The topography is flat alluvial plains intersected by winding rivers and streams in central Thailand, a plateau in the northeast, forest-covered mountains and hills in the north and mostly hills in the south.

By Regions

Northern Thailand - This region is composed of a series of parallel mountain ranges with an average elevation of 1,200m (3,900ft) above sea level, incised by steep valleys of the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers. A large part of these mountains is still covered with tropical monsoon forests, though the most valuable timber, teak, has been cut to a wide extent (the government has now imposed a full logging ban). Doi Inthanon, with an elevation of 2,595m (8,514ft) the highest point in the country, is located in the extreme northwest of the region. The first three Thai kingdoms in Indochina had their capitals in northern Thailand, at Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen. The second largest city of present-day Thailand, Chiang Mai, is the center of the northern region. The northernmost corner of northern Thailand belongs to the region dubbed Golden Triangle - one of the world’s major producers of opium.

Northeastern Thailand - The region principally consists of a saucer shaped plateau known as Khorat Plateau with an average elevations of 200m (650ft). The region’s soils are poor and sandy and rainfall is scant except for the rainy season from June to October when much of the land is flooded. Areas not used for agriculture are largely covered with savanna-type grasses and shrubs. The Northeast is the least developed region of the country, and the least favored by tourists.

East Coast - This part of the country, geographically the southern edge of northeastern Thailand along the Gulf of Thailand, has not traditionally been considered a separate region of the country. The division, often made today, is based on administrative and social factors more than on geological features. The region is distinguished from the Northeast in that it is far richer - the second richest region of the country, after the central plain. The East Coast has a well-established industrial and touristic infrastructure. Furthermore contributing to the region’s wealth are extraordinary fruits (durians and mangos) as well as extraordinary stones (rubies and sapphires).

Southern Thailand - Occupying the northern half of the Malay Peninsula, the region has a rolling to mountainous topography with little flat land. The countryside is often breath-taking, and this asset is increasingly tapped for the development of tourism. Traditionally, the region’s relative wealth stems from its most important natural resources, tin and rubber.

• Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma; Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 100 00 E
• Area:

  • total area: 514,000 sq km

  • land area: 511,770 sq km

  • comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming

• Land boundries: total: 4,863 km; border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km
• Coastline: 3,219 km
• Maritime Claims:

  • continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

  • exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

  • territorial sea: 12 nm

• International disputes: boundary dispute with Laos; unresolved maritime boundary with Vietnam; parts of border with Cambodia in dispute; maritime boundary with Cambodia not clearly defined
• Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
• Terrain: central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere; highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
• Natural resources: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite

• Land use:

  • arable land: 34%

  • permanent crops: 4%

  • meadows and pastures: 1%

  • forest and woodland: 30%

  • other: 31%

• Irrigated land: 42,300 sq km (1989 est.)
• Environment: 
  • current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting. 
  • natural hazards: land subsidence in 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