• Bangladesh!

    Bangladesh: Traditional houses. Go Now!


  • Indonesia!

    Indonesia: Lombok. Go Now!


  • Jordan!

    Jordan: Petra. Go Now!


  • Mongolia!

    Mongolia: Desert. Go Now!


  • Kyrgyzstan!

    Kyrgyzstan: Tian Shan Mountains. Go Now!


Geography, Weather, & Wildlife of Thailand


Thai Geography - Phi Phi Island
Phi Phi Ley

Thailand is an odd shaped country in Southeast Asia. It borders Myanmar to the west, Laos to the northeast, and Cambodia to the southeast. Thailand also stretches south along the Malay Peninsula and at the very southern edge of the land Thailand borders Malaysia. Thailand also borders the Gulf of Thailand to its southeast and east, while it has a shorter water access to the west, touching the Andaman Sea.

Thai Geography - Phuket

Thailand's north is fairly mountainous, most notably on the border with both Myanmar and Laos. Additionally, in the country's northeast the land is elevated and forms a plateau. From these mountains there are a number of small rivers flowing south into the Gulf of Thailand and it's in these areas and along the coast that most of the population lives. Moving south into the Malay Peninsula the mountains rise up again, but even where the mountains are not on this peninsula, the land is heavily forested.


Thai Geography - Erawan Waterfalls
Erawan Waterfalls

Thailand has three distinct seasons: a wet season, cold season, and hot season, the two latter of which are relatively dry. The wet season arrives with the monsoon in about June and continue until about October; this time is hot, humid, and rainy with average temperature lows and highs of 65-100° F (19-38° C), but generally on the higher end of the spectrum. The cold season begins in November and moves into February with temperatures on the lower end of that temperature scale. From March to April or May the hot season regularly brings daily highs of over 100° F (38° C), although nights are cooler. The most significant alteration from these weather patterns is in the Malay Peninsula, which has a much shorter hot and cold dry season as it tends to be hotter, more humid, and rainier than the rest of the country year round.


Thai Wildlife - Asian elephant
Asian elephant

Thailand is far from being the largest country in Asia, but it has one of the continent's most diverse wildlife systems, particularly in regard to birds. However this diversity includes all animals and it boasts being home to mammals like the tiger, leopard, elephant, bear, bison, cattle, antelope, deer, and monkeys. There are also mammals in the waters surrounding the country as dolphins and whales are present in the nearby sea. In these waters, as well as in the country's rivers and lakes there are numerous other fish species such as tuna, mackerel, squid, shrimp, lobster, oysters, and crab.

The bird life is where Thailand really stands tall as it is home to nearly 10% of the world's bird species. Most of these birds are migratory and many are water fowls who find foods in the rivers and along the coasts. Among these birds are kingfishers, herons, pigeons, peacocks, pheasants, doves, eagles, and quails in addition to thousands more. The reptilian and amphibian life is also quite impressive as the country is home to turtles, snakes, lizards, and the monitor. The number of species of insects is more diverse with over 6,000 species in the country.

This page was last updated: November, 2013