Geography
- Full country name: Kingdom of Thailand
- Population: 66 million
- Border countries: Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia.
- Climate: tropical with three distinct seasons: hot and dry from February to May; monsoon from June to October; and cool from November to January.
- Terrain: Thailand’s shape and geography divides the country into four natural regions. In the North are mountains and forests, while rice fields fill the central plains. The northeast plateau contains semi-arid farm lands and the peninsula south has tropical islands and long coastlines.
- Natural hazards: droughts, flash floods during monsoon season, earth tremors.
Living in Thailand
- Cost of living: the cost of living in Thailand will depend on where you live. Bangkok is likely to be more expensive than living in a smaller town. Whilst cost of living is cheaper than in the UK on an expat salary, on a local salary it would be very similar. A two-bedroom apartment comparable to UK standards would be a monthly rental rate of approximately 15,000 baht. Local food is relatively cheap when eating out at 50 - 200 baht per head with European food being dearer. A trip to the cinema will cost 80 -100 baht.
- Utilities: water and electricity bills can range from 1,000 - 4,000 baht per month depending on air conditioning use.
- Internet domain: .th
- Health: Thailand has a well-developed system of healthcare through a mixture of public and private hospitals. However, outside major cities hospitals may not always be up to UK standards. Cover is provided under compulsory insurance schemes or on a payment basis. As a UK national, you will have to pay for any healthcare services that you access. Many pharmacies are run by English-speaking pharmacists. Dengue fever and malaria, diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, occur in Thailand. There are no vaccinations against these but there are preventative measures that you can take. You should visit your GP to discuss malaria prevention tablets. Street food is very common in Thailand and therefore you are advised to exercise caution with regard to hygiene factors.
- Laws and customs: possession of drugs in Thailand is treated severely and is likely to lead to imprisonment and in some cases even the death penalty. The image of Buddha is sacred and should always be treated as such. It is a punishable offence to criticise or make defamatory remarks about the king or other members of the royal family.
Economy and finance
- Currency: baht (100 satang = 1 baht)
- Type of economy: free enterprise.
- Health of economy: as a new industrialised economy, Thailand is heavily dependent on exports. It experienced an 8% increase in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010, making it the fastest growing economy in southeast Asia. It also has a strong automobile industry, which grew by 63% in 2010. It is predicted that by 2015, it will be one of the top ten vehicle-producing countries in the world. Up-to-date information on Thailand’s economic conditions is published on the Bank of Thailand
and The World Bank
websites and in the Bangkok Post's Economic Review
.
- Unemployment rate: 1.2% (The World Factbook, 2010)
- Main exports: food including rice, seafood and live animals, plus office equipment, textiles and clothing, and rubber.
Culture
- People: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%.
- Major religion: Buddhism (95%).
- History: see BBC Timeline: Thailand
.
- Local etiquette: the royal family is revered in Thailand with many homes, shops and restaurants displaying portraits of the king and his family. It is expected that everyone stands still when the national anthem is played in the street, at the cinema or in a shopping mall. Religion is also very important. A conservative dress code is required when visiting temples, palaces or religious sites.
Politics
- Type of government: constitutional monarchy.
- Major political parties: Democrat Party, Phuea Thai Party, Thai Nation Development Party, Motherland Party, and Royalist People’s Party.
Travel advice
Find the latest travel advice and a traveller’s checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
website.
