Thailandformerly Siam, officially Kingdom of Thailand,
kingdom in Southeast Asia, bounded by Burma (Myanmar) on the north and west, by
Laos on the northeast, by Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand on the southeast,
by Malaysia on the south, and by the Andaman Sea and Burma on the southwest. The
total area of Thailand is 513,115 sq km (198,115 sq mi). Bangkok is the capital
and largest city. ClimateThailand has a moist, tropical
climate, influenced chiefly by monsoon winds that vary in direction according
to the season. From April to October the winds are mainly from the southwest and
are moisture laden; during the rest of the year they blow from the northeast.
Temperatures are higher, ranging from about 26° to 37° C (about 78°
to 98° F), while the country is under the influence of the southwestern winds.
During the remainder of the year the range is from about 13° to 33°
C (about 56° to 92° F). Temperatures are somewhat higher inland than
they are along the coast, except at points of great elevation. Annual rainfall
is about 1520 mm (about 60 in) in the northern, western, and central regions,
about 2540 mm (about 100 in) or more on the Thai portion of the Malay Peninsula,
and about 1270 mm (about 50 in) or less on the Khorat Plateau. Most rain falls
in summer (June through October). |
