Thailand (2001) | Norfolk Island (2004) | |
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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 | none (territory of Australia) |
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: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry |
Airports | 110 (2000 est.) | 1 (2003 est.) |
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: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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.) |
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Area | total:
514,000 sq km land: 511,770 sq km water: 2,230 sq km |
total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC |
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. | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. |
Birth rate | 16.63 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$19 billion expenditures: $21 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $4.6 million
expenditures: $4.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY92/93) |
Capital | Bangkok | Kingston |
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 | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 3,219 km | 32 km |
Constitution | new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997 | Norfolk Island Act of 1979 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Kingdom of Thailand conventional short form: Thailand former: Siam |
conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
Currency | baht (THB) | Australian dollar (AUD) |
Death rate | 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $90 billion (2000 est.) | NA |
Dependency status | - | territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories |
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 |
none (territory of Australia) |
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 |
none (territory of Australia) |
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 | none |
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. | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. |
Electricity - consumption | 83.991 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 200 million kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - imports | 1.02 billion kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - production | 89.431 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
91.17% hydro: 3.81% nuclear: 0% other: 5.02% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
Environment - current issues | air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting | NA |
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 |
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Ethnic groups | Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% | descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians |
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) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999) |
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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)
head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 29 November 2001 (next to be held by December 2004) election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - NA |
Exports | $68.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92) |
Exports - commodities | computers and parts, textiles, integrated circuits, rice | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados |
Exports - partners | US 22%, Japan 14%, Singapore 9%, Hong Kong 5%, Netherlands 4%, Malaysia 4%, UK 4% (1999) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $413 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - NA |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
13% industry: 40% services: 47% (1999) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - NA |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.2% (2000 est.) | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 15 00 N, 100 00 E | 29 02 S, 167 57 E |
Geography - note | controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore | most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated |
Heliports | 2 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
64,600 km paved: 62,985 km unpaved: 1,615 km (1996) |
total: 80 km
paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.5% highest 10%: 37.1% (1992) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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 | - |
Imports | $61.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) |
Imports - commodities | capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels | NA |
Imports - partners | Japan 26%, US 14%, Singapore 6%, China 5%, Malaysia 5%, Taiwan 5% (1999) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe |
Independence | 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized) | none (territory of Australia) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3% (2000 est.) | NA |
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 | tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 30.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.1% (2000 est.) | NA |
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 | UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 15 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 44,000 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch) | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions |
Labor force | 32.6 million (1997 est.) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 54%, industry 15%, services 31% (1996 est.) | tourism NA, subsistence agriculture NA |
Land boundaries | total:
4,863 km border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
34% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 26% other: 32% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
Languages | Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects | English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian |
Legal system | based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island 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 Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 29 November 2001 (next to be held by December 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
68.86 years male: 65.64 years female: 72.24 years (2001 est.) |
total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.8% male: 96% female: 91.6% (1995 est.) |
NA |
Location | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Oceania |
Maritime claims | continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing 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.) |
none |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
Military branches | Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force, Paramilitary Forces | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.775 billion (FY00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (FY00) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
17,717,268 (2001 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
10,646,818 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
567,659 (2001 est.) |
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National holiday | Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927) | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) |
Nationality | noun:
Thai (singular and plural) adjective: Thai |
noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
Natural hazards | land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts | typhoons (especially May to July) |
Natural resources | tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land | fish |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Pipelines | petroleum products 67 km; natural gas 350 km | - |
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] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
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.) |
1,841 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 12.5% (1998 est.) | NA |
Population growth rate | 0.91% (2001 est.) | -0.01% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha, Songkhla | none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999) | AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 13.96 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
3,940 km narrow gauge: 3,940 km 1.000-m gauge (99 km double track) |
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Religions | Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other 0.6% (1991) | Anglican 37.4%, Uniting Church in Australia 14.5%, Roman Catholic 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, none 12.2%, unknown 17.4%, other 3.9% (1996) |
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.) |
NA |
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: adequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite service planned for near future |
Telephones - main lines in use | 5.4 million (1998) | 2,532; note: a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2.3 million (1998) | 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (all in Bangkok; plus 131 repeaters) (1997) | 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (1998) |
Terrain | central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains |
Total fertility rate | 1.87 children born/woman (2001 est.) | NA children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3.7% (2000 est.) | NA |
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 |
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