Background: A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam
until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been
taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a
constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand
became a US ally following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing armed
violence in its three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast
of Burma
Population: 65,444,371 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 7,988,529/female 7,633,405) 15-64
years: 68.6% (male 22,195,625/female 22,731,767) 65 years and
over: 7.5% (male 2,251,112/female 2,643,933) (2005 est.)
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