ancient inhabitants of the delta plain but have been since driven to the hills where they live in a voluntary isolation. In addition, the Semang people continue to hunt with blowpipes and spears.

The majority of Thailand's people, around nine in ten, are Buddhist. There are also small groups of Sunni Muslims, Christians, Confucians, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, and Daoists.

Bangkok (Krung Thep, or "city of angels") is the country's capital and economic center. Other large cities include Songkhla, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Nakhon Si Thammarat. About half of the population, however, lives in rural areas, and is concentrated in coastal areas or near rivers.

Indigenous People: Archaeological evidence suggests that what is now northeastern Thailand has been inhabited for more than five thousand years, and that the area's early people were among the first in the region to cultivate rice and work in bronze.

The area's early Bronze and Iron Age civilizations were eventually supplanted by the Mon, Malay, and Khmer people. The ethnic Thai arrived during the first millennium.

The Kingdom of Thailand was established in 1238, and had become the dominant regional power by the fourteenth century. Although the Thai had contact with European traders in the ensuing centuries, their land was never colonized.

Education: Nine years of education are compulsory for Thai children. Starting around 1997, all Thai children have been entitled to twelve years of free education. Preprimary schooling begins at age three and can last three years. Six years of free primary school education begin at age six. Secondary school also lasts for six years, in lower and upper divisions. English is the language of instruction in the country's secondary schools, and is also widely spoken among the upper classes.

There are many colleges and universities throughout Thailand. Silpakorn University provides fine arts training, and its architects go on to design government buildings and temples. Other universities include the Chulalongkorn University, the country's oldest, founded in 1917 in Bangkok, and Ramkhamhaeng University, founded in 1971.

Thailand's average adult literacy rate is high, at 94.1 percent, with nearly equal rates between men (95.5 percent) and women (92.8 percent), in 2021.

Health Care: Thailand's health care system is not sufficient to meet the needs of the population. Facilities are inadequate, and Thai doctors often leave to practice in other countries, where they can make more money.

Most of the country's modern medical facilities are located in the Bangkok metropolitan area. Although there are regional health centers throughout the country, many rural residents must rely on mobile medical units.

Thailand's infant mortality rate has decreased over the years to 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births (2024 estimate). The use of midwives in childbirth is common in Thailand. The average life expectancy at birth is 78.2 years—81.3 years for women and 75.2 years for men (2024 estimates).

Malaria, once prevalent in the country, has been curbed due to increased use of pesticides.

Food: As in most Asian culinary traditions, the staple of Thai cuisine is rice. The country's food is influenced heavily by Chinese, Indian, and Japanese ingredients and techniques. It is believed that the Portuguese introduced the chili pepper to Thailand. Chilies, along with fish sauce (nam pla), fresh herbs, limes, and vegetables, are key ingredients in Thai cooking. Coconut milk is another common ingredient, especially in the south.

Typical Thai dishes include curries, noodle soups, and rice dishes. Popular Thai foods include satay (grilled meat flavored with peanut sauce) and pad thai (a mixture of rice noodles, meat or seafood, egg, and peanuts).

Thai food varies by region. In Bangkok the distinctly Thai fare is mixed with Chinese noodles, while in the center of the country residents sometimes eat "royal cuisine," based on the royal family's complex food.

The food of Thailand's neighbors also bleeds over the borders, so that popular pork curry dishes from Myanmar, and larb (a spicy cold salad made with meat, usually duck) from Laos intermingle with the native Thai dishes.

Arts & Entertainment: Much of Thailand's art has strong ties to religion. Buddhism arrived in Thailand from India during the third century. Indian-influenced paintings adorn the walls of Buddhist temples, and sculpture is mainly concerned with Buddhist iconography. The "golden age" of Thai arts and architecture occurred during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, as the kingdom was coming into its full power.

Buddhist temples, or wats, may be seen throughout the country, and are the most pronounced artistic expression of the country's religion. The ornate temples are often cone—or bell—shaped, and are constructed of wood with plaster or brick walls, with a great deal of inlaid ornamentation.

The classical music of Thailand is closely associated with the music of Cambodia and Laos. Traditional Thai music includes luk thung, a type of country music, and mor lam, characterized by its distinctive vocal performances.

Thai literature is heavily influenced by the literature of India, particularly the epic Ramayana. The Thai writing system was introduced in the thirteenth century, but the use of moveable type and the printing press arrived late, in 1836.

There is a range of newspapers and radio and television outlets within the country, both in Thai and in English. The state controls broadcast media, but the newspapers and other periodicals are owned privately. Both the media and the artistic community generally have a reverential view of the monarchy.

The native martial art known as Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is the country's most popular sport. Other popular sports include soccer, tennis, and takraw (which combines elements of volleyball and soccer).

