Geography
Thailand has land area of 513.115 Sq. km bordered by Malaysia (South), Myanmar (West & North), Laos (North & East) and Cambodia (Southeast).

Climate
Temperature varies from 19 to 38 degree C. Average temperatures are about 29 C; humidity from 66% to 82.8%.

Seasons
Hot (March to May), rainy (June to October) and cool (November to February)

Population (end 1998)
Total 61,466,178, including 30,591,602 males and 30,874,576 females. Of the total, 9.18% lived in Bangkok.

Language
Thai is the national language. English is widely understood in cities.

REligion
Buddhist 92.55%, Muslim 5.29%, Christian 1.34% and others 0.79%

Culture
Thailand is located at the meeting point of 2 great cultural systems of Asia, Chinese and Indian. In everyday life, Chinese culture has mixed very well with Thai, whereas in Thai court culture, which has been based mainly on Buddhism and Brahmanism, India has exerted strong influence.

Government
Constitutional monarchy headed by King, with 76 provinces, each sub-divided into amphoe (district), tambon (sub-district) and muban (village).

National Flag
RRed, white and blue bands symbolize the nation, Buddhism and monarchy respectively.

Largest Provinces
Nakhon
Ratchasima 20,493.98 Sq. km
Chiang Mai 20,107.06 Sq. km
Kanchanaburi 19,483.15 Sq. km

Largest Islands
Phuket 543 Sq. km; Samui 239.9 Sq. km; Chang 212.09 Sq. km

Hghest Peaks
Doi Inthanon 2565 m; Doi Luang 2175 m; Phu Soi Dao 2102 m

Principel Rivers
Chi 765 km; Mun 750 km; Nan 740 km; Chao Phraya 370 km

Clothing
Thin cotton is the best. Jacket or sweater may be necessary in the cool season, especially in mountainous area in the North or Northeast.

Electricity
220 Volts, 50 cycles throughout the country

Local Time
GMT +7 hours

Business Hours
Most office open from 8:30-17, Monday to Friday. General banking hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30-15:30

Major Agricultural Exports
Rice, tapioca, rubber, coconuts, sugar, maize, pineapples, cotton, palm oil

Major Manufactured Exports
Textiles, cement, electronics, cars, trucks, gems and jeweler