THAILAND

Thailand has good infrastructure for foreign investors. Economically, this country of 65 million people is characterized by steady growth. Abundant natural resources and a skilled and cost-effective work force helps attract foreign investment, enables them to prosper and help develop industry in Thailand.

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma     (controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore)

Climate

Tropical, rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (Nov. to mid March);  southern isthmus always hot and humid

Natural Resources

Tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land

Population

65,905,410 (July 2009)

Ethnic Groups

Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Religions

Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)

Languages

Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects

National Holiday

5^th December

Currency

Thai Baht (HB)

Fiscal Year

1^st October to 30^th September

Agriculture products: Rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, an soyabeans.

Industries: Tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing, such as, jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts;  world’s second largest tungsten producer and third largest tin producer.

Thailand is a major exporter of manufactured goods such as electronics and automobiles, as well as the world's largest exporter of rice. Currently, Thailand relies mostly on imports of machineries and raw materials to produce export-oriented goods. Overall economic growth fell to 2.6% in 2008. Export growth from January 2005 to November 2008 averaged 17.5% annually. The Thai economy contracted by just 2.8 percent in the third quarter of 2009, recovering from -7.1 percent in the first quarter and  -4.9 percent in the second quarter.