Geography of Thailand

Geography of Thailand

Thailand has a total land area of 513,115 square kilometers. The country is bounded by Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia and Malaysia.

During the early 1960s, more than 50 percent of the country is covered by forest, however, in 1997 this declined to only 20 percent . The country has 25 major river systems (Table 1). Over the last two decades, the watersheds of these river systems play a very
crucial role specifically in boosting agricultural production of the country.

Thailand has different geological varieties in four regions.

North and West are mountainous, alternating with plains along narrow valleys. Several rise to over 1,500 meters, the highest mountain in Thailand is Doi Inthanon (2,565 m. or 8,417 ft.) on the Thanon Thongchai range in the province of Chiang Mai.

Central Region is a vast plain made up of Chao Phraya River basin and the tall-ends of the Ping, Wang, Yom, Nan and Pa Sak rivers, touching on the basins of the Mae Klong and Bang Pakong rivers. The Central Plain area is made up of sedimentary deposits from the Tertiary and Quaternary periods and therefore relatively late in geological term. Subsequently, the land was elevated only a little higher than mean sea level. As it has fertile soil and water, the Central Plain attracted large groups of settlers and eventually became the economic and political center of the country today.

The Northeast Plateau is some 200-300 meters above mean sea level, the land of Northeast is hemmed in by mountain ridges on the West and the South. Geographers refer to the region as the Khorat High Plateau.

The South of Thailand forms part of the Malay Peninsulla and begins from the Kra Isthmus at 10 degree longitude south in Rayong and Chumphon provinces down to the tip in Malaysia. The area is made up of long stretches of mountain ranges with narrow strips of land on the Gulf of Thailand and the Andamam Sea coasts. The long coastlines offer scenic attractions, particularly on the beaches of Surat Thani, Songkhla, Phangnga, Phuket, Trang and Satun.

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