Thailand Property Investment Opportunities. Real Estate Thailand.

£43,000 / $85,000 *

New Developments in Thailand

Thailand, once known as Siam (the setting for The King and I) is a south-east Asian country around the size of Spain, lying north of Malaysia and west of Cambodia. Its terrain ranges from mountains in the north through to the central plains and the tropical rain forests of the south. The climate is warm, with a rainy season lasting from late spring to early autumn. The famous Mekong River travels through a part of the east of the country. The 62 million-strong population is a mixture of Thai, Chinese, Malay and Vietnamese, amongst others, and the majority religion of Buddhism dominates the culture, particularly its art, although there are also strong folk traditions. Thai people are welcoming and open and will greet you with a bow and their hands in a prayer position, to express reverence for your divine potential. Books are also highly honoured.

The food is based on the five types of taste - sweet and sour, bitter, spicy and salty - and dishes using garlic, lime, chilli and other herbs and spices are usually accompanied by rice. Thailand is in fact the largest exporter of rice (6½ million tons), which takes up half of the available land. Textiles and shoes, cars, rubber, fish and electrical goods are just some of the other important exports which are causing Thailand’s economy to grow steadily (over 6% annually), with help from domestic government programs. Foreign residents also boost the GDP of over $US500 billion and tourism accounts for 5% of the economy (rising by 16% per year, with nearly 8 million visitors), with Buddhist temples, Thai dance and shadow play theatre forming some of the attractions, along with international festivals like the Pattaya International Music Festival held in March or adventure holidays white water rafting, climbing or wind-surfing.

The capital city of Bangkok is a major financial centre and also the third most popular tourist destiation in the world, with a wealth of cultural sites, such as the Grand Palace, the Vimanmek Royal Mansion made of teak, the many Buddhist temples, trips through the markets by canal and the superb hotels. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and its king is the world’s longest reigning monarch.

It is governed by the interim constitution of the Council for National Security, who took over in a bloodless coup approved by the king in 2006 but have promised elections in October 2007. Their leader enjoys a reputation for incorruptibility. There is a large, mainly privately run press with media reforms under way to reduce military influence and open up more opportunities to the private sector. Work for women’s rights, HIV/AIDS and poverty are achieving great success and Thailand has also near universal access to safe water and sanitation, through well-financed government programs.

• Official Language: Thai
• Currency: Thai Baht
• View Thailand on the World Map

New Developments in Thailand

Thailand Property     * currency exchange rates subject to fluctuation.