Thailand is the second-largest nation on the Southeast Asian mainland, behind Myanmar. Approximately 62 million people live inside its 198,115 square miles (over 513,117 square kilometers) of land. The country is distinctive because of its geography and history. The current Thailand region has been home to a significant Thai state for the past 600 years, making it one of the very few nations in Asia to have avoided European colonialism.
Due to its location away from the main historical sea channels, it was spared the impacts of the Muslim faith and European control that molded the maritime world to the south and east. Since France and England had competing interests in the region, Thailand served as a buffer between them. In part as a result of this competition, Thailand was successful in maintaining its independence during the division of Southeast Asia by European colonial powers.
A strong representation of the nation's historical continuity and national identity, the monarchy has been and continues to be. After more than a century, the nation has maintained a neutral attitude in international affairs, thus its reliance on the West since 1950 represents a significant departure from history.
Thailand's geographical layout is straightforward: a south-facing river basin surrounded by mountains to the west, north, and southeast, and a long, thin peninsular finger in the south. The complicated mountain system of the Himalayas, which extends south from eastern Tibet and forms, in part, the border between southern Myanmar and Thailand, is continued in the north and west.
Thailand's weather may be categorized as tropical monsoonal. The country's location in the tropics, the monsoon zone, and the topographical features all have a significant impact on the distribution of rainfall. The southwest monsoons, which arrive in early May and produce heavy rain that peaks in September, originate in the Indian Ocean.
Thailand is the nation in Southeast Asia that values individual identity the most. The nation is relatively homogeneous and lacks Malaysia's complicated ethnic admixture as well as the number of languages found in Indonesia and the Philippines. Thai, one of a wide group of languages spoken in all surrounding nations as well as southern China and northern Vietnam, is spoken by 85% of the people.
The Thai people are Theravada Buddhists, much like those in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Ninety-five percent of the population was estimated to practice Buddhism in 1991. Muslims (who make up about 4% of the population), Hindus, Sikhs, and a few Christians are among the minorities; they are mostly concentrated in and around Bangkok. The Thai language is taught in schools across the nation, while the national government downplays regional allegiances.
Thailand's economy has always been dominated by agriculture. Despite government support for small businesses, these industries' contributions to economic development have been steadily declining since 1950. Less than 50% of the labor force now is employed in agriculture, down from 88 percent in the 1950s.
In comparison to industry, agriculture's role to the national economy has likewise decreased, from more than 50% in the 1950s to less than 11% in 1999. The agricultural sector has expanded despite the country's move to manufacturing, and Thai farmers continue to produce enough rice for domestic consumption as well as a surplus for export.
Thailand is currently the fifth-largest rice producer and exporter in the world (exporting one-third to a quarter of rice exports of the world). Nearly 90% of the country's arable land is dedicated to agriculture, and nearly half of that is in the Chao Phraya basin, where the flood waters of the river bring irrigation and silt-laden fertile soils to the fields. Agriculture is predominantly connected with rice cultivation.
Over the past three years, Thailand has had some of Southeast Asia's most rapid economic growth (averaging 6–7% a year). The manufacturing, service, and trading sectors have had the quickest expansion. Domestic markets have grown, and the manufacturing of goods like textiles, soft drinks, and cement has been expanding. Japanese investments and American military spending in the 1960s and 1970s helped to significantly boost the economy.
The nation currently serves as a role model for other emerging countries looking to slow down the rate of population growth. However, a third of Thailand's population is under the age of 40, which places a heavy burden on the country's housing, health, and employment systems. Despite this, the government is attempting to make use of the highly literate human resource it has access to—with a literacy rate of over 90%—in order to promote economic development.