Holidays: Most of the holidays celebrated in Thailand revolve around Buddhist ceremonies, such as Mahka Bucha, Wisakha Bucha, and the holy season of Khao Phansa.

Songkran, or Thai New Year, is celebrated for several days in mid-April. Chakri Day in April celebrates the founding of the present dynasty in 1782. Chulalongkorn Day (October 23) honors King Rama V, and the birthdays of the ruling monarchs, as well as the date of their coronation, are also national holidays.

Environment and Geography

Topography: The topography of Thailand is diverse, encompassing mountains, plains, fertile alluvial soils, wet rice paddies, and tropical beaches. The northern and western regions are mountainous, with granite ridges formed by volcanoes. The average elevation in these areas is 1,585 meters (5,200 feet) above sea level. The peak of Doi Inthanon, in the north, is the country's highest point at 2,565 meters (8,415 feet) above sea level.

The eastern part of the country is dominated by the Khorat Plateau, through which flows the Mekong River. To the south lies the Cambodian plain, which gradually turns to rolling hills toward the southern peninsula.

The central Chao Phraya River basin dominates the landscape, accounting for one-third of the country's area. This lowland area is the country's most fertile region, sometimes referred to as the "rice bowl."

Thailand has many islands, some of which are home to tourist resorts. The country's largest island, Phuket, lies off the southeastern coast in the Andaman Sea.

Natural Resources: Arable land is Thailand's most important resource, and the country's fertile soils are watered by two major rivers (the Mekong and the Chao Phraya) and the reoccurring monsoon season. The flooding of the Chao Phraya delta benefits rice cultivation. Although the Mekong's high salt content inhibits agriculture, there is a salt deposit mining operation in the river's valley.

The southern peninsula is rich in tin, another valuable natural resource. Other mineral resources include zinc, limestone, and tungsten. There is also a flourishing gem stone industry, which produces rubies and sapphires. The country is also a leading producer of rubber, found in its rainforests.

Most of Thailand's electricity comes from natural gas and coal, though there are a handful of hydroelectric plants.

Plants & Animals: Although roughly half of Thailand's area was once forested, much of the country's forests were lost to logging and deforestation from the 1970s onward. By 2018, only an estimated 37.2 percent of Thailand was forested. Most of the remaining trees are palm trees or hardwoods, such as teak.

Approximately 20 percent of the land is covered with grasses and swampland. Many typical Southeast Asian plants, including rattan ferns, bamboo, lotuses, and water lilies, are common in Thailand.

There are few wild animal species remaining in Thailand. Domesticated animals include cattle, mules, horses, buffalo, and elephant, but even these have been largely replaced by machinery.

Reptiles are common throughout Thailand, including lizards, crocodiles, and snakes. Silkworms are also prevalent.

Many of Thailand's animal species, such as rhinoceroses and tapirs, have been endangered by deforestation. The government has increased its wildlife conservation efforts, and outlawed the sale of these animals. Overfishing threatens the country's fish and marine life.

Climate: Thailand's climate is characterized as a Southeast Asian tropical monsoon zone. The monsoon seasons lasts from May until September. In November, the monsoon winds reverse direction until February bringing cooler, drier air.

The actual amount of rain depends on region and topography.

Temperatures in Thailand are fairly consistent, remaining between 25 and 29 degrees Celsius (77 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the year. There is occasional frost, but usually only in December in the northern mountains.

Economy

Thailand has one of the largest economies in Southeast Asia, despite multiple challenges and setbacks in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. A currency crisis in 1997 slowed growth, and the tourism industry experienced a significant downturn in 2003 and 2004, due to fears over the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Recovery was driven largely by foreign investment and the export of manufactured goods and food products. Like other countries, Thailand's economy (and especially the tourist sector) was also heavily disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020.

Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$1.516 trillion in 2023, with per capita GDP estimated at $21,100. The estimated unemployment rate was 0.91 percent. The country ranked 66 out of 193 countries and territories on the 2023/2024 United Nations Human Development Index 2022.

Industry: Most manufacturing activity in Thailand focuses on textiles, machinery, electrical components, and automobiles. Smaller industries include food and beverage processing, craftwork, and small-scale oil production. Other notable products made in Thailand include cement, furniture, plastics, glass, ceramics, stone, paper and wood pulp, leatherwork, medicines, and tobacco.

Bangkok is the country's chief industrial center. Mineral and food processing takes place in the southeastern region.

Agriculture: Agriculture accounts for a relatively small portion of Thailand's GDP, but continued to employ a large percentage of the country's workforce into the 2020s.

As in other Asian countries, rice is the largest crop, grown everywhere from the Chao Phraya River basin to the Khorat Plateau. A high duty is charged on rice exports, in order to ensure a consistent supply for the local population. Other important crops include cassava, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, palm oil, and pineapple; of these, cassava and sugar are also export crops.

