The population of Thailand is estimated at 664 631 595 residents (2006), which corresponds to a population density of 127.32 inhab / km2. The birth and death rates are respectively 13.87% and 7.04%. Average life expectancy is 75.25 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.768 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.766 (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the population will be 70 549 000 residents. The Thai population is descended from tribes from China who arrived there about a thousand years ago. Today it includes Chinese, Malaysian and Indian minorities. In the mountains live the tribes of the Meos, Yaos and Karens who practice itinerant agriculture, clearing forest and brush that they abandon after a few years. Thais are Buddhists, but influenced by Hinduism and other religions. The official language is tai.
Art and culture
It is the only country in Southeast Asia that has not been colonized by Europeans. The golden temples and the Buddhist cult persist, houses built on poles and typical collateral dances. There are 27,000 temples and 250,000 Buddhist monks in the country. Chinese shadow theater is also part of Thai culture. The capital, Bangkok, also called City of Angels, retains many characteristics of traditional Thailand, such as the grand palace, which symbolizes respect for King Bhumibol. The canals and the Chao Phraya river that bathe the city give it the title of Venice of the East.
Thailand did not resist Japanese occupation in World War II. Under pressure from Japan, it declared war on the United States of America, but they refused to accept it as an enemy. After the war, Thailand has taken a pro-Western stance. He supported the United States’ war with Vietnam and has received large donations from that country. However, it was forced to receive Vietnamese refugees in its territory.
The Thai political regime is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is chosen by dynastic succession and the prime minister is appointed by him from among the members of the House of Representatives, taking into account the majority reached by the party of which the elected is the leader. The monarchy has a stabilizing role and is respected by both civil and military governments.
The country has suffered, over the years, several coups d’état and long periods of military rule. After a period of stability, in 2006 he suffered a new coup d’état that caused the government to fall, removing then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was in New York at the time of the coup to participate in the UN General Assembly. . Despite the European Union’s protest, which considered the Thai army’s attitude undemocratic, General Sonthi Boonyaratklin, leader of the coup, declared the need to end a corrupt and nepotist government, which created social conflicts. The monarch appointed Boonyaratklin chief executive until the next elections.
Located in one of the most active seismic zones in the world, Thailand suffered, on December 26, 2004, a natural catastrophe that violently shook the country. On that day, the largest earthquake in recent times (8.9 degrees on the Richter scale) was recorded with an epicenter off the Indonesian island of Samatra. This earthquake originated earthquakes that hit the coast of several Southeast Asian countries, such as Sri Lanka, the most affected, followed by Indonesia itself, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives and Bangladesh, causing thousands of deaths and displaced people. For Thailand democracy and rights, please check homeagerly.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Thailand, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Thailand. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Thailand
View political, provinces and shaded relief maps of Thailand, a southeastern Asian country, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma.
