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Compare Thailand (2001) - China (2003)

Compare Thailand (2001) z China (2003)

 Thailand (2001)China (2003)
 ThailandChina
Administrative divisions 76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**, Chongqing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet), Yunnan, Zhejiang; note - China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Age structure 0-14 years:
23.43% (male 7,380,273; female 7,099,506)

15-64 years:
69.95% (male 21,304,051; female 21,921,383)

65 years and over:
6.62% (male 1,796,325; female 2,296,213) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 23.1% (male 155,473,656; female 141,737,406)


15-64 years: 69.5% (male 461,223,219; female 433,154,970)


65 years and over: 7.4% (male 44,954,643; female 50,431,574) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish
Airports 110 (2000 est.) 500 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total:
59

over 3,047 m:
6

2,438 to 3,047 m:
11

1,524 to 2,437 m:
21

914 to 1,523 m:
17

under 914 m:
4 (2000 est.)
total: 351


over 3,047 m: 32


2,438 to 3,047 m: 108


1,524 to 2,437 m: 143


914 to 1,523 m: 29


under 914 m: 39 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
51

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
16

under 914 m:
34 (2000 est.)
total: 149


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 25


914 to 1,523 m: 48


under 914 m: 71 (2002)
Area total:
514,000 sq km

land:
511,770 sq km

water:
2,230 sq km
total: 9,596,960 sq km


land: 9,326,410 sq km


water: 270,550 sq km
Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming slightly smaller than the US
Background A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century; it was 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. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, China was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision-making. Output quadrupled by 2000. Political controls remain tight while economic controls continue to be relaxed.
Birth rate 16.63 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.96 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues:
$19 billion

expenditures:
$21 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $224.8 billion


expenditures: $267.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)
Capital Bangkok Beijing
Climate tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Coastline 3,219 km 14,500 km
Constitution new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997 most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
Country name conventional long form:
Kingdom of Thailand

conventional short form:
Thailand

former:
Siam
conventional long form: People's Republic of China


conventional short form: China


local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo


local short form: Zhong Guo


abbreviation: PRC
Currency baht (THB) yuan (CNY)


note:: also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)
Death rate 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $90 billion (2000 est.) $149.4 billion (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard E. HECKLINGER

embassy:
120/22 Wireless Road, Bangkok

mailing address:
APO AP 96546

telephone:
[66] (2) 205-4000

FAX:
[66] (2) 254-1171

consulate(s) general:
Chiang Mai
chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.


embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing


mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002


telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831


FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6929


consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenyang
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador TEJ Bunnag

chancery:
1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:
[1] (202) 944-3600

FAX:
[1] (202) 944-3611

consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi


chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
Disputes - international parts of the border with Laos are indefinite; parts of border with Cambodia are indefinite; sporadic border hostilities with Burma over border alignment and ethnic Shan rebels operating in cross-border region involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea", a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; much of the rugged, militarized boundary with India is in dispute, but the two sides have participated in more than 13 rounds of joint working group sessions on this issue; India objects to Pakistan ceding lands to China in 1965 boundary agreement that India believes are part of disputed Kashmir; China, as well as Taiwan, claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) islands; negotiations with Tajikistan resolved the longstanding boundary dispute; China and Kazakhstan have resolved their border dispute and are working to delimit their large open borders to control population migration, illegal activities, and trade; Kyrgyzstan's constitutional court rules that 1,270 sq km ceded to China in 2000 delimitation agreement were legally transferred; certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is indefinite - China objects to illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; China continues to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the disputed alluvial islands with Russia at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers and a small island on the Argun river as part of the 2001 Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation; boundary agreements signed in 2002 with Tajikistan cedes 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China's relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km; demarcation of land boundary with Vietnam continues but maritime boundary and joint fishing zone agreement remains unratified; China occupies Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan
Economic aid - recipient $131.5 million (1998 est.) $NA
Economy - overview After enjoying the world's highest growth rate from 1985 to 1995 - averaging almost 9% annually - increased speculative pressure on Thailand's currency in 1997 led to a crisis that uncovered financial sector weaknesses and forced the government to float the baht. Long pegged at 25 to the dollar, the baht reached its lowest point of 56 to the dollar in January 1998 and the economy contracted by 10.2% that same year. Thailand entered a recovery stage in 1999, expanding 4.2% and grew about the same amount in 2000, largely due to strong exports - which increased about 20% in 2000. An ailing financial sector and the slow pace of corporate debt restructuring, combined with a softening of global demand, is likely to slow growth in 2001. In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish, Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict Communist control, the economic influence of non-state organizations and individual citizens has been steadily increasing. The authorities switched to a system of household and village responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprises in services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. In 2003, with its 1.3 billion people but a GDP of just $5,000 per capita, China stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US (measured on a purchasing power parity basis). Agriculture and industry have posted major gains, especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment has helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. The leadership, however, often has experienced - as a result of its hybrid system - the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (windfall gains and growing income disparities). China thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals. The government has struggled to (a) collect revenues due from provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises, many of which had been shielded from competition by subsidies and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to maintaining long-term growth in living standards. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. Beijing says it will intensify efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure - such as water control and power grids - and poverty relief and through rural tax reform aimed at eliminating arbitrary local levies on farmers. Accession to the World Trade Organization helps strengthen China's ability to maintain strong growth rates but at the same time puts additional pressure on the hybrid system of strong political controls and growing market influences. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer internet use. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable economic growth.
Electricity - consumption 83.991 billion kWh (1999) 1.312 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 200 million kWh (1999) 10.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 1.02 billion kWh (1999) 1.55 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 89.431 billion kWh (1999) 1.42 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
91.17%

