SIAM

SIAM, now Thailand, occupies the central portion of the Indo-Chinese peninsula, wedged in between Annam
and Cambodia (E.) and Burma (W.), and extending down into the Malay Peninsula; the wide Gulf of Siam forms the southern boundary; the rich alluvial valleys of the Menam and the Mekhong produce great quantities of rice (chief export), teak-wood, hemp, tobacco, cotton, etc., but a large portion of the land is lying under forest and jungle; the Siamese are indolent, ignorant, ceremonious, and the trade is mainly in the hands of the Chinese; the mining of gold, tin, and especially rubies and sapphires, is also carried on. Buddhism is the national religion, and elementary education is well advanced.

Since Sir J. Bowring's treaty in 1856, opening up the country to European trade and influences, progress has been considerable in roads and railway, electric, telephonic, and postal communication. BANGKOK is the capital. In 1893 a large tract of territory NE. of the Mekhong was ceded to France. However, by and large, Thailand survived as the only Southeast Asian state to avoid European colonial rule. The absolute monarchy ended in 1932, after that it came under military rule until 1973 when it adopted a form of democracy, but undergoing a period of turbulence.