Environment &
Wildlife
Thailand spans a distance of 1650km from its northern tip to its south-
ern tail, a distance that encompasses 16 latitudinal degrees and a variety
of ecological zones, making it one of the most environmentally diverse
countries in Southeast Asia.
The Land
Thailand’s odd shape is often likened to the head of an elephant with
the shaftt of the trunk being the Malay peninsula and the head being
the northern mountains. Starting at the crown of the country, north-
ern Thailand is dominated by the Dawna-Tenasserim mountain range,
a southeast-trending extension of the Himalayan mountains. Dropping
into the central region, the topography mellows into rice-producing
plains fed by rivers that are as revered as the national monarchy. Thai-
land’s most exalted river is Chao Phraya, which is formed by the north-
ern tributaries of Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan – a lineage as notable as any
aristocrat’s. The country’s early kingdoms emerged around Chao Phraya
basin, still the seat of the monarchy today. The river delta is in cultiva-
tion for most of the year.
Tracing the contours of Thailand’s northern and northeastern border
is another celebrated river: Mekong. As the artery of Southeast Asia,
Mekong both physically separates and culturally fuses Thailand with its
neighbours. It is a workhorse river that has been dammed for hydroelec-
tric power and swells and contracts based on the seasonal rains. In the
dry season, riverside farmers plant vegetables in the muddy fl oodplain,
harvesting their crops before the river reclaims its territory.
The landscape of Thailand’s northeastern border is occupied by the
arid Khorat Plateau rising some 300m above the central plain. This is a
hardscrabble land where the rains are meagre, the soil is anaemic and
the red dust stains as stubbornly as the betel nut chewed by the ageing
grandmothers.
The kingdom’s eastern rivers dump their waters into the Gulf of Thai-
land, a shallow basin off the neighbouring South China Sea. The warm,
gentle gulf is an ideal cultivation ground for coral reefs. On the other side
of its long slender ‘trunk’ is the Andaman Sea, a splendid tropical setting
of stunning blue waters and dramatic limestone islands. Onshore, the
peninsula is dominated by some fi nal remaining stands of rainforest and
ever-expanding rubber and palm-oil plantations.
Flora & Fauna
In the northern half of Thailand, most indigenous species are classi-
fi ed zoologically as Indo-Chinese, referring to fauna originating from
mainland Asia, while that of the south is generally Sundaic, typical of
Environ-
mental
Stats» (^) Thailand
encompasses
514,000 sq km,
equal to the size
of France.
» (^) Bangkok sits
at N14° latitude,
level with Madras,
Manila, Guate-
mala City and
Khartoum.