Hill settlements depend much on shifting cultivation of upland crops. Such mountain peoples as the Karen, Hmong (Miao, or Meo), Yao, Lahu, Lisu, and the lowland Thai who have migrated to the uplands usually settle on the ridges and the slopes in groups ranging up to l00 or more houses, depending on the resources of the area. The Hmong are opium cultivators and prefer to live on high slopes where opium grows well in the cool climate. The Karen live along the stream valleys and grow rice on well-tended terraced fields. The lowland Thai who have migrated to these uplands earn a living from their tea and coffee plantations.
No true plains villages exist in Thailand. Villages in the northeast are scattered on the higher grounds above flood levels, while the lower grounds are used for rice farming. In the north, where the villages are found in the alluvial basins of major rivers, increased population and transportation have tended to disperse the villages away from the rivers and toward the main railroads and highways, reducing the amount of land available for growing rice.
The Chao Phraya delta is densely settled but only on the high ground that is free from flooding. A vast network of irrigation canals modifies the pattern of settlement. With increasing facility in transportation offered by small motorboats, the villages tend to become dispersed to the east and west away from the rivers. New highways also tend to modify settlement patterns, especially at their crossings of canals and rivers, where new towns grow up rapidly.
In the south and southeast, plantations, especially fruit and rubber plantations, are scattered along the fertile slopes, alternating with the low and narrow rice fields; the villages are therefore arranged accordingly. Most of them are joined by good roads and highways. Alluvial deposits containing tin, no matter how remote, are accessible by land and sea. Settlement is almost continuous along both sides of the peninsula. Most of the people live by fishing, except in areas where collecting bird's nests for cooking brings a good income. The coastal villages are connected by both land and sea.
Urban settlement in Thailand, as in many other developing countries, has grown dramatically since World War II, but that growth has been highly uneven. Bangkok remains the dominant and only major urban centre in the country, its population more than 20 times larger than that of Nonthaburi, the next largest city. The smaller urban centres typically are provincial capitals; among the oldest of these are Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phrae, and Nan in the north, which grew up along the major tributaries of the Chao Phraya River.
No true plains villages exist in Thailand. Villages in the northeast are scattered on the higher grounds above flood levels, while the lower grounds are used for rice farming. In the north, where the villages are found in the alluvial basins of major rivers, increased population and transportation have tended to disperse the villages away from the rivers and toward the main railroads and highways, reducing the amount of land available for growing rice.
The Chao Phraya delta is densely settled but only on the high ground that is free from flooding. A vast network of irrigation canals modifies the pattern of settlement. With increasing facility in transportation offered by small motorboats, the villages tend to become dispersed to the east and west away from the rivers. New highways also tend to modify settlement patterns, especially at their crossings of canals and rivers, where new towns grow up rapidly.
In the south and southeast, plantations, especially fruit and rubber plantations, are scattered along the fertile slopes, alternating with the low and narrow rice fields; the villages are therefore arranged accordingly. Most of them are joined by good roads and highways. Alluvial deposits containing tin, no matter how remote, are accessible by land and sea. Settlement is almost continuous along both sides of the peninsula. Most of the people live by fishing, except in areas where collecting bird's nests for cooking brings a good income. The coastal villages are connected by both land and sea.
Urban settlement in Thailand, as in many other developing countries, has grown dramatically since World War II, but that growth has been highly uneven. Bangkok remains the dominant and only major urban centre in the country, its population more than 20 times larger than that of Nonthaburi, the next largest city. The smaller urban centres typically are provincial capitals; among the oldest of these are Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phrae, and Nan in the north, which grew up along the major tributaries of the Chao Phraya River.
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