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Thailand, country located in the centre of mainland Southeast Asia. Located wholly within the tropics, Thailand encompasses diverse ecosystems, including the hilly forested areas of the northern frontier, the fertile rice fields of the central plains, the broad plateau of the northeast, and the rugged coasts along the narrow southern peninsula.
Until the second half of the 20th century, Thailand was primarily an agricultural country, but since the 1960s increasing numbers of people have moved to Bangkok, the capital, and to other cities. Although the greater Bangkok metropolitan area remains the preeminent urban centre in the country, there are other sizable cities, such as Chiang Mai in the north, Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat), Khon Kaen, and Udon Thani in the northeast, Pattaya in the southeast, and Hat Yai in the far south.
Audio File: National anthem of Thailand
Audio File: Royal anthem of Thailand
Also Known As:
Ratcha Anachak Thai
Siam
Kingdom of Thailand
Head Of Government:
Prime Minister: Paetongtarn Shinawatra
Capital:
Population:
(2024 est.) 66,168,000
Currency Exchange Rate:
1 USD equals 37.204 Thai baht
Head Of State:
King Vajiralongkorn
Form Of Government:
constitutional monarchy with a 220-member interim legislature1
Official Language:
Thai
Official Religion:
none
Official Name:
Ratcha Anachak Thai (Kingdom of Thailand)
Total Area (Sq Km):
513,140
Total Area (Sq Mi):
198,123
Monetary Unit:
baht (THB)
Population Rank:
(2023) 21
Population Projection 2030:
65,578,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi:
(2024) 334
Density: Persons Per Sq Km:
(2024) 128.9
Urban-Rural Population:
Urban: (2024) 54.3%
Rural: (2024) 45.7%
Life Expectancy At Birth:
Male: (2022) 73.6 years
Female: (2022) 80.7 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate:
Male: (2021) 96%
Female: (2021) 93%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000):
(2023) 515,549
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$):
(2023) 7,180
Siam, as Thailand was officially called until 1939, was never brought under European colonial domination. Independent Siam was ruled by an absolute monarchy until a revolution there in 1932. Since that time, Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy, and all subsequent constitutions have provided for an elected parliament. Political authority, however, has often been held by the military, which has taken power through coups. During the last two decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st, parliamentary democracy steadily gained wider popular support. Although a crisis emerged in 2006, when the military, aligned with the monarchy, overthrew an elected government, new parliamentary elections were held—as promised by the interim government—in 2007.