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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Thailand
Index
Size: Approximately 514,000 square kilometers.
Topography: Chief topographic features include central
plain dominated by Mae Nam (river) Chao Phraya and its
tributaries. To northeast rises dry, undulating Khorat Plateau
bordered on east by Mekong River. Mountains along northern and
western borders with Burma extend south into narrow, largely
rain-forested Malay Peninsula. Network of rivers and canals
associated with northern mountains and central plain drain, via
Chao Phraya, into Gulf of Thailand. Mae Nam Mun and other
northeastern streams drain via Mekong into South China Sea. Soils
vary. Topography and drainage define four regions: North,
Northeast, Center, and South.
Climate: Tropical monsoon climate. Southwest monsoons
arriving between May and July signal start of rainy season
lasting until October. Cycle reverses with northeast monsoon in
November and December, ushering in dry season. Cooler
temperatures give way to extremely hot, dry weather March through
May. In general, rainfall heaviest in South, lightest in
Northeast.
Data as of September 1987
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