Thailand occupies the western half of the Indochinese peninsula and the northern two-thirds of the Malay Peninsula in southeast Asia. Its neighbors are Burma (Myanmar) on the north and west, Laos on the north and northeast, Cambodia on the east, and Malaysia on the south. Thailand is about the size of France.
Country lead by Ruler: King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1946)
Prime Minister: Surayud Chulanont (2006)
Population
64,631,595 (growth rate: 0.7%); birth rate: 13.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 19.5/1000; life expectancy: 72.2; density per sq mi: 327
Land Area
197,595 sq mi (511,771 sq km); total area: 198,456 sq mi (514,000 sq km)
Monetary unit
baht Language
Thai (Siamese), English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
Ethnicity Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Religion Buddhist 95%, Islam 5%, Christian 1% (2000)
Transportation Railways: total: 4,071 km (2002). Highways: total: 64,600 km; paved: 62,985 km; unpaved: 1,615 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 4,000 km principal waterways; 3,701 km with navigable depths of 0.9 m or more throughout the year; numerous minor waterways navigable by shallow-draft native craft. Ports and harbors: Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha, Songkhla. Airports: 111 (2002).
