Head of state: Prime minister - elect : Yingluck Shinawatra
Population
10,884,958
67,091,089
Life Expectancy
58.610 years
73.830 years
Capital City
Bangkok
Largest city
Camayenne (population: 1,871,240)
Bangkok (population: 5,104,480)
Human Development Index
0.423
0.786
GDP per capita
$9,500 US
Literacy Rate
29.5%
92.6%
Corruption Perception Index
1.6
3.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
19.3%
12.7%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Chaleo Yoovidhya ($3.7bn US)
Unemployment Rate
0.700%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
republic
constitutional monarchy
Independence date
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
Religions
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)
Languages
French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
Exports
textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
External Debt
$115,600,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
baht per US dollar - 33.37 (2008 est.), 34.52 (2007), 37.882 (2006), 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
4
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
Area
245,857 km sq
513,120 km sq
Coastline
320 km
3,219 km
Climate
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
