n Bangkok area resulting from the
depletion of the water table; droughts
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified -
Biodiversity, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea

Geographic note: controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia
and Singapore

People
------

Population: 58,851,357 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25% (male 7,627,916; female 7,351,264)
15-64 years: 69% (male 19,994,884; female 20,576,141)
65 years and over: 6% (male 1,468,814; female 1,832,338) (July 1996
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.03% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 17.29 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 33.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.6 years
male: 64.89 years
female: 72.49 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai

Ethnic divisions: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Religions: Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism
0.1%, other 0.6% (1991)

Languages: Thai, English the secondary language of the elite,
ethnic and regional dialects

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 93.8%
male: 96%
female: 91.6%

Government
----------

Name of country:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand

Data code: TH

Type of government: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Bangkok

Administrative divisions: 76 provinces (changwat, singular and
plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat,
Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri,
Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi,
Krung Thep Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri,
Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom,
Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat,
N