Thailand Geography: A Comprehensive Overview of Land and Regions

Geography of Thailand Browse the article Geography of Thailand

Introduction to Geography of Thailand

Thailand, or Kingdom of Thailand (formerly Siam ), a country in southeastern Asia. It occupies large portions of the Indochinese and Malay peninsulas and borders Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Thailand has two seacoasts, one on the Gulf of Thailand and the other on the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca. Greatest distances are about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) north-south and 500 miles (800 km) east-west. Thailand's total area is 198,456 square miles (514,000 km 2 ).

Facts in brief about ThailandCapital: Bangkok.Official language: Thai (Central dialect).Official name: Pratet Thai.Area: 198,115 mi2 (513,115 km2). Greatest distances—north-south, 1,100 mi (1,770 km); east-west, 480 mi (772 km). Coastline—1,625 mi (2,615 km).Elevation: Highest—Inthanon Mountain, 8,514 ft (2,595 m). Lowest—sea level.Population: Current estimate—65,591,000; density, 331 per mi2 (128 per km2); distribution, 68 percent rural, 32 percent urban. 2000 census—60,916,441.Chief products: Agriculture—cassava, coconut, corn, oil palm, pineapples and other fruits, poultry, rice, rubber, soybeans, sugar cane. Manufacturing—automobiles, cement, electronic and electrical goods, food products, textiles. Fishing—anchovies, herring, mackerel, shrimp and other shellfish, tuna. Mining—barite, feldspar, gypsum, kaolin, lead, lignite, limestone, natural gas, precious stones, rock salt, tin, zinc.Money: Basic unit—baht. One hundred satang equal one baht.

Physical Geography

Thailand is a country that lies mostly in mainland Southeast Asia. Thailand's southern tip is on the Malay Peninsula.

Thailand has four major regions: northern, central, eastern, and peninsular. The northern region is the northerly bulge of land between the Salween and Mekong rivers. It consists of roughly parallel mountain ranges and intervening valleys running north-south. The mountains attain heights of 4,000 to 8,000 feet (1,200 to 2,400 m) above sea level and are for the most part densely forested. Doi Inthanon, with an elevation of 8,513 feet (2,595 m), is Thailand's highest peak. Draining the region are the Nan, Ping, Wang, and Yom rivers; their waters eventually join in central Thailand to form the Chao Phraya River.

Central Thailand is largely a hilly area cut by the flat and fertile Chao Phraya valley—the most populated part of the country. The valley is a low-lying expanse, stretching almost 200 miles (320 km) northward from the Gulf of Thailand and varying from 30 to 90 miles (48 to 145 km) in width. There are also mountainous areas, especially along the Burma border. Swamps occur along the coast.

The eastern region consists chiefly of the Khorat Plateau, a relatively level tableland with some hilly and mountainous areas. In almost all respects it is Thailand's least developed area. It is drained by the Mun and other tributaries of the Mekong, which forms much of Thailand's border with Laos.

The peninsular region, 500 miles (800 km) in length, is the long northern half of the slender Malay Peninsula, part of which Thailand shares with Burma. The peninsula's mountainous backbone is the predominant feature; however, sizable lowlands flank the coast.

Climate

Thailand lies entirely within the tropics and has warm to hot weather all year. Temperatures usually range between 60° and 90° F. (16° and 32° C.). Less variation occurs in lowland areas, especially near the coast. In the capital city of Bangkok, for example, average monthly temperatures vary only a few degrees—between 77° and 85° F. (25° and 29° C.). Frosts never occur, even in the mountains.

As in most of southeastern Asia, a monsoonal wind system prevails, causing marked rainy and dry seasons. The southwest monsoon begins in May and continues through October, during which time nearly all of the annual rainfall occurs. Some mountainous areas are drenched by as much as 130 inches (3,300 mm) of rain a year, but most of the country gets 40 to 60 inches (1,000 to 1,500 mm). High humidity during the southwest monsoon makes the weather extremely oppressive. From November through February the northeast monsoon blows from Asia's interior, bringing little rain and somewhat lower temperatures. The period from March until the onset of the southwest monsoon is the hottest time of the year.

