Thailand

Description of Thailand

Thailand is located in South-East Asia on the Indochina Peninsula; it is washed by the Andaman Sea in the south-west and by the Gulf of Thailand in the south-east. Its contours resemble an elephant's head, and the Thais often call Thailand "the land of the elephant," and the royal symbol is also a white elephant. The total area occupies 513 115 square kilometers, which is roughly the area of ​​France. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok (in Thai "Krung Thep", which means "City of Angels") and is the largest city of the country. In 1995, Bangkok was the 17th largest city in Asia with a population of about 7 million people. The highest point of the country, Doi Inthanon Mountain (2559m above sea level), is situated in the north-west of the country near the town of Chiang Mai. Along the country there are national parks and reserves, which include about 70 of them. There are hundreds of clean sandy beaches on the shores of the Andaman Sea in the south-west and of the Gulf of Thailand in the east of the country.

Thailand is bordered (moving clockwise from the north) by Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma). The oldest core of the future state was a settlement in the delta of the Chao Phraya River. The local fertile allow intensive farming and largely cover the needs of the country's foodstuff. In the east, surrounded by low mountain ranges (700-1000 m), lies a plateau of Korat, almost devoid of vegetation due to intensive logging. In the west of the country there is a mountain range (1500-2000 m), with impenetrable virgin forests; it serves as a barrier between the central regions and the border with Burma. This range covers the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, which lead to the mountainous terrain of southern Thailand. The southern coast of the country, with its countless bays and beaches, is washed by the waves of two seas: the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean in the west and the South China Sea, which includes the Gulf of Siam.

Thailand is located in the humid tropical forests. About 65% of its area is occupied by the jungle. The vegetation of Thailand is dominated by deciduous tropical (monsoon) forests, where grow teak and mahogany trees, sal, bamboo and others. In more humid areas, mainly in the mountains, on the raised edges of the plateau Korat, on the Isthmus of Kra and in the north-eastern coastal part there are evergreen moist forests. The main species of these forests are dipterocarpaceaes, hopeas, rubber plants, pandanuses and a variety of palms. In the coastal belt in the south, mangrove vegetation is developed. In the Korat Plateau there are a lot of savannas and thickets of thorny trees and bushes. On dry (leeward) slopes of the mountains, in the area of ​​700-1700 m, grow pine-oak forests, and in the upper zone of the mountains - evergreen shrubs. In the jungle one can find a lot of valuable tree species. Forest dwellers receive various pitches, balsams, resins, and varnishes from them. The fruits of some forest plants (mangosteen, duryan, and banana) are edible. Coconut and sago palms are of great economic importance. On the slopes of the Northern Region teak is growing. Its height is about 40 meters and the diameter of the trunk is of 2 meters. The wood of teak is extremely durable; it is an excellent material for the construction of ships and port facilities.

Almost all of Thailand belongs to the Indo-Malayan zoogeographic region. In the forests and bamboo thickets lives the variety of animals: rhinos, elephants, tapirs, tigers, leopards, wild cats, and squirrels. Especially is famous for monkeys. You can meet not only macaques but also apes - gibbons. In savannas, one can find antelopes, deer, wild buffaloes and wild bulls called gaurs and bantengs. Across the country, in the woods and fields, there is a mass of snakes, many of which are toxic, such as "colored belts" and the huge king cobras. There is also a variety of birds: pheasants, peacocks, parrots, hornbills, egrets, and Siamese Red-Cranes. In rivers live crocodiles and a variety of fish (mainly carp).

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