FAST FACTS
Area: 513,120 sq km
Population: 65,760,000
Capital (population): Bangkok (5,876,000)
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Ethnic groups: Thai 80%
Chinese 12%
Malay 4%
Khmer 3%
Languages: Thai (official)
Religions: Buddhist 94%
Moslem 4%
Christian 1%
Currency: Baht = 100 stangs
GDP per capita: US$ 2,765
The Kingdom of Thailand has a long history, and was
the only country in the region to have completely escaped
occupation by western powers. Thailand's Thai name,
Muang Thai, even means "Land of the Free".
Siam, as the country was formerly known, is Buddhist
nation, with an economy historically based on its agriculture,
being blessed with rich agricultural land, and is still
one of the world's major producers of rice.
Despite a history of political unrest, military coups
and civil unrest, the country has not fallen into the
years of warfare that most of its neighbours in the
region suffered, and because of this, the economic life
of the nation has been allowed to grow and prosper.
Thailand now has a thriving commercial base, still
heavily reliant on agricultural produce, but increasingly
on industrial output. The wealth generated by this has
filtered down to the population, especially in the major
urban centres, where consumers live very sophisticated
lifestyles, with all the modern trappings of cars, home
ownership, supermarkets and leisure industries.
Thailand is also one of the best established tourist
destinations in the East Asian region, attracting visitors
from both within Asia and beyond. As tourism is now
one of the world's most valuable industries, the prospects
for earning foreign income remains strong, and although
the Thai economy suffered fiscal setbacks in the middle
of 1997, the economy still has strong growth potential.
This potential continues to attract foreign investment,
and Thai companies are investing in developments around
the region.
THAILAND LINKS
http://www.bangkokpost.net
http://www.ait.th/Asia/business.html
