Thailand covers an area of 514,000 square kilometers in the centre of the South-East Asian peninsula. It shares the border with Myanmar, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Cambodia and Malaysia The northern region is mountainous and was traditionally the most heavily forested area of the country. However, the forest resources have been reduced due to overcutting in recent years.
The north-eastern region is drained by the Mun and Chi rivers, both tributaries of the Mekong. Largely owing to lower and erratic rainfall and poorer soils than in other parts of the country, the north-eastern provinces have the lowest per capita income in the country. The central region including Bangkok metropolitan region is often called the "rice bowl" of Thailand being the most fertile area of the country and enjoys the highest per capita income. The south-eastern region is characterized by higher rainfall and poorer soils than the adjoining central region. It is an important fruit, maize and cassava-growing area and its coastline offers extensive opportunities for fisheries and tourism. Forests in the southern region have the same problem of overcutting. This area has suffered from severe flooding because of highest rainfall in the country and soil erosion due to deforestation (UN 2008).
Thailand has an estimated 69.1 million population as of 2010. The young people under 14 of age comprise about 20 % of total population, while the proportion of people over 65 of age is about 10 % of total population. The population of females as a percentage of total population is slightly higher than proportion of males, however at birth, there are slightly more males than females. The estimated population growth for the period 2010-2015 is about 0.5 % (UN DESA n.d.) The country has considerable cultural and linguistic diversity with approximately 75 distinct languages spoken in various parts of Thailand. In addition to standard Thai (based on the Central Thai dialect and the official language of the government, media, and schools), there are four major regional dialects: northern Thai, southern Thai, northeastern Thai (Isan) (the mother tongue of approximately one-third of the population), and central Thai (UNESCO 2011).
Thai economic growth averaged around 7% in the former of 1990s (World Bank n.d.). However the 1997 Asian financial crisis contributed to economic setbacks that led to policy changes in the education sector (UNESCO 2011). The growth rate is getting lower in the latter of 1990s, but it is recovering though 2000s (World Bank n.d.). Over the past decades, Thailand developed a number of key economic niches such as textiles, electronic products, gems, tourism, information technology services, centre for conventions, and “kitchen of the world”. With its diverse and rich agricultural resources, Thailand is one of the smallest importers of food worldwide. The 2008 global financial and economic crisis hit Thailand particularly hard. The effects of the economic downturn continued well into 2009, especially due to shrinking export, foreign investments and tourism industries, accompanied by widespread unemployment and under-employment together with rise in food prices. The economic climate also impacted graduates’ job seeking process. Recently, there has been a dramatic influx of migrant workers from neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, and Lao PDR. According to the International Office, prior to recession Thailand had the world’s lowest unemployment rate of 1.38% (2008) (UNESCO 2011).
In 1932, Siam in a peaceful “revolution” moved from being an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. Subsequently the Thai military has often dominated Thailand’s system of parliamentary democracy (UNESCO 2011).
They have been many coups and coup attempts. Following the economic crisis of 1997, Thailand adopted its most democratic constitution ever (Klein, 1998). The 1997 Constitution represented important progress in having elected senators and independent bodies to ensure more checks and balances in the system. Also there has been a dramatic increase over time of civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private voluntary organizations (PVOs), and not-for-profit organizations (NPOs) (UNESCO 2011).
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a centralized contemporary system of administration and governance. In monarch, King Bhumipol Adulyadej, is highly respected, and in 2006 the nation celebrated his 60th anniversary as the King of Thailand, Diamond Jubilee. The country is divided into 76 provinces. Each province is made up of approximately 10 or more districts. Currently there are more than 900 districts. In the system there are also municipalities, which are also part of the country’s administrative structure. Under the districts are tambols (sub-districts), each made up of a number of villages. A key institution in local governance is the TAOs (Tambol Administrative Councils). There are now 6,500 TAOs throughout the country (UNESCO 2011).
Although currently Thailand ranks number one in the world in terms of percentage of women (65%) in the work force, a few women work as the higher grades civil servants. The income gap between Thai women and men is wide and this is explained by high concentration of women in lower paid occupations, rather than gender biased wage discrimination as such. Also the reported domestic abuse is alarming. Despite Thailand’s dynamic and successful response to AID epidemic which spread exponentially in 90s, currently there are the HIV prevalence rate is high among people injecting drugs and among men who have sexual interactions with men. Youth under 20 are also among HIV risk groups. Rapid development, urbanization and the spread of industrial activities have been causing serious threats to environment. Much of the country’s forest cover has been lost, while roughly half of Thailand’s rivers and lakes are classified as having poor water quality. There is overuse of land, water resources and lack of planning in certain sectors (UNESCO 2011).
