Care & Community - THAILAND Country Facts

Thailand

Population: 64.1 million (UN, 2005) Capital: Bangkok Area: 513,115 sq km (198,115 sq miles) Major language: Thai Major religion: Buddhism Life expectancy: 66 years (men), 74 years (women) Monetary unit: 1 baht = 100 satangs Main exports: Food and live animals, office equipment, textiles and clothing, rubber GNI per capita: US $2,750 (World Bank, 2006) International dialing code: +66

Geography

Thailand is in Southeast Asia. It has 3219km of coastline and has land borders with Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. The terrain includes beautiful tropical beaches and rainforests, a central plain and upland plateau where wet-rice cultivation takes place, and high mountains which cover much of northern Thailand. The climate is tropical and drought is a problem. The land has natural resources such as tin, rubber, natural gas and lead.

People

Thailand's population is relatively homogenous, with 85% of its people sharing a common culture and speaking a Thai language. The majority of the population live in rural areas and grow rice. However, the population of the capital city Bangkok is steadily increasing. 95% of the Thai population follow the Theravada Buddhism religion. Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism are followed by the remaining 5%, and spirit worship and animism are widely practiced. The government spends 19% of its budget on education and each citizen is entitled to 12 years of free education. However, this is not universally provided. The literacy rate is nearing 93%.

Brief History

Before 1939, Thailand was known was Siam. The first people to migrate to Siam (Thailand) came from China, and settled there in the first century. By the sixth century they had established a number of thriving agricultural communities. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Siam (Thailand) was ruled by the Khmers, who came from what is now called Cambodia. Following a rebellion by two Thai chieftains in 1238, the first true Thai kingdom, Sukhotai, was established. The second king of this kingdom organized a system of writing which became the basis for modern Thai. 1782 saw the beginning of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I and the founding of Bangkok. In the 1800's the Chakri dynasty had several very able rulers, and it is in part thanks to them that Thailand has never been colonized by the west. In the 20th century, Thailand was involved in several wars: WW1 as an ally to Great Britain, WW2, the French-Thai War starting in1941, and Vietnam from 1965. During the Cold War, Thailand acted as the USA's chief strategic ally, as a bulwark against encroaching communism from elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Up until 1932, Siam (Thailand) was under the absolute rule of the monarchy, when it was replaced by a system of constitutional monarchy. Since then, Thailand has gradually been installing a democratic, pluralistic system of government. The move to democracy has not been without problems; the 20th century saw seventeen military coups, unpopular military governments, student riots, demonstrations, and the assassination of King Ananda. In March 1992, Thailand returned to a democratic civilian government, and over the next five years had four elections and a variety of coalition governments. These years also involved corruption in Thailand's political and business life, which came to a head in 1997 with the Asian Financial Crisis. That same year, a new constitution limiting the influence of the military was finally put in place, and Chuan Leekpai became prime minister for the second time as leader of the Democratic Party. Leekpai's term ended in 2001 when the elections were won by Thaksin Shinawatra of the Thai Love Thai Party. Thaksin was re-elected in March 2005. Problems that have been faced by the current government include inter-religious violence between Muslims and Buddhists, drug trafficking, border tensions with Burma, the increase in cases of HIV infection and the consequences of 2004's Tsunami.

Politics

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. The current king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, assumed the throne in 1946 and is the world's longest reigning monarch. The prime minister is Thaksin of the Thai Love Thai Party. When he was first elected in 2001, he became Thailand's first democratically elected prime minister. In his first term, he pursued policies aimed at helping small businesses and farmers. He also pursued a controversial anti-drugs campaign. He is now running his second term and has faced problems such as corruption allegations, bird flu outbreaks, the Tsunami, and religious conflict in the south.

Economy

Between 1985 and 1995, Thailand experienced the world's highest growth rate, averaging 9% annually. This economic progress ended in 1997 with the Southeast Asian financial crisis which dragged down currencies and lead to bankruptcies, recession and unemployment. The economy has since recovered with help from the IMF. It now has a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and pro-investment policies.

Thailand's economy relies predominantly on the export of food and live animals, office equipment, textiles and clothing, and rubber. While agriculture is the main provider of employment in Thailand, industry, commerce and services account for 80% of the gross domestic product. Thailand's tourist sector has expanded rapidly over recent years and is now worth billions to the economy.