Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
Two unified Thai kingdoms emerged in the mid-13th century. The Sukhothai Kingdom, located in the south-central plains, gained its independence from the Khmer Empire to the east. By the late 13th century, Sukhothai’s territory extended into present-day Burma and Laos. Sukhothai lasted until the mid-15th century. The Thai Lan Na Kingdom was established in the north with its capital at Chang Mai; the Burmese conquered Lan Na in the 16th century. The Ayutthaya Kingdom (14th-18th centuries) succeeded the Sukhothai and would become known as the Siamese Kingdom.
- Capital
- Bangkok
- Government
- constitutional monarchy
- Population
- 70,025,248
- Area
- 513,120 sq km
- Location
- Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
- Climate
- tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
- Natural resources
- tin; rubber; natural gas; tungsten; tantalum; timber…
- Languages
- Thai (official) only 90.7%; Thai and other languages 6.4%; only other languages 2.9% (includes Malay; Burmese)…
- Religions
- Buddhist 92.5%; Muslim 5.4%; Christian 1.2%; other 0.9% (includes animist…
- Independence
- 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
- Administrative divisions
- 76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural) and 1 municipality* (maha nakhon);
- Currency
- baht
- Export partners
- USA 18%; China 13%; Japan 7%; Australia 4%…
- Import partners
- China 26%; Japan 11%; USA 7%; UAE 6%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain