THAILAND FACTS

 

 

Area 513.115 km²

Capital Bangkok

Population Around 60 milion (75 % thai, 14% chinese and 11 % other)

Language Thai, malaysian, chinese och english

Climate Tropical

 

 

 

 

Regions

 

Central Thailand - The central region is considered the heartland of the country. Basically it encompasses the alluvial plains created by the Chao Phaya River. The region is the most fertile of the country, and due to an extensive network of canals and small irrigation projects, the area is a major producer of rice. It is also the most densely populated region of the country, with the capital, Bangkok, in its midst.

 

Northern Thailand - This region is composed of a series of parallel mountain ranges with an average elevation of 1,200m (3,900ft) above sea level, incised by steep valleys of the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers. A large part of these mountains is still covered with tropical monsoon forests, though the most valuable timber, teak, has been cut to a wide extent (the government has now imposed a full logging ban). Doi Inthanon, with an elevation of 2,595m (8,514ft) the highest point in the country, is located in the extreme northwest of the region. The first three Thai kingdoms in Indochina had their capitals in northern Thailand, at Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen. The second largest city of present-day Thailand, Chiang Mai, is the center of the northern region. The northernmost corner of northern Thailand belongs to the region dubbed Golden Triangle - one of the world’s major producers of opium.

 

Northeastern Thailand - The region principally consists of a saucer shaped plateau known as Khorat Plateau with an average elevations of 200m (650ft). The region’s soils are poor and sandy and rainfall is scant except for the rainy season from June to October when much of the land is flooded. Areas not used for agriculture are largely covered with savanna-type grasses and shrubs. The Northeast is the least developed region of the country, and the least favored by tourists.

 

East Coast - This part of the country, geographically the southern edge of northeastern Thailand along the Gulf of Thailand, has not traditionally been considered a of the country. The division, often made today, is based on administrative and social factors more than on geological features. The region is distinguished from the Northeast in that it is far richer - the second richest region of the country, after the central plain. The East Coast has a well-established industrial and touristic . Furthermore contributing to the region’s wealth are extraordinary (durians and mangos) as well as extraordinary (rubies and sapphires).

 

Southern Thailand - Occupying the northern half of the Malay Peninsula, the region has a rolling to mountainous topography with little flat land. The countryside is often breath-taking, and this asset is increasingly tapped for the development of tourism. Traditionally, the region’s relative wealth stems from its most important natural resources, tin and rubber.

Mountains

The principal mountains of the country are: Doi Inthanon 2,595m (8,514ft), Doi Pha Ham Pok 2,297m (7536ft), Doi Luang 2,195m (7201ft), Doi Suthep 2,185m (7170ft) and Doi Pha Cho 2,024m (6640ft).

 

Rivers

The most important rivers are (length in parentheses): In central Thailand: Chao Phaya (365km) and Pasak (513km). In the Northeast: Mekong (4335km, only partially in Thailand), Chi (442km), Mun (673km). In the North: Ping (590km), Wang (335km), Yom (555km), Nan (672km).

In the West and South: Maeklong (140km), Petchburi (170km), Tapi (214km), Pattani (165km).

 

 

Climate

 

Most of the country (except the far south) has three distinct seasons: cool (by tropical standards only), hot (by any standard) and rainy. The cool season is from November to February. Average December temperature is 26° C (78° F) in Bangkok, 22° C (71° F) in Chiang Mai and 27° C (80° F) in Songkhla. The hot season is from March to May. Average March temperature is 29° C (85° F) in Bangkok, 23° C (74° F) in Chiang Mai and 28° C (82° F) in Songkhla. Temperatures rise until middle or end of May and can reach an average of 2° to 3° Celsius (4° to 6° Fahrenheit) more in Bangkok and the North. The difference is likely to be less in the far south. The rainy season is from June to October. Average September temperature is 28° C (82° F) in Bangkok, 27° C (80° F) in Chiang Mai and 28° C (82° F) in Songkhla. Average precipitation in March is 3cm (1.2in) in Bangkok, 2cm (0.8in) in Chiang Mai, 6cm (2.4in) in Songkhla. Average precipitation in June is 17cm (6.7in) in Bangkok, 15cm (5.7in) in Chiang Mai, 10cm (4in) in Songkhla.

 

Climate, continuation

 

Average precipitation in September is 31cm (12in) in Bangkok, 29cm (11.4in) in Chiang Mai, 11cm (4.1in) in Songkhla. Average precipitation in December is 1cm (0.3in) in Bangkok, 1cm (0.3in) in Chiang Mai, 44cm (17.2in) in Songkhla. The average yearly rainfall in Bangkok is 140cm (56in). The coolest province in Loei in the Northeast where January night temperatures on hills can fall to a low which is just above freezing.

The rainy season is not necessarily the worst time to visit the country as downpours are usually hefty but short, with the sun returning within a few hours. Actually, for Bangkok alone the rainy season is probably the most pleasant time of the year as the downpours rid the air of the heavy pollution, at least for a short while.

Weights and Measures

 

The metric system was officially introduced by a law passed on December 17, 1923. However, old Thai units are still in common use, especially for measurements of land. The traditional units convert into metric units as follows: 1 picul = 60 kg; 1 catty = 600 grams (100 catty = 1 picul); 1 baht (named like the currency, used to weigh gold) = 15.16 grams; 1 carat = 20 centigrams (5 carat = 1 gram); 1 sen = 40 meters; 1 wah = 2 meters (20 wah = 1 sen); 1 sauk (¼ wah) = 0.50 meter; 1 keup (½ sauk) = 0.25 meter; 1 rai (1 sq sen) = 1,600 sq meters; 1 ngan (¼ rai) = 400 sq meters; 1 sq wah = 4 sq meters (100 sq wah = 1 ngan); 1 kwien = 2,000 liters; 1 ban = 1,000 liters (2 ban = 1 kwien); 1 sat = 20 liters (50 sat = 1 ban); 1 tannan = 1 liter (20 tannan = 1 sat). In 1940, Thailand moved its New Year’s Day from April 13 to January 1 to bring the country in line with most of the world. Until today, the old New Year’s Day (Songkran) is a holiday, and festivities are at least as exalted as on December 31 and January 1. While a solar calendar has been used for a long time to count years, a lunar calendar is in use until today to set the dates of religious holidays (as it is the case with Easter in the Christian religion). And while Thailand switches to a new year at the same day as Christian countries, the years are still counted as Buddhist Era (B.E.) and not as Anno Domini (A.D.). 2484 B.E. was set as 1941 A.D. The Buddhist Era started 543 years earlier than the Christian Era. Therefore 1957 A.D. was the year 2500 B.E.; 1993 A.D. is 2536 B.E. and the year 2000 A.D. will be 2543 B.E. While postal stamping indicates Buddhist Era, bank matters are usually conducted in accordance to the Christian count.

The time zone of Thailand is GMT + 7 hours.

 

Energy

 

According to the Thailand Statistical Yearbook for 1987, the principal sources of energy for the period covered by the statistics were natural gas (50%), lignite or brown coal (24%), hydro (17%) and heavy oil (7%). Generation was 55% thermal, 30% hydro, 11% in combined cycles and 4% from gas turbines. The yearly hydro capacity is 26.204mw. Electricity supplied to users is 220 volts at 50Hz. Natural Resources There is an extensive oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Thailand. However, the Sirikit Oil Field, which came on stream in 1983, remains the single most important source. Proven oil reserves in 1987 were more than 150m bbls (barrels; 1 barrel = 31.5 gallons = 120 liters). Production of crude oil in 1990 was 1.82m tons, covering 15% of the country’s consumption. Production of natural gas was 211,398m cuft in 1989. Estimated reserves are 12,922,000m cuft. Mineral resources include cassiterite (tin ore), wolfram scheelite (tungsten ore), antimony, silver, zinc, and zircons. In 1989 production (in 1,000 tons) was: iron ore 178; manganese ore 10; tin concentrates 20; lead ore 58; antimony ore 1; zinc ore 413; lignite (brown coal) 8995; gypsum 5477; wolfram ore (tungsten) 1; fluorite ore 98; marl 564.

 

Agriculture

 

Some 40% of the total land area is cultivated. Like in practically all Southeast Asian countries, the main agricultural produce in terms of value is rice, though the sheer volumes of raw produce are higher for sugar cane and tapioca. Rice paddies cover some 73,000sqkm (7.3m hectares, 18m acres), almost 15% of the country’s area. According to the Statesmen’s Yearbook, 128th edition for 1991-1992, the output of the major crops in 1989 was (in 1,000 tons): sugar cane 33,560; tapioca 22,312; rice 21,400; maize 4,100; coconut 1,140; soybeans 610; mung beans 355; groundnuts 177; jute and kenaf (ambary, Hibiscus cannabinus, yielding a fiber used in canvas and cordage) 165; cotton 103; kapok and bambax fibre 42; castor seeds 34; sesame 29; tobacco 28.5. Rubber production in 1989 stood at 1,131,000 tons Livestock was counted in 1988 as follows (in 1,000): Poultry 101,000; buffaloes 6,000; cattle 5,000; pigs 4,260; sheep 95; goats 80; horses 19.

In 1989 the catch of sea fish was 2.6m tons including 0.23m tons of marine prawns and shrimps; 165,00 tons of freshwater fish were produced.

 

Source: www.cockatoo.com