The Kingdom of Thailand is situated in Southeast Asia on the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea and has borders with Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia. Bangkok is the country's capital and largest city, with an estimated population in 2004 of almost 5 million people. Thailand has a tropical climate. The country has three seasons—a hot, dry season from March to May; a hot, wet period from June to October; and a cool, dry season from November to February.

Thailand covers 513,115 square kilometers (198,115 square miles). The country is distinguished by four main land regions: the Central Plain or Central Lowlands; the North or the Mountainous North; the Northeast or Khorat Plateau; and the Southern Peninsula.

In 2004 Thailand had an estimated population of 64,865,523; its population growth rate was 0.91 percent annually. Improvements in health care have reduced the death rate, but the birthrate remains high. The majority of Thailand's...