Thailand, "Land of the Free"

Geographical Setting. Thailand known for centuries as Siam, is bounded on the northwest and west by Burma, on the northeast by Laos, on the east by Cambodia, and on the south by Malaya and Gulf of Thailand. The Thais call their country Muang Thai, meaning "Land of the Free." It is a very appropriate name because Thailand is the only Southeast Asean country which has never been conquered by a Western power. With its total area 200,148 square miles, Thailand is almost as large as France. The northern part is covered with forests rich in teakwood, the southern part is hilly region rich in deposits, while the central part is a vast fertile plain drained by the Menam River and lined with numerous canals (klongs)for irrigation and drainage. Thailand is agricultural country,. The chief farm products are rice, rubber, peanuts, and sugarcane. Teakwood is logged in the jungles, where trained elephants surpass Western-built tractors in lumbering operations. The country is poor in mineral resources . Only tin, salt, and tungsten are produced commercially.