hydro:
3.81%

nuclear:
0%

other:
5.02% (1999)
fossil fuel: 80.2%


hydro: 18.5%


nuclear: 1.2%


other: 0.1% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Gulf of Thailand 0 m

highest point:
Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m


highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)
Environment - current issues air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species
Environment - international agreements party to:
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Exchange rates baht per US dollar - 43.078 (January 2001), 40.112 (2000), 37.814 (1999), 41.359 (1998), 31.364 (1997), 25.343 (1996) yuan per US dollar - 8.28 (2002), 8.28 (2001), 8.28 (2000), 8.28 (1999), 8.28 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state:
King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)

head of government:
Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat (since NA January 2001)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers

note:
there is also a Privy Council

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following a national election for the House of Representatives, the leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually becomes prime minister
chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)


head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Vice Premiers HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)


cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)


elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress


election results: HU Jintao elected president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (4 delegates voted against him, 4 abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); 2 seats were vacant
Exports $68.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities computers and parts, textiles, integrated circuits, rice machinery and equipment; textiles and clothing, footwear, toys and sporting goods; mineral fuels
Exports - partners US 22%, Japan 14%, Singapore 9%, Hong Kong 5%, Netherlands 4%, Malaysia 4%, UK 4% (1999) US 21.5%, Hong Kong 18%, Japan 14.9%, South Korea 4.8% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner
GDP purchasing power parity - $413 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $5.989 trillion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
13%

industry:
40%

services:
47% (1999)
agriculture: 15.2%


industry and construction: 51.2%


services: 33.6% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $4,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.2% (2000 est.) 8% (official data) (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 100 00 E 35 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak;
Heliports 2 (2000 est.) -
Highways total:
64,600 km

paved:
62,985 km

unpaved:
1,615 km (1996)
total: 1,402,698 km


paved: 314,204 km (with at least 16,314 km of expressways)


unpaved: 1,088,494 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
2.5%

highest 10%:
37.1% (1992)
lowest 10%: 2.4%


highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)
Illicit drugs a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; illicit transit point for heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in amphetamine production for regional consumption; increasing indigenous abuse of methamphetamine major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine
Imports $61.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, plastics, iron and steel, chemicals
Imports - partners Japan 26%, US 14%, Singapore 6%, China 5%, Malaysia 5%, Taiwan 5% (1999) Japan 18.1%, Taiwan 10.5%, South Korea 9.7%, US 9.2%, Germany 5.6% (2002)
Independence 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized) 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty 221 BC; Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12 February 1912; People's Republic established 1 October 1949)
Industrial production growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 12.6% (2002 est.)
Industries tourism; textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing, such as jewelry; electric appliances and components, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate 30.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 25.26 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 24.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.1% (2000 est.) -0.8% (2002 est.)
International organization participation APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), OPCW, PCA, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, IFC, UNHCR, UNIDO, AfDB, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 15 (2000) 3 (2000)
Irrigated land 44,000 sq km (1993 est.) 525,800 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch) Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts)
Labor force 32.6 million (1997 est.) 744 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 54%, industry 15%, services 31% (1996 est.) agriculture 50%, industry 22%, services 28% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total:
4,863 km

border countries:
Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km
total: 22,147.34 km


