Thailand (2003) | Isle of Man (2001) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
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 | there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 24.2% (male 7,955,597; female 7,604,652)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 21,819,445; female 22,362,085) 65 years and over: 7% (male 2,081,768; female 2,441,729) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years:
17.51% (male 6,562; female 6,306) 15-64 years: 65.19% (male 24,061; female 23,845) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 5,076; female 7,639) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry |
Airports | 111 (2002) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 62
over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 49
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 31 (2002) |
- |
Area | total: 514,000 sq km
land: 511,770 sq km water: 2,230 sq km |
total:
572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. 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. | Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Celtic language. |
Birth rate | 16.37 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 11.58 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $19 billion
expenditures: $21 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$485 million expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
Capital | Bangkok | Douglas |
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 | cool summers and mild winters; temperate; overcast about one-third of the time |
Coastline | 3,219 km | 160 km |
Constitution | new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997 | unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution |
Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand former: Siam |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Isle of Man |
Currency | baht (THB) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound |
Death rate | 6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 11.84 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $62.5 billion (2002 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Darryl N. JOHNSON
embassy: 120/22 Wireless Road, Bangkok mailing address: APO AP 96546 telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000 FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131 consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador SAKTHIP Krairiksh
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 (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | completion of boundary demarcation with Cambodia hampered by accusations of moving and destroying boundary markers, encroachments, initiating border incidents, and sealing off Preah Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; demarcation complete except for a 1 kilometer segment at the mouth of the Kolok River in dispute with Malaysia; demarcation with Laos complete except for certain Mekong River islets and complaints of Thai squatters; despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Burma over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $131.5 million (1998 est.) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Thailand has a free enterprise economy and welcomes foreign investment. Exports feature computers and electrical appliances. 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 then entered a recovery stage, expanding by 4.2% in 1999 and 4.4% in 2000, largely due to strong exports. An ailing financial sector and the slow pace of corporate debt restructuring, combined with a softening of global demand, slowed growth to 1.4% in 2001. Increased consumption and investment spending pushed GDP growth up to 5.2% in 2002 despite a sluggish global economy. | Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. Banking and other services now contribute 42% to GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. |
Electricity - consumption | 90.91 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - exports | 200 million kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 350 million kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - production | 97.6 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 91.3%
hydro: 6.4% nuclear: 0% other: 2.4% (2001) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m |
lowest point:
Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 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 | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Climate Change, Desertification, 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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% | Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton |
Exchange rates | baht per US dollar - 42.96 (2002), 44.43 (2001), 40.11 (2000), 37.81 (1999), 41.36 (1998) | Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)
head of government: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat (since 9 February 2001) and Deputy Prime Ministers Gen. (Ret.) CHAWALIT Yongchaiyut, KON Thappharansi, SUWIT Khunkitti, CHATURON Chaisaeng, VISHANU Krua-ngam, and PROMMIN Lertsuridej (since 18 February 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers note: there is also a Privy Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister is designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following national elections for the House of Representatives, the leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by the king |
chief of state:
Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995) head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the Chief Minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 3 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald |
Exports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | computers, transistors, seafood, clothing, rice (2000) | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb |
Exports - partners | US 19.6%, Japan 14.5%, Singapore 8.1%, Hong Kong 5.4%, China 5.2%, Malaysia 4.1% (2002) | UK |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red | red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $445.8 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 11%
industry: 40% services: 49% (2001) |
agriculture:
1% industry: 9% services: 90% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $18,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.3% (2002 est.) | 13.5% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 15 00 N, 100 00 E | 54 15 N, 4 30 W |
Geography - note | controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary |
Heliports | 2 (2002) | - |
Highways | total: 64,600 km
paved: 62,985 km unpaved: 1,615 km (1999 est.) |
total:
800 km paved: 800 km unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) |
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 | NA (2001) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels (2000) | timber, fertilizers, fish |
Imports - partners | Japan 23%, US 9.6%, China 7.6%, Malaysia 5.6%, Singapore 4.5%, Taiwan 4.4% (2002) | UK |
Independence | 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3% (2000 est.) | 3.2% (FY96/97) |
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 | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | total: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 23.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
6.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.6% (2002 est.) | 2.5% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMISET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 15 (2000) | NA |
Irrigated land | 47,490 sq km (1998 est.) | 0 sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch) | High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) |
Labor force | 33.4 million (2001 est.) | 36,610 (1998) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 54%, industry 15%, services 31% (1996 est.) | agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% |
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: 32.88%
permanent crops: 7% other: 60.12% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
9% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 6% other: 39% (includes 25% mountain and heathland) |
Languages | Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects | English, Manx Gaelic |
Legal system | based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English common law and Manx statute |
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, NDP 29, other 54 |
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (a 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 21 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 24 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 71.24 years
male: 69.07 years female: 73.53 years (2003 est.) |
total population:
77.64 years male: 74.26 years female: 81.2 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96% male: 97.5% female: 94.6% (2003 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 317 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,744,103 GRT/2,657,666 DWT
ships by type: bulk 33, cargo 136, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 17, liquefied gas 21, multi-functional large-load carrier 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1, Greece 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 1, Norway 24, Panama 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.) |
total:
157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,917,402 GRT/8,333,858 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 13, chemical tanker 11, combination bulk 3, container 20, liquefied gas 13, petroleum tanker 43, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1, UK 3 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force, paramilitary forces (includes the Border Patrol Police [including Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit], Thahan Phran, Special Action Forces, Police Aviation Division, Thai Marine Police, and the Volunteer Defense Corps) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.775 billion (FY00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (FY00) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 17,904,298 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 10,724,565 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 520,472 (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927) | Tynwald Day, 5 July |
Nationality | noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai |
noun:
Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx |
Natural hazards | land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts | NA |
Natural resources | tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land | none |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 5.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 3,066 km; refined products 265 km (2003) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [BANTADTAN Banyat]; National Development Party or NDP (Chat Phattana) [KORN Dabbaransi]; Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BANHAN Sinlapa-acha]; Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [THAKSIN Chinnawat] | there is no party system; members sit as independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 64,265,276
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 2003 est.) |
73,489 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 12.5% (1998 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.95% (2003 est.) | 0.52% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha, Songkhla | Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | total: 4,071 km
narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2002) |
total:
68.5 km (43.5 km electrified) |
Religions | Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other 0.6% (1991) | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 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:
NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 5.6 million (2000) | 51,000 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3.1 million (2002) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (all in Bangkok; plus 131 repeaters) (1997) | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) |
Terrain | central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere | hills in north and south bisected by central valley |
Total fertility rate | 1.91 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 1.65 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.9% (2002 est.) | 0.6% (August 2000) |
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 |
none |