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Thailand: Geography
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00 N, 100 00 E
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia
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Area:
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total: 514,000 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km
land: 511,770 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,863 km
border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km
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Coastline:
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3,219 km
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
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Terrain:
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central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
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Natural resources:
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tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 32.88%
permanent crops: 7%
other: 60.12% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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47,490 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
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Geography - note:
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controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore
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