With an area of 513,115sqkm (198,404sqmi), Thailand has roughly the size of France. Located between 6° and 21° north latitude and 97° and 106° east longitude, she is bordered in the north by Burma and Laos, in the west by Burma, in the east by Cambodia and Laos and in the south by Malaysia (and the Gulf of Thailand). The longest north-south distance is about 1500km (930mi), the longest east-west distance about 800km (500mi).
The topography is flat alluvial plains intersected by winding rivers and streams in central Thailand, a plateau in the northeast, forest-covered mountains and hills in the north and mostly hills in the south.
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 separate region 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 infrastructure. Furthermore contributing to the region’s wealth are extraordinary fruits (durians and mangos) as well as extraordinary stones (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.
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.
