Thailand:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Thailand:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing separatist violence in its southern ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces.

Location	Definition Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
Geographic coordinates	Definition 15 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references	Definition Southeast Asia
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 514,000 sq km land: 511,770 sq km water: 2,230 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries	Definition total: 4,863 km border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km
Coastline	Definition 3,219 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate	Definition tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
Terrain	Definition central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
Natural resources	Definition tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 27.54% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 65.53% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 49,860 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 409.9 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 82.75 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%) per capita: 1,288 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts
Environment - current issues	Definition air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note	Definition controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore

Thailand: Geography

Thailand:
Geography