Thailand was founded as a unified kingdom in the 14th century and is the only Southeast Asian country to have avoided European colonial rule. It transitioned to a constitutional monarchy after a peaceful revolution in 1932. Located in Southeast Asia, Thailand has a tropical climate and borders Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. Most of the population of over 68 million is ethnically Thai and Buddhist. The country has experienced political turmoil in recent decades including multiple coups.

1. Thailand

2.  A unified Thai kingdom was founded in the mid-14th century.
 Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have
been under the rule of a European power.
 A peaceful revolution in 1932 led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.
 After the Japanese invaded Thailand in 1941, the government split into a pro-Japan
faction and a pro-Allies faction; the latter faction was supported by the King.
 After World War II ended, Thailand became a U.S. treaty ally in 1954 after sending
troops to Korea and subsequently fighting together with the U.S. in Vietnam.
 Since 2005, Thailand has experienced numerous episodes of political turmoil, notably
a military coup in 2006 that overthrew then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra,
followed by large-scale street demonstrations by opposing political factions in 2008,
2009, and 2010.
 In 2011, Shinawatra's youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, led the Puea Thai Party to
an electoral victory and took control of the government.
Background

3.  In early May 2014, following months of large-scale anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok
since November 2013, Yinglak was removed from office by the Constitutional Court.
 In late May 2014, the Royal Thai Army, led by Royal Thai Army General Prayut Chan-o-cha, staged a
coup against the caretaker government; he was appointed prime minister in August 2014.
 The provisional military government created several short-term institutions to uphold reform and
draft a new constitution, which was approved in a national referendum in August 2016.
 In late 2017, Prayut announced elections would take place by November 2018; he has subsequently
announced they might be postponed to February 2019.
 King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October 2016 after seventy years on the throne; his only son,
Maha Vajiralongkorn, assumed the throne in December 2016.
 He signed the new constitution in April 2017.
 Thailand has also had incidents of violence tied to the ethno-nationalist uprising in its southern
Malay-Muslim majority provinces.
 Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in the uprising.
Background (cont.)

4. Geography
 Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the
Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand,
southeast of Myanmar
 Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 100 00 E
 Map references: Southeast Asia
 Area:
 Total: 513,120 sq. km
 Land: 510,890 sq. km
 Water: 2,230 sq. km
 Country comparison to the world: 52
 Area – comparative: about three times the
size of Florida; slightly more than twice the
size of Wyoming

5. Geography (cont.): Physical map of
Thailand

6.  Land boundaries:
 Total: 5,673 km
 Border countries (4): Cambodia 817 km, Laos 1,845 km, Malaysia 595 km, Myanmar 2,416
km
 Coastline: 3,219 km
 Maritime claims:
 Territorial sea: 12 nm
 Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
 Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
 Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to
September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern
isthmus always hot and humid
 Terrain: central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
Geography (cont.)

7.  Elevation:
 Mean elevation: 287 m
 Elevation extremes: lowest point is Gulf of Thailand (0 km); highest point is Doi Inthanon
(2,565 m)
 Natural resources: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish,
gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land
 Land use:
 Agricultural land: 41.2% (arable land 30.8%; permanent crops 8.8%; permanent pasture 1.6%)
 Forest: 37.2%
 Other: 21.6% (2011 est.)
 Irrigated land: 64,150 sq. km (2012)
 Population – distribution: highest population density is prevalent in and around
Bangkok; significant population clusters found throughout large parts of the country,
mainly north and northeast of Bangkok and in the farthest southern region of the
country
Geography (cont.)

8. Geography (cont.)
Gulf of Thailand, lowest point Doi Inthanon, highest point

9. Geography (cont.): Administrative
divisions map

10.  Natural hazards: land sinking in Bangkok area resulting from the diminution of the
water table; droughts
 Environment – current issues: air contamination from vehicle emanations; water
contamination from organic and factory wastes; water shortage; deforestation; soil
destruction; environment populations endangered by illegal hunting; dangerous
garbage dumping
 Environment – international agreements:
 Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
 Signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
 Geography – note: manages only land route from mainland Asia to Malaysia and
Singapore; ideas for the building of a waterway through the Kra Isthmus that would
create a bypass to the Strait of Malacca and reduce shipping times around Asia persist
Geography (cont.)

11.  Population: 68,414,135 (July 2017 est.; country comparison to the world: 20)
 Nationality:
 Noun: Thai (singular and plural)
 Adjective: Thai
 Ethnic groups: Thai 97.5%, Burmese 1.3%, other 1.1%, unspecified <.1% (2015 est.)
 Languages: Thai (official) 90.7%, Burmese 1.3%, other 8% (note: English is a
secondary language of the elite – 2010 est.)
 Religion: Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.3%, Christian 1%, other <.1%, none <.1% (2015
est.)
People and Society

12.  Official name: Kingdom of Thailand (ราชอาณาจักรไทย, Ratcha-anachak Thai)
 Previous names: Siam
 Etymology: “Land of the Thai People” (the meaning of Thai is not known; its
original meaning may have been “human beings”, “people”, or “free people”)
 Government type: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy under a
military junta (since May 2014)
 Legislature: National Legislative Assembly (acting as National Assembly)
 King: Maha Vajiralongkorn
 Prime Minister: Prayut Chan-o-cha
 Capital: Bangkok
Government

13. National Legislative Assembly of
Thailand (interior)

14.  Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
 National holiday: King Vajiralongkorn’s birthday, 28 July (1952)
 Constitution: many previous; current completed 29 March 2016, ratified by
referendum 7 August 2016, signed into law by the king 6 April 2017
 Amendments: proposed as a mutual resolution by the Council of Ministers and the
National Council for Peace and Order (the junta that has governed Thailand since the
2014 coup) and submitted as a draft to the National Legislative Assembly; passage
requires majority vote of the current Assembly members and presentation to the
monarch for approval and countersignature by the prime minister (2017)
 Legal system: civil law system with common law influences
 International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction
declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Government (cont.)

15.  Citizenship:
 Citizenship by birth: no
 Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Thailand
 Dual citizenship recognized: no
 Residency requirement for naturalization: five years
 Suffrage: eighteen years of age; universal and compulsory
 International organization participation: ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CD, CICA,
CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs),
MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA,
PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNWTO,
UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
 Thai Ambassador to the U.S.: Virachai Plasai (since 22 June 2018)
 U.S. Ambassador to Thailand: Glyn T. Davies (since 28 November 2015)
Government (cont.)

16.  Flag description: five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white,
and red; the red represents the nation and the blood of life; white symbolizes religion
and the pureness of Buddhism; blue stands for the monarchy (note: similar to the flag
of Costa Rica but with the blue and red colors inverted)
 National symbol(s): garuda (legendary half-man, half-bird figure), elephant; national
colors: red, white, blue
 National anthem: Thai National Anthem (เพลงชาติไทย, Phleng chāt Thai)
 Lyrics: Luang Saranupraphan (1939)
 Music: Phra Chenduriyang (1932)
 Note: music adopted 1932, lyrics adopted 1939; by law, it is compulsory to stand for
the national anthem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrcGzLIEsAU) at 8:00 and
18:00 every day; the anthem is performed in schools, offices, theaters, and on
television and radio during this time; "Sansoen Phra Barami" (สรรเสริญพระบารมี, A Salute to
the Monarch) serves as the royal anthem and is played in the presence of the royal
family and during specific state rituals
Government (cont.)

17.  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_National_Anthem
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansoen_Phra_Barami
Sources