The Economy

Until the mid-1980's, Thailand's economy was overwhelmingly based on agriculture and the processing of agricultural goods. In an effort to develop a more broadly based economy, the Thai government established a series of economic development plans beginning in 1961. Special emphasis has been placed on diversifying crops, expanding irrigation, developing hydroelectric power, improving transportation, and establishing new manufacturing industries. Much of the work has been carried out by the government, the rest by private enterprise.

By the mid-1980's manufacturing had overtaken agriculture in terms of importance to the economy. By the 1990's, manufacturing industries accounted for nearly three-fourths of the country's export earnings. Because of its relatively low cost of labor, Thailand attracts large amounts of foreign investment in its industrial sector.

Despite many economic advances, Thailand remains relatively poor. Many Thais, particularly those living outside of the Chao Phraya valley, live at the subsistence level.

Thailand's basic currency unit is the baht.

Agriculture

Thailand's limited cultivated land—roughly a fourth of the total area—supports about 65 per cent of the people through farming. In the Chao Phraya valley tenant farming prevails; elsewhere, Thai farmers usually own their land. Farms are quite small, and most of the farming is done by hand with the aid of simple implements and animal-drawn equipment. Water buffaloes are the most widely used draft animals. In some upland areas, especially in the north, a shifting kind of farming is practiced. Plots are cleared and used for several years until the soil becomes exhausted. Then a new site is chosen, and the cycle begins again.

Rice is grown on some 60 per cent of the cultivated land, and rice is a major export. Production is extremely heavy in the fertile Chao Phraya valley—one of the great rice-producing areas of Asia. Most of the rice-growing depends on the annual flooding that comes with the monsoon rains. In some areas rice is grown with the aid of irrigation, allowing two crops to be grown each year.

Thailand is the world's leading producer of pineapples and of natural rubber. Other crops grown include sugarcane, cassava, kenaf (for fiber), coconuts, tobacco, cotton, soybeans, and peanuts. Many fruits and vegetables are grown in abundance on small patches for family use. Chickens are the most common farm animals. Other farm animals include hogs and cows, which are raised mainly on the Khorat Plateau.

Fishing and Forest Industries

Fish provide the main source of protein in the Thai diet. They are caught in great numbers and variety along the coast and in the rivers and canals; in some areas fish are raised in ponds. Much of the catch is exported, most of it to Japan and the United States.

Forests covered about 55 per cent of Thailand in 1965. By the early 1990's, however, only about 25 per cent of the country was forested. The depletion of the forests has occurred largely because of widespread clearing for agriculture and the use of large amounts of wood domestically for fuel and construction. Virtually all of the forest land is government owned. Teak, cut in the northern forests, is the most valuable species harvested.

Manufacturing

Hundreds of factories have been built since the early 1960's, by both Thai and foreign companies. Manufacturing provides jobs for about a tenth of the labor force and accounts for more than a quarter of the gross domestic product. The Bangkok metropolitan area is the principal manufacturing center.

From the 1960's to the early 1980's textiles were Thailand's most important manufactured item. Since the mid-1980's, however, electronic items have rivaled textiles in importance. These items include radios, television sets, and computers. In general, electronic components are imported and products are assembled in Thailand. Most of the finished products are exported. Other manufacturing industries produce chemicals, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, rubber, cigarettes, cement, and processed foods.

Until the 1960's an obstacle to the development of manufacturing was the lack of adequate electric power. To ease this situation, large oil- and lignite-burning plants and hydroelectric dams were built. The largest hydroelectric project is Bhumibol Dam on the Ping River.

Mining

Though employing less than one per cent of the workforce, the mineral industry is economically important. Zinc, mined in the Dawna Range, is the chief mineral produced. Other minerals include tin, lignite, feldspar, limestone, gypsum, and a variety of gemstones. Natural gas is produced in the Gulf of Thailand as well as inland.

Transportation

Lines of the State Railway of Thailand extend mainly from Bangkok to the outlying areas of the country. Two of the lines have border connections into Cambodia and Malaysia. Though the railways now carry most of the freight, Thailand's waterways remain a traditional and important means of moving goods, especially in the Chao Phraya valley. Bangkok is the leading port.

Most of Thailand's roads are unsurfaced and serve primarily as feeders to the rail and waterway systems. First-class paved highways are relatively few. The highway system, however, is steadily improving and carrying an increasing amount of traffic. Thai Airways Company Ltd. serves the principal interior cities; Thai Airways International Ltd. is an international carrier. Don Muang, near Bangkok, is one of the busiest airports in Southeast Asia.

