Geography Thailand is approximately the size of France with a land area of 513,115 sq.km. bordered by Malaysia (South), Myanmar (West and North), Laos (North and East) and Cambodia (Southeast). It has five distinct regions: the mountainous north, the fertile central plains, the semi-arid northeast, and the eastern sea-shore provinces and the tropical south. There are 76 provinces. Total 59,095,419 (end 1994), including 29,552,978 males and 29,542,441 females. Of the total, 9.45% lived in Bangkok. Language Thai is the national language, spoken throughout the Kingdom, with some variations in the north and the south. English is widely understood in major cities. Major road