The diversity of ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups in Thailand is characteristic of most nations of Southeast Asia, where shifting political boundaries have done little to impede the centuries-long migrations of people. Thailand's central position on the mainland has made it a crossroads for these population movements. As a result, speakers of all four major language families are represented in the country.
Tuesday
What Is The Settlement Pattern in Thailand
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.
What Is The Climate of Thailand
The major influences on Thailand's climate are its location in the tropical monsoon zone of mainland Southeast Asia and certain topographic features that affect the distribution of precipitation. Beginning in May, the warm, humid air masses of the southwest monsoon flow northeastward over the region from the Indian Ocean, depositing great quantities of precipitation; rainfall reaches a maximum in September. The wind pattern is reversed between November and February, when the northeast monsoon brings cool, relatively dry air masses in a southwesterly flow to create a seasonably cooler climate for much of the country. Stagnant air in March and April is associated with a distinct hot and dry intermonsoonal period.
Local relief acts to modify these general weather patterns. Topographic effects are most noticeable on the peninsula, where Ranong on the west coast receives approximately 160 inches (4,000 millimetres) of precipitation annually, while Hua Hin on the east coast receives less than 40 inches. Similar but less pronounced rain-shadow effects occur along the western margins of the Central Plain and on the Khorat Plateau. Songkhla, at the southern end of peninsular Thailand, has its rainy season during the cool season, the result of moisture picked up by the northeast monsoon winds while passing over the Gulf of Thailand; in this area a true tropical rain-forest climate prevails.
Nationwide, temperatures are relatively steady throughout the year, averaging between 77° and 84° F (25° and 29° C). The greatest fluctuations are in the north, where frost may occur in December at higher elevations; conversely, maritime influences moderate the climate in the south. The cooler, drier air of the northeast monsoon produces frequent morning fogs that generally dissipate by midday in the north and northeast regions. - Britannica Encylopedia
Local relief acts to modify these general weather patterns. Topographic effects are most noticeable on the peninsula, where Ranong on the west coast receives approximately 160 inches (4,000 millimetres) of precipitation annually, while Hua Hin on the east coast receives less than 40 inches. Similar but less pronounced rain-shadow effects occur along the western margins of the Central Plain and on the Khorat Plateau. Songkhla, at the southern end of peninsular Thailand, has its rainy season during the cool season, the result of moisture picked up by the northeast monsoon winds while passing over the Gulf of Thailand; in this area a true tropical rain-forest climate prevails.
Nationwide, temperatures are relatively steady throughout the year, averaging between 77° and 84° F (25° and 29° C). The greatest fluctuations are in the north, where frost may occur in December at higher elevations; conversely, maritime influences moderate the climate in the south. The cooler, drier air of the northeast monsoon produces frequent morning fogs that generally dissipate by midday in the north and northeast regions. - Britannica Encylopedia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)