The People

About 75 per cent of the inhabitants of Thailand are Thai, a Mongoloid people ethnically related to the Lao of Laos and the Shan of Burma. The Thai are divided into four main groups—the Thai Bhak Klang, also known as the Central Thai because they live in the central region around Bangkok; the Thai Pak Tai in the south; the Thai Yuan in the north; and the Thai Isan (or Lao), who live in the northeast along the Laotian border.

Thailand's largest non-Thai minority consists of Chinese, who make up more than 10 per cent of the population. Among the other non-Thai peoples are Malays, Karens, Indians, Cambodians, and Vietnamese.

The ancestors of the Thai inhabited the Yangtze valley in southern China some 4,500 years ago. Pressure from the Chinese gradually forced them farther and farther south into what is now Thailand.

Population

In 1990 Thailand had a population of 54,532,300. The population density was 275 persons per square mile (106 per km2), nearly four times that of the United States. By far the greatest population concentration was in the Chao Phraya valley, especially the delta area around Bangkok.

Bangkok, the capital, is Thailand's largest city, with a population (including suburbs) of 5,876,000. Other large cities include Nakhon Ratchasima (278,000), Songkhla (243,000), Nanthaburi (233,000), and Khon Kaen (206,000). (Population figures for each of these cities also include suburbs.)

Religion

Theravada Buddhism is the national religion; about 95 per cent of the population is Buddhist. Many of these people are also animists; they believe in spirits, the power of charms, and the sacredness of the white elephant. Religious life centers around the wat (temple), which is also important in the social, cultural, and civic life of each community. All other religions in Thailand, including Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, and Hinduism, have complete freedom.

Language

The official language is Thai. In general, the words are monosyllables and are similar in pronunciation to Chinese, with various intonations and inflections. There are several Thai dialects, the principal one being Central Thai. English is a second language of most well-educated Thais and is taught in many schools. More than 30 other languages and dialects are spoken in Thailand.

The alphabet of Thailand was developed by King Ramkamhaeng in the 13th century. It is derived from a script that can be traced to 7th- and 8th-century Sanskrit inscriptions from southern India.

Education

Only primary education is compulsory. It begins at age six and lasts six years. Secondary schooling consists of three years of lower secondary school followed by three years of upper secondary school. There are also Christian mission and Buddhist monastery schools. The literacy rate is 85 per cent.

Among the institutions of higher learning are Chulalongkorn University (the oldest, founded 1917), Thammasat University, and King Mongkut's Institute of Technology—all in Bangkok.

Culture

Because of its location, Thailand has been greatly influenced by the cultures and customs of China and India. Religion has also played an important role in the cultural life of the Thai people—Buddhist motifs dominate much of their literature, painting, sculpture, and architecture. To these influences, the Thais have added their own distinctive touches.

The architecture of Thailand is rich and highly decorative, the most notable example being the pagodalike temples with their graceful spires and colorfully tiled roofs. Traditional art, often anonymously done, depicts religious scenes and gives moral instruction. Classical Thai dances are highly stylized. The carefully trained dancers interpret stories in pantomime with a distinctive grace. The most significant literary expressions are in verse, particularly in brief love songs.

Bangkok is the cultural center of modern Thailand. Located there, besides the universities mentioned earlier, are the National Museum, the Grand Palace, and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Sports and Recreation

Traditional sports and games that remain popular are Thai boxing, takraw, kite fighting, and Krabi Krabong. In Thai boxing, fists, knees, elbows, and feet are used to fight, while a ringside orchestra plays background music. Takraw is a game somewhat like soccer played with a wicker ball. Specially designed kites are used for kite-fighting contests. Krabi Krabong, or sword and pole fighting, is a form of mock combat dating from ancient times. Popular Western sports are golf, basketball, and horse racing.

Government

Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932. The king is the head of state, but his role is mainly symbolic. Under the constitution of 1991, actual executive power is vested in the premier and cabinet. There is a two-house parliament consisting of a senate, whose members are appointed by the king for six-year terms, and a house of representatives, whose members are directly elected for four-year terms. The premier and cabinet ministers are appointed by the king. The judiciary consists of a supreme court, courts of appeal, and lesser courts.

Thailand is divided for administrative purposes into 73 changwats (provinces), each headed by a governor.