Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"In virtually every way, centrally positioned Thailand is the leading Mainland state. In contrast to its awakening neighbors, Thailand has been a strong participant in the realm’s economic development for decades. . . . Thailand leads its region in literacy and life expectancy. Its capital, Bangkok . . . is one of the world’s most prominent primate cities and the largest urban agglomeration in the Mainland region—a megacity containing more than 15 million residents today. . . Bangkok sprawls along both sides of the lower Chao Phraya floodplain, here flanked by skyscrapers, pagodas, modern factories, boatsheds, ferry landings, luxury hotels, and myriad modest dwellings—all crammed together in crowded confusion on the swampy terrain where the central lowland meets the Gulf of Thailand. At least some of Thailand’s internal political instability of recent years can be attributed to the overreaching dominance of Bangkok and its elites as well as this primate city’s considerable distance from the substantial electorates of the more peripheral rural areas. . . . Thailand has yet to face up to the challenge of legitimizing national politics across this sprawling, unevenly developed country." [Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts, 17th Edition, p. 437-8]