Your Guide to Thailand's Geography

Thailand's 514,000 square kilometers are located in the middle of mainland Southeast Asia. The nation's axial position influenced many aspects of Thailand's society and culture—it controls the only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore. The fertile floodplain and tropical monsoon climate, ideally suited to wet-rice (thamna) cultivation, attracted settlers to this central area rather than to the marginal uplands and mountains of the northern region or the Khorat Plateau to the northeast.

Map of Thailand From the Library of Congress, it provides you with the topographic image of Thailand. More... Northern headwater mountains and valleys Historically, earliest evidence of culture within the boundaries of contemporary Thailand, exists in the northern headwater mountains and valleys. More... Northern river plains and mountain flanks Four major rivers sustain steadily broadening plains, crossed by their tributaries, and ultimately converge to funnel their vital waters into a vast wetland More...

Isan northern and eastern riparian belt In the north and east of the heartland of Isan, as Thailand’s northeastern region is widely known, lies the riparian belt flanked by the Mekong River. More... Isan southern plateau The southern plateau of Isan together with its surrounding mountains is almost identical with the Mun River Basin. More... Eastern mountains, valleys, and coast Features of great variety are spatially concentrated in the eastern region. One example is its topography, with some of Thailand’s highest mountains. More...

Central plain upstream river basins The physical map of the northern area of Thailand’s Central Plain shows a maze of seemingly countless creeks, rivulets, streams and rivers. More... Central plain downstream river basins and estuaries The wide alluvial plain has been expanding southward toward the Gulf, since time immemorial. More... Isan heartland Thailand’s north-eastern region, widely known as Isan, is a well defined geographical area. More... Isan western plateau To the west of the heartland of Isan lies the highland, which separate the northeastern from the central region. More...

Western mountain ranges, valleys, and plains Mountain ranges dominate the western flank of Thailand, from the far north to the peninsula. More... Peninsular river basins and gulf coast Where the land base projects into the seas and is lined by islands is the Thai and Malay peninsula. More... Andaman sea coast The mountainous backbone of the peninsula runs rather lopsided near the western coastline facing the Andaman Sea. More...

Please find more on the geography of Thailand on Wikipedia.

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