Enter Thailand.

Thailand Profile:

• Full Name - Kingdom of Thailand
• Size - Slightly smaller than Texas (~200k sq. miles)
• Population - 67 million
• Cities:
• Bangkok (Capital) - 10 million
• Nakhon Ratchasima - 1/2 million for district, 3 for province
• Chiang Mai - 1/4 million for district, 1.6 for province
• Climate - Tropical monsoon
• Religions - 93-94% Buddhist, 5-6% Muslim, remainder is Christian/Hindu/misc.
• Languages - Thai (official), English (secondary), Malay and regional dialects
• Traditional founding date - 1238
• Government
• Constitutional monarchy
• In 1932, a bloodless coup transformed the Government of Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.
• Beginning with a brief experiment in democracy during the mid-1970s, civilian democratic political institutions slowly gained greater authority, culminating in 1988 when Chatichai Choonhaven--leader of the Thai Nation Party--assumed office as the country's first democratically elected Prime Minister in more than a decade. In 1991, yet another bloodless coup ended his term.
• In January 2001, telecommunications multimillionaire Thaksin Shinawatra and his new Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party won a decisive plurality victory on a populist platform of economic growth and development.
• In the February 2005 elections, Thaksin was re-elected by an even greater majority, sweeping 377 out of 500 parliamentary seats for Thailand’s first-ever single-party outright electoral victory. As the second term began, allegations of corruption emerged against his government. Peaceful anti-government mass demonstrations grew, and hundreds of thousands marched in the streets to demand Thaksin's resignation.
• Prime Minister Thaksin dissolved the parliament in February 2006 and declared snap elections in April. Before new elections could be held, on September 19, 2006 a group of top military officers overthrew the caretaker Thaksin administration in a non-violent coup d’etat, repealed the 1997 constitution, and abolished both houses of parliament.
• From 1992 and until the 2006 coup, the country was considered a functioning democracy with constitutional changes of government. Generally free and fair multi-party elections held in December 2007 subsequently restored democratic governance.
• The King has little direct power under Thailand's constitutions but is a symbol of national identity and unity. King Bhumibol (Rama IX)--who has been on the throne since 1946--commands enormous popular respect and moral authority, which he has used on occasion to resolve political crises that have threatened national stability.
• Thailand's legal system blends principles of traditional Thai and Western laws. Under the constitution, the Constitutional Court is the highest court of appeals, though its jurisdiction is limited to clearly defined constitutional issues.
• Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch
• Chief of State--King Bhumibol Adulyadej
• Prime Minister--Abhisit Vejjajiva
• Multi-party system; Communist Party is prohibited
• Threatened by communist revolutions in neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Cold War, Thailand actively sought U.S. assistance to contain communist expansion in the region.
• Voting age - 18 (universal; compulsory - you could be fined or jailed in principle)
• US-Thai Relations
• On March 20, 1833, the United States and Thailand, then Siam, signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, the United States’ first treaty with a country in Asia.
• The United States and Thailand are among the signatories of the 1954 Manila Pact of the former Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
• Thailand's stability and independence are important to the maintenance of peace in the region. 
• Thailand has received U.S. military equipment, essential supplies, training, and assistance in the construction and improvement of facilities and installations for much of the period since 1950; since then more Thai have been trained under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program than any other country.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs--Kasit Piromya
• Ambassador to the U.S.--Don Pramudwinai
• Ambassador to the UN--Norachit Sinhaseni
• Thailand maintains an embassy in the United States at 1024 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington DC 20007 (tel. 202-944-3600). Consulates are located in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

• Economy
• Natural resources - Tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite.
• Industries - Tourism, textiles, garments, agricultural processing, cement, integrated circuits, jewelry, electronics, petrochemical, and auto assembly.
• Exports - automatic data processing machines and parts, automobiles and parts, precious stones and jewelry, refined fuels, rubber, electronic integrated circuits, polymers of ethylene and propylene, rice, iron and steel and their products, rubber products, chemical products.
• The Thai economy is export-dependent, with exports of goods and services equivalent to over 60% of GDP during the first three quarters of 2009
• Roughly 40% of Thailand's labor force is employed in agriculture (data based on Bank of Thailand.) Rice is the country's most important crop; Thailand is the largest exporter in the world rice market.

Source:
U.S. Department of State