Thailand

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   Thailand at a glance Did you know? Thailand celebrates the fact it has always been independent in its name, which means ‘Land of Free’. It was known as Siam until 1939.   Region South East Asia Population 65,068,149 (2007 estimate) Land Geography:  Central plains, plateau in the north east and mountains in the north and south Climate:  Tropical monsoon People Religion: Theravada Buddhism Language: Thai Economy GDP per person (PPP); $9,100 GDP by sector: Agriculture: 10%, industry: 44.9%, Services: 45.2% Government Constitutional monarchy with two elected houses of parliament Land Physical geography The land area of Thailand is about 514,000 square kilometres and can be divided into four natural regions: the mountainous northern region, the fertile central plains of the Chao Phraya River basin, the Khorat Plateau in the north east and the densely forested southern peninsula. Doi Inthanon, 2596metres, in the northern region, is the highest peak in Thailand. Climate Most of Thailand has three distinct seasons: the cool season from November to February, the hot season from March to June and the monsoon or rainy season from July to October. Rainfall varies from region to region. The northeast is the driest area and the southern peninsula is always hot and humid. Environment Thailand is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna but deforestation has caused loss of habitat and some species have suffered from poaching. The double horned rhinoceros and Schomburgk deer are already extinct, while the tiger and gaur (a wild ox) are endangered species. Mammals include elephants, panthers, gibbons and wild boars. Forest trees include teak, mangrove, rattan and palm. People Most of Thailand’s 65 million people live in the rural areas while about 23% live in the cities. The Thai capital, Bangkok, is a crowded and busy city with more than 8.8 million inhabitants. Other major cities include Khorat (2 million) Chang Mai (1.5 million), Hat Yai (1.4 million) and Khon Kaen (1.3 million). People Culture and identity Most of the population (75%) are Thai, with a sizeable Chinese minority (14%). Other groups include Malays, Khmers and mountain peoples such as the Karen and Semang. The official language is Thai, which also has several regional variations. A number of Chinese languages, Malay, some English and several regional languages are also spoken. Great respect is paid to the monarchy and religious leaders and many beautiful festivals are held throughout the year. Classical dance and music, sculpture and architecture are the main art forms of Thailand. Health The average life expectancy of people in Thailand is 72.5 years (male: 70.24 years and female: 74.98 years). About 19 babies per 1,000 births die before their first birthday. The best health facilities are concentrated in Bangkok, however, a network of health centres, hospitals and clinics exist in regional areas. Traditionally, malaria had been a major health problem in Thailand. Almost all of the Thai population has access to an improved water supply and safe sanitation. 1.5% or 570,000 people living with HIV. Religion and beliefs About 95% of Thailand’s people are Buddhists. Buddhism emphasises the potential of the individual to attain nirvana orenlightenment, through prayer, meditation and leading a good life. Thais are followers of the southern or Theravada school of Buddhism, also widely practised Sri Lanka, Burma and Cambodia. The Malay people in the south follow Islam while minority groups including the Vietnamese and hill people are mostly Christians. Food and Shelter There are regional variations of Thai cuisine but rice is the staple food. Thai rice is highly regarded for its quality and is exported to many countries. Seafood, shredded meat and vegetables are cooked with the distinctive Thai flavours combing sour (lime), sweet (sugar), hot (chilli) and salty (fish sauce). Salads, sauces and fruit carving are other Thai specialities. There is great variation in housing throughout Thailand from the modern, high rise, apartment buildings and single storey brick and cement homes to traditional wooden stilt houses with a palm leaf roof. Economy Wealth and poverty After enjoying strong economic growth during the 1980s, the Thai economy suffered major problems in the mid 1990s. However reforms in areas including government administration and banking have encouraged steady improvements since then. There is a big difference in wealth between the farming and city areas with the wealthiest 10% sharing about one third of the income while the poorest 10% share less than 3%. Just over one in ten of the Thai population lives under the poverty line. Education and work Education is highly valued in Thailand and the government provides free and compulsory education for children between 7 and 14 years. The literacy rate is 92.6% (male: 94.9% and female: 90.5%). Over half of the population is employed in agriculture while one third engaged in the service sector and 15% in industry. Industries and products Rice is the dominant crop and an important export. Other crops include sugar, maize, rubber, cassava and pineapples. The major Thai industries are based on crops and include rubber products, textile products and food, drink and tobacco processing, Other products include cement, electric appliances and components, computers and parts, furniture and plastics. Tourism is also a major industry with more than 11.6 million tourists visiting Thailand during 2004. Trade In 2006 Thailand exported textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewellery, cars, computers and electrical appliances worth $123.5 billion to US 15.4%, Japan 13.6%, China 8.3%, Singapore 6.9%, Hong Kong 5.6% and Malaysia 5.2%. It imported raw materials, consumer goods and fuels worth $119.3 billion from Japan 22%, China 9.4%, US 7.4%, Malaysia 6.8%, UAE 4.8% and Singapore 4.6%. Achievements and challenges Disaster plans are being developed to manage the regular flooding of the Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers. Droughts often affect the north-eastern plateau. Increasing city populations are leading to housing shortages, sinking water tables and air, water and noise pollution. The Thai constitution was amended in 1997 to increase political participation and to reduce corruption in the government. Separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces has been dealt with harshly. Thailand has a number of programs to support its 570,000 (1.6%) people living with HIV/AIDS including prevention of mother-to-child transmission and provision of anti-retroviral drugs. Links with Australia Thailand is an important trade partner for Australia. Australia exports gold, aluminium, cotton, milk and cream and crude petroleum to Thailand while it imports motor vehicles, prepared seafood and heating and cooling equipment from Thailand. In 2001 there were 23,540 Thailand-born people in Australia living mainly in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Australia is the most popular destination for Thais wishing to study abroad. In 2005, 386,381 Australian tourists visited Thailand, while 76,983Thai tourists visited Australia. Thailand's improving economic progress led the Royal Thai Government to request the reduction in aid. Assistance is focused on developing public sector linkages and addressing regional issues such as terrorism, narcotics and people trafficking.   Main sources: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html http://www20.sbs.com.au/worldguide/index.php http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.dfat.gov.au/

The traditional role that Buddhist monks and nuns play in social welfare extends into helping villagers to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Chiang Mai