border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
Land use arable land:
34%

permanent crops:
6%

permanent pastures:
2%

forests and woodland:
26%

other:
32% (1993 est.)
arable land: 13.31%


permanent crops: 1.2%


other: 85.49% (1998 est.)
Languages Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Legal system based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consists of the Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held 4 March, 29 April, 4 June, 9 July, and 22 July 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); House of Representatives - last held 6 January 2001 (next to be held NA January 2005)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TRT 248, DP 128, TNP 41, NAP 36, NDP 29, other 18
unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held NA December 2002-NA February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-NA February 2008)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population:
68.86 years

male:
65.64 years

female:
72.24 years (2001 est.)
total population: 72.22 years


male: 70.33 years


female: 74.28 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
93.8%

male:
96%

female:
91.6% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 86%


male: 92.9%


female: 78.8% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Map references Southeast Asia Asia
Maritime claims continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


territorial sea: 12 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Merchant marine total:
294 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,845,972 GRT/2,923,914 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 36, cargo 133, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 1, container 14, liquefied gas 20, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 61, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 5 (2000 est.)
total: 1,817 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,047,962 GRT/27,035,740 DWT


ships by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 348, cargo 824, chemical tanker 28, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 150, liquefied gas 28, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 47, petroleum tanker 267, refrigerated cargo 26, roll on/roll off 21, short-sea passenger 42, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 2


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Germany 1, Hong Kong 16, Japan 2, Panama 2, South Korea 1, Spain 1, Taiwan 9, Tanzania 1, Turkey 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force, Paramilitary Forces People's Liberation Army (PLA): comprises ground forces, Navy (including naval infantry and naval aviation), Air Force, and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force), People's Armed Police Force (internal security troops, nominally a state security body but included by the Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the PLA), militia
Military expenditures - dollar figure $1.775 billion (FY00) $55.91 billion (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.4% (FY00) 4.3% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
17,717,268 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 375,520,255 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
10,646,818 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 206 million (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
567,659 (2001 est.)
males: 10,973,761 (2003 est.)
National holiday Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927) Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949)
Nationality noun:
Thai (singular and plural)

adjective:
Thai
noun: Chinese (singular and plural)


adjective: Chinese
Natural hazards land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence
Natural resources tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines petroleum products 67 km; natural gas 350 km gas 13,845 km; oil 15,143 km; refined products 3,280 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [CHUAN Likphai]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP (Seri Tham) [PHINIT Charusombat]; Mass Party or MP [CHALERM Yoobamrung, SOPHON Petchsavang]; National Development Party or NDP (Chat Phattana) [KORN Dabbaransi]; New Aspiration Party or NAP (Khwamwang Mai) [Gen. CHAWALIT Yongchaiyut]; Phalang Dharma Party or PDP (Phalang Tham) [CHAIWAT Sinsuwong]; Social Action Party or SAP (Kitsangkhom Party) [leader vacant]; Solidarity Party or SP (Ekkaphap Party) [CHAIYOT Sasomsap]; Thai Citizen's Party or TCP (Prachakon Thai) [SAMAK Sunthonwet]; Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BANHAN Sinlapa-acha]; Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [THAKSIN Chinnawat] Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP
Political pressure groups and leaders NA no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong sect and the China Democracy Party as potential rivals
Population 61,797,751

note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
1,286,975,468 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 12.5% (1998 est.) 10% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 0.91% (2001 est.) 0.6% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha, Songkhla Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu, Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang (2001)
Radio broadcast stations AM 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999) AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)
Radios 13.96 million (1997) -
Railways total:
3,940 km

narrow gauge:
3,940 km 1.000-m gauge (99 km double track)
total: 71,600 km


standard gauge: 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge (14,600 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m gauge local industrial lines (2002)
Religions Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other 0.6% (1991) Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%


note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
service to general public adequate, but investment in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulk of service to government activities provided by multichannel cable and microwave radio relay network

domestic:
microwave radio relay and multichannel cable; domestic satellite system being developed

international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns


domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place


international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use 5.4 million (1998) 135 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.3 million (1998) 65 million (January 2001)
Television broadcast stations 5 (all in Bangkok; plus 131 repeaters) (1997) 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997)
Terrain central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Total fertility rate 1.87 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.7% (2000 est.) urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2002 est.)
Waterways 4,000 km

note:
3,701 km are navigable throughout the year by boats with drafts up to 0.9 meters; numerous minor waterways serve shallow-draft native craft
110,000 km (1999)
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