|
Country
|
Thailand | 
Australia |
|
Leader
|
Head of state: Prime minister - elect : Yingluck Shinawatra
|
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
|
|
Population
|
67,091,089
| 22,015,576
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
73.830 years
| 81.900 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Bangkok
| Canberra
|
|
Largest city
|
| Bangkok (population: 5,104,480) | Sydney (population: 4,394,580) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.786
| 0.965
|
| GDP per capita |
$9,500 US
| $40,800 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
92.6%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
3.5
| 8.7
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
12.7%
| 29.6%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Chaleo Yoovidhya ($3.7bn US)
| Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
0.700%
| 5.100%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Legal
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
constitutional monarchy
| federal parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
| 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
|
| Religions |
Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)
| Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)
|
| Languages |
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects
| English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
|
| Exports |
textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
| coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
|
| External Debt |
$115,600,000,000 $
| $1,376,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
baht per US dollar - 33.37 (2008 est.), 34.52 (2007), 37.882 (2006), 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004)
| Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
1.800%
| 3.000%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
4
| 46
|
| Location |
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
| Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
|
| Area |
513,120 km sq
| 7,741,220 km sq
|
| Coastline |
3,219 km
| 25,760 km
|
| 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
| generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
|
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