Thailand

• tropical;
• rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September);
• dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
• southern isthmus always hot and humid

• central plain;
• Khorat Plateau in the east;
• mountains elsewhere

arable land:

34%

permanent crops :

6%

permanent pastures:

2%

forests and woodland:

26%

other:

32% (1993 est.)

• air pollution from vehicle emissions;
• water pollution from organic and factory wastes;
• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting

party to:

Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified:

Biodiversity, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea

0-14 years:

25% (male 7,531,192; female 7,257,574)

15-64 years:

69% (male 20,308,061; female 20,902,406)

65 years and over:

6% (male 1,530,905; female 1,920,680) (July 1997 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

noun:

Thai (singular and plural)

adjective:

Thai

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Thailand

conventional short form:

Thailand

• new constitution approved 7 December 1991;
• amended 10 June 1992;
• new constitution currently being drafted with completion expected by the end of 1997

chief of state:

King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946); Heir Apparent Crown Prince WACHIRALONGKON (born 28 July 1952)

head of government:

Prime Minister CHAWALIT Yongchaiyut (since 25 November 1996)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers

note: there is also a Privy Council

elections :

• none;
• the king is a constitutional monarch;
• prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives;
• following elections in the House of Representatives, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats usually becomes prime minister

chief of mission:

Ambassador NIT Phibunsongkhram

chancery:

1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 944-3600

chief of mission :

Ambassador William H. ITOH

embassy:

120/22 Wireless Road, Bangkok

mailing address:

APO AP 96546

telephone:

[66] (2) 205-4000

• tourism;
• textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing, such as jewelry;
• electric appliances and components, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics;
• world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer

total value:

$57.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996)

commodities:

manufactures 73%, agricultural products and fisheries 21%, raw materials 5%, fuels 1%

partners :

US 21.0%, Japan 17.1%, Singapore 13.6%, Hong Kong 5.3%, Germany 3.5%, UK 3.0%, Netherlands 2.8%, Malaysia 2.4%

total value:

$72.4 billion (c.i.f., 1996)

commodities:

manufactures 80%, fuels 6.9%, raw materials 6.6%, foodstuffs 4.3%

partners:

Japan 30.4%, US 11.9%, Singapore 6.3%, Germany 5.8%, Taiwan 5.1%, Malaysia 4.9%, South Korea 3.7%, China 2.6%

total :

4,623 km

narrow gauge:

4,623 km 1.000-m gauge (99 km double track)

total:

56,903 km

paved:

52,806 km

unpaved :

4,097 km (1993 est.)

• 3,999 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

total :

283 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,859,021 GRT/3,060,277 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 38, cargo 144, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 1, container 12, liquefied gas tanker 15, multi-function large load carrier 3, oil tanker 49, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 10, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 2 (1996 est.)

• boundary dispute with Laos;
• unresolved maritime boundary with Vietnam;
• parts of border with Cambodia in dispute;
• maritime boundary with Cambodia not clearly defined

• a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana;
• major illicit transit point for heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos;
• eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries;
• opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts;
• also a drug money-laundering center;
• rapidly growing role in amphetamine production for regional consumption;
• increasing indigenous abuse of methamphetamines and heroin TOGO