TH is the abbreviation for Thailand, the 50th largest country in the world. Officially the Kingdom of Thailand, Thailand is a country located in Asia, bordering 4 countries – Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar. Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. Major cities include Bangkok (population: 5,104,465), Samut Prakan (population: 388,909), Nonthaburi (population: 291,544), Udon Thani (population: 247,220), Chon Buri (population: 219,153), Nakhon Ratchasima (population: 208,770), Chiang Mai (population: 200,941), Hat Yai (population: 191,685), Pak Kret (population: 182,915), and Si Racha (population: 178,905).
Country Profile
- Capital: Bangkok
- Language: Thai
- Area: 513,120 km2
- Population: 68,863,503
- Currency: Baht (฿) (THB)
- Time zone: UTC+7
- Calling code: 66
- ISO 2-Letter Abbreviation: TH
- UN 3-Letter Abbreviation: THA
- Internet TLD: .th
- State Government Website: http://tourismthailand.org
List of Thailand Acronyms
The most commonly used abbreviations about Thailand are TH which stands for Thailand and THB which means Baht (Thailand currency). In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to Thailand, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.
Geography
Thailand is an elongated country, about one and a half times the size of Norway. The landscape varies from region to region. In the northwestern regions there are several mountain ranges, with peaks up to 2,500 meters above sea level. In the northeast lies the lowland landscape with low ridges and fertile agricultural areas. The plains in the middle of the country have many rivers, including the large Chao Phraya River, which forms a delta on the Gulf of Thailand. The Malacca Peninsula, the narrow part, consists of a narrow mountain range surrounded by elongated sandy beaches. Before, tropical forest covered most of the country, but much of the forest was felled and replaced with rubber trees.
The climate is tropical and therefore it is not winter season in the country. Temperatures range between 25 and 30 degrees year-round, and the rainy season lasts from June/July to the end of September. In recent decades, Thailand has experienced large-scale industrial development, without the authorities having regard to environmental protection. This has led to polluted drinking water and poor air quality in several of the larger cities, many animal species are almost extinct and forests have shrunk due to harvest.
History
Today’s Thailand became a country in the mid-1400s. The Siam Empire, as it was called in 1939, developed its own scriptural language, adopted theravada Buddhism as its official religion, and adopted its own legal system that lasted until the 19th century. The kingdom was ruled by monarchical kings from the Chakri dynasty for 150 years, until a revolutionary coup in 1932 established a constitutional monarchy in which the king played a more symbolic role.
During World War II, the country was on Japan’s side, but was not as severely punished in the war as its allies. Thailand is the only South Asian country that has never been under European rule.
The United States considered the country the most important front line against communism in Southeast Asia, and financially supported Thailand in the 1950s. Thailand therefore helped the Americans in both the Korea and Vietnam wars.
The former agricultural community quickly became a heavily industrialized country, which experienced adventurous economic growth from 1960-96. Oppressive regimes ruled until the country began to become more democratic in the 1990s.
Since the revolution in 1932, the country has experienced 19 military coups and short periods of democracy. Takshin Shinawatra became prime minister in 2001, and implemented major welfare reforms that made him popular in poor, underdeveloped areas. Corruption revelations triggered major protests against Takshin in the mid-2000s. The prime minister announced new elections, but before he could make it, he was deposed in a coup d’état in 2006. Since then, the power struggle has continued between Takshin’s supporters and opponents.
The military took power in a coup in 2014 and ousted Thailand’s elected government, led by Yingluck Shinawatra, Takshin’s little sister. Today the country is ruled by a military junta.
Society and politics
The politics are characterized by the tension between the military, the deposed elected government and the king. The army has had a great influence since the 1930s, and has often deposed democratically elected governments under the pretext of protecting the monarchy. Supporters of the military and the royal house come from the cities and the south of the country. Those who support Takshin Shinawatra’s policies live in rural areas in the east and north. Both groups each have their own popular protest movement: the royal-friendly and nationalist yellow shirts, and the Takshin-friendly red shirts.
The monarchy represents stability for Thais. The previous king ruled from 1948 until he died in 2016 and was replaced by his son Maha Vajiralongkorn.
There has been much unrest in the south of the country, on the border with Malaysia, where the majority of the population is Malay Muslims with a different language and culture than the rest of the country. Many of these will emancipate from Thailand, and rebels have waged an armed struggle for independence since the 1960s.
The country has uneven levels of development, a lot of corruption and serious human rights violations by the police and the army. Although many Thais have improved over the last few decades, many are living below the national poverty line.
Following the coup in 2014, the military regime has restricted freedom of speech and declared a state of emergency. A strictly monitored referendum in 2016 approved the military’s constitutional proposal, which gives the military additional power.
Economics and Commerce
The Thai economy has experienced tremendous development since World War II. The former agricultural community acquired a large textile and electronics industry in a few years. Almost half of the country’s workers are still working in agriculture, which is now streamlined and modernized.
Thailand supplies the world with rubber and rice, and is the world’s largest exporter of these two products. In addition, the country exports a lot of fish, wheat and sugar. Tourism is also a major part of the economy.
Thailand has paid a high price for the rapid development: poor farmers have had to relocate due to industrial development, and this creates a population pressure in the cities.
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