Thailand is one of the world's largest exporters of chickens. Farm-raised seafood, especially shrimp, is one of the country's top agricultural exports.

Thailand is the world's largest exporter of natural rubber. The rubber plantations are mostly in the southeast and on the peninsula. The agricultural sector also produces teak and yang hardwoods, but due to deforestation, only a very small amount is allowed for export.

Small-scale agriculture is practiced throughout Thailand. The upland Hmong people grow opium, while the Karen grow rice in terraced fields. Tea and coffee are cultivated in the lowlands.

Tourism: Thailand is one of the top tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. Tourists are drawn to the country's beautiful mountain vistas, tropical beaches, the urban excitement of Bangkok, the many historic Buddhist temples, and the resort islands off the Andaman coast.

The busiest tourism season is during the dry season between October and March, though the country is so popular it remains crowded year-round. However, there are safety considerations when traveling in Thailand. The southern provinces have been the target of occasional terrorist bombings, and the border with Myanmar is also dangerous due to landmines and bandits.

The tourism industry was hurt in 2003 due to fears over an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in other Asian countries, despite no cases of the virus being recorded in Thailand itself. Thailand's popular Andaman coast was damaged in the tsunami that struck in December 2004, but tourists slowly began to return after years of rebuilding. While the sector rebounded for much of the 2010s, it faced another major setback in 2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a global economic recession and a steep decline in international travel.

Government

Thailand's modern government can be traced to 1932, when a military coup overthrew the monarchy. A constitution was established, and over the following decades the country has wavered between governments installed by the military and those elected democratically. The country has functioned largely as a constitutional monarchy, though there have been periodic military coups that have disrupted this system and resulted in the revoking and adopting of several different constitutions, including one signed in early 2017. At other times, dissent has come in the form of large public protests. For example, there was a major wave of demonstrations in the early 2020s calling for democratic reforms and curbs on the power of the monarchy, particularly the lese majesty (or lèse majesté) law that made criticism of the royal family a crime.

The king remains the chief of state and of the armed forces, and is considered sacred. The royal family is the center of Thailand's national life, functioning as a symbol of the country's strength and unity. When the government functions as a constitutional monarchy, the legislature selects a prime minister, whom the king appoints and who functions along with an appointed cabinet as the executive authority of the country. King Maha Vajiralongkorn (also spelled Wachiralongkon) acceded to the throne in 2016 and was crowned in 2019.

A prime minister serves as head of the Thai government. A candidate must be approved by the legislature before being officially appointed by the monarch. Disputes over the prime minister positions have been a significant source of tension in Thai politics. For example, in 2022 the Thai Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, arguing that the years he spent ruling the country as head of a military junta following a 2014 coup counted toward his eight-year term limit. Supporters of Prayuth argued that since the new Thai constitution only took effect in 2017 and Prayuth had only been civilian prime minister since 2019, he had not yet reached his term limit. Another controversy came after the reformist Move Forward Party won the May 2023 elections and nominated Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister, but his candidacy was blocked by the Senate.

The legislative branch consists of a bicameral National Assembly (Ratthasapha). The House of Representatives (Saphaphuthan Ratsadon) consists of five hundred representatives serving four-year terms. The Senate (Wuthisapha) includes two hundred members, each serving a five-year term.

The judicial branch of government includes three high courts. The Supreme Court of justice includes a president, several vice presidents, and sixty to seventy judges across ten divisions. The judges of the Supreme Court of Justice are appointed by the monarch after selection by a judicial commission, and their terms are decided by the monarch. The Constitutional Court consists of the court president and eight judges (drawn from the other high courts or committee selection) appointed by the monarch to nine-year terms. The Supreme Administrative Court has a varying number of judges serving life terms, as selected by a judicial commission and formally approved by the monarch. Thai law was influenced by the Hindu code Manusmrti and, since the late nineteenth century, Western law. It is a mixture of civil and common law.

Thailand is divided into seventy-six provinces (changwat), each with its own popularly elected local government of mayors and councilors. Voting is compulsory for those eighteen and older, though citizens can vote only for members of the legislative branch.

Interesting Facts

• Thailand remains the only country in Southeast Asia that was never occupied by a European power.
• The mouth of the Chao Phraya River grows by several feet every year due to the sediment collected in the Gulf of Thailand.
• Because Thailand's climate is tropical the entire year, in 2015, a small amusement park–style attraction opened at a mall in Bangkok designed to allow Thai citizens to experience snow and a colder climate.
• When King Maha Vajiralongkorn's coronation took place in May 2019, it was the first coronation that had occurred in Thailand in almost seventy years.

Bibliography

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"Thailand." The World Bank 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/thailand. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

"Thailand." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 16 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/thailand/. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

"Thailand." World Health Organization, www.who.int/countries/tha/. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

"Thailand Country Profile." BBC News, 16 Aug. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15581957. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.