Modern Thailand

     The bounty harvested from Thailand's rich swathes of agricultural lands and coastal regions dominated the economy until very recently, this abundance and diversity of natural resources has made the country not just self-sufficient in food and other natural products but also Asia's only net food exporter. Major export products include rice, tapioca, canned pineapple, shrimp, tuna, rubber, sugar and cut flowers.

     While natural products still underpin the economy, employing 57 percent of the workforce and accounting for around 12 percent of national income, the last 20 years had witnessed a massive industrialization.

     Throughout the second half of the last decade Thailand's GDP was among the world's highest averaging 13 percent, 11 percent and 10 percent in 1988, 1989, and 1990 respectively. Soon the country began to be counted among the Asian Tiger economies.

Geography: Shaped like an elephants head with its trunk extending down the Malaysian Peninsular, Thailand covers an area of 514,000 square kilometers making it roughly the size of France. It has 2500 kilometers of coastline and lies between the 5th and 21st parallels north of the equator and the 97th and 106th kilometers east.

Topography: Thailand is divided into five regions- central, north, northeast, east, south. The north is mountainous with many forests, ridges, and deep narrow alluvial valleys. The central region is a lush fertile basin. The capital, Bangkok, with a population of around eight million, is situated in the central region. The northeast is an arid region with an undulating surface and hills. Floods and droughts are prevalent. The southern region is hilly with dense forests and rich mineral deposits.

Population: Around 62 million.

Time Zone: GMT -7.00 hours.

Religion: Buddhism is the state religion followed by 95 percent of the population. There is complete freedom of worship and there are minority communities of Christians and Moslem.

Flag: The Thai flag consists of five horizontal bands of red, white and blue. Red represents the nation, white stands for Buddhism, and blue represents the monarchy, thus encompassing the three pillars of the country.

National Anthem: The music was composed by professor Phra Jenduriyang in 1932 and the lyrics by Colonel Luang Saranuprabhandh in 1939. It is played on all national occasions and daily at 8:00 and 18:00 hours.

National Day : December fifth, the birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej.