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Background
Notes: Thailand, September 2004
Released by the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State
People | History
| Government and Political Conditions | Economy
| Foreign Relations | U.S.-Thai
Relations | Travel/Business Information
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Kingdom of Thailand
Geography
Area: 513,115 sq. km. (198,114 sq. mi.); equivalent to the size of France,
or slightly smaller than Texas.
Cities 2002: Capital--Bangkok (9,668,854); Nakhon Ratchasima (437,386
for Muang district and 2,565,685 for the whole province), Chiang Mai (247,672
for Muang district and 1,595,855 for the whole province).
Terrain: Densely populated central plain; northeastern plateau; mountain
range in the west; southern isthmus joins the land mass with Malaysia.
Climate: Tropical monsoon.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Thai(s).
Population (2003): 64 million. Labor force (2003): 34.9 million
Annual growth rate: 0.9%.
Ethnic groups: Thai 89%, other 11%.
Religions: Buddhist 94-95%, Muslim 4-5%, Christian, Hindu, Brahmin, other.
Languages: Thai (official language); English is the second language of
the elite; regional dialects.
Education: Years compulsory--12. Literacy—97.1% male, 93.9%
female.
Health (2004): Infant mortality rate--6.5/1,000. Life expectancy—65.2
years male, 73.4 years female.
Government
Type: Constitutional monarchy.
Constitution: New constitution promulgated October 11, 1997.
Independence: Never colonized; traditional founding date 1238.
Branches: Executive--king (chief of state), prime minister (head
of government). Legislative--National Assembly (bicameral). Judicial--composed
of the Constitutional Court, the Courts of Justice, and the Administrative
Courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 76 provinces, including Bangkok municipality,
subdivided into 795 districts, 81 subdistricts, 7,255 tambon administration,
69,866 villages.
Political parties: Multi-party system; Communist Party is prohibited.
Suffrage: Universal and compulsory at 18 years of age.
Economy
GDP (2003): $143.1 billion.
Annual growth rate (2003): 6.8 %; (2004, projected): 6-7%.
Per capita income (2003): $2,237.
Unemployment rate (2003): 2.2% of total labor force
Natural resources: Tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber,
lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite.
Agriculture (10% of GDP): Products--rice, tapioca, rubber, corn,
sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans.
Industry: Types--tourism, textiles, garments, agricultural processing,
cement, integrated circuits, jewelry, electronics, auto assembly.
Trade (2003): Merchandise exports--$78.4 billion: textiles and
footwear, fishery products, computers and parts, electronics, electrical
appliances, jewelry, rice, tapioca products, integrated circuits, rubber,
automobiles. Major markets-- ASEAN, U.S., EU, Japan, China, and
Hong Kong. Merchandise imports--$74.2 billion: machinery and
parts, petroleum, iron and steel, chemicals, vehicles and parts, jewelry,
fish preparations, electrical appliances, fertilizers and pesticides.
Major suppliers--Japan, ASEAN, EU, Middle East, U.S., China, Taiwan,
and South Korea.
PEOPLE
Thailand's population is relatively homogeneous. More than 85% speak a
dialect of Thai and share a common culture. This core population includes
the central Thai (33.7% of the population, including Bangkok), Northeastern
Thai (34.2%), northern Thai (18.8%), and southern Thai (13.3%).
The language of the central Thai population
is the language taught in schools and used in government. Several other
small Thai-speaking groups include the Shan, Lue, and Phutai.
Up to 12% of Thai are of significant Chinese
heritage, but the Sino-Thai community is the best integrated in Southeast
Asia. Malay-speaking Muslims of the south comprise another significant
minority group (2.3%). Other groups include the Khmer; the Mon, who are
substantially assimilated with the Thai; and the Vietnamese. Smaller mountain-dwelling
tribes, such as the Hmong and Mein, as well as the Karen, number about
788,024.
The population is mostly rural, concentrated
in the rice-growing areas of the central, northeastern, and northern regions.
However, as Thailand continues to industrialize, its urban population--31.6%
of total population, principally in the Bangkok area--is growing.
Thailand's highly successful government-sponsored
family planning program has resulted in a dramatic decline in population
growth from 3.1% in 1960 to around 1% today. Life expectancy also has
risen, a positive reflection of Thailand's efforts at public health education.
However, the AIDS epidemic has had a major impact on the Thai population.
Today, over 600,000 Thais live with HIV or AIDS--approximately 1.5% of
the adult population. Each year until at least 2006, 30-50,000 Thais will
die from AIDS-related causes. Ninety percent of them will be aged 20-24,
the most productive sector of the workforce. The situation could have
been worse; an aggressive public education campaign in the early 1990s
reduced the number of new HIV infections from 150,000- 195,000 annually.
In a July 2004 report however, the UNDP warned that Thailand’s past successes
could be undone amid signs of complacency and rising infection rates among
certain segments of the population.
The constitution mandates 12 years of free
education, however, this is not provided universally. Education accounts
for 19% of total government expenditures.
Theravada Buddhism is the official religion
of Thailand and is the religion of about 95% of its people. The government
permits religious diversity, and other major religions are represented.
Spirit worship and animism are widely practiced.
HISTORY
Southeast Asia has been inhabited for more than half a million years.
Recent archaeological studies suggest that by 4000 BC, communities in
what is now Thailand had emerged as centers of early bronze metallurgy.
This development, along with the cultivation of wet rice, provided the
impetus for social and political organization. Research suggests that
these innovations may actually have been transmitted from there to the
rest of Asia, including to China.
The Thai are related linguistically to Tai
groups originating in southern China. Migrations from southern China to
Southeast Asia may have occurred in the 6th and 7th centuries. Malay,
Mon, and Khmer civilizations flourished in the region prior to the arrival
of the ethnic Tai.
Thais date the founding of their nation to
the 13th century. According to tradition, in 1238, Thai chieftains overthrew
their Khmer overlords at Sukhothai and established a Thai kingdom. After
its decline, a new Thai kingdom emerged in 1350 on the Chao Praya River.
At the same time, there was an equally important Tai kingdom of Lanna,
centered in Chiang Mai, which rivaled Sukothai and Ayutthaya for centuries,
and which defines northern Thai identity to this day.
The first ruler of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya,
King Rama Thibodi, made two important contributions to Thai history: the
establishment and promotion of Theravada Buddhism as the official religion--to
differentiate his kingdom from the neighboring Hindu kingdom of Angkor--and
the compilation of the Dharmashastra, a legal code based on Hindu sources
and traditional Thai custom. The Dharmashastra remained a tool of Thai
law until late in the 19th century. Beginning with the Portuguese in the
16th century, Ayutthaya had some contact with the West, but until the
1800s, its relations with neighboring kingdoms and principalities, as
well as with China, were of primary importance.
After more than 400 years of power, in 1767,
the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was brought down by invading Burmese armies and
its capital burned. After a single-reign capital established at Thonburi
by Taksin, a new capital city was founded in 1782, across the Chao Phraya
at the site of present-day Bangkok, by the founder of the Chakri dynasty.
The first Chakri king was crowned Rama I. Rama's heirs became increasingly
concerned with the threat of European colonialism after British victories
in neighboring Burma in 1826.
The first Thai recognition of Western power
in the region was the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United Kingdom
in 1826. In 1833, the United States began diplomatic exchanges with Siam,
as Thailand was called until 1938. However, it was during the later reigns
of Rama IV (or King Mongkut, 1851-68), and his son Rama V (King Chulalongkorn
(1868-1910), that Thailand established firm rapprochement with Western
powers. The Thais believe that the diplomatic skills of these monarchs,
combined with the modernizing reforms of the Thai Government, made Siam
the only country in South and Southeast Asia to avoid European colonization.
In 1932, a bloodless coup transformed the
Government of Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.
King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) initially accepted this change but later surrendered
the kingship to his 10-year-old nephew. Upon his abdication, King Prajadhipok
said that the obligation of a ruler was to reign for the good of the whole
people, not for a select few. Although nominally a constitutional monarchy,
Thailand was ruled by a series of military governments interspersed with
brief periods of democracy from that time until the 1992 elections. Since
the 1992 elections, Thailand has been a functioning democracy with constitutional
changes of government.
As with the rest of Southeast Asia, Thailand
was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War. Since Japan's
defeat in 1945, Thailand has had very close relations with the United
States. Threatened by communist revolutions in neighboring countries such
as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, Thailand actively sought to contain communist
expansion in the region. Recently, Thailand also has been an active member
in multilateral organizations like the Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
GOVERNMENT
AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The king has little direct power under the constitution but is a symbol
of national identity and unity. King Bhumibol--who has been on the throne
since 1946--commands enormous popular respect and moral authority, which
he has used on occasion to resolve political crises that have threatened
national stability.
Thailand's legal system blends principles
of traditional Thai and Western laws. The Constitutional Court is the
highest court of appeals, though its jurisdiction is limited to clearly
defined constitutional issues. Its members are nominated by the Senate
and appointed by the King. The Courts of Justice have jurisdiction over
criminal and civil cases and are organized in three tiers: Courts of First
Instance, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Justice. Administrative
courts have jurisdiction over suits between private parties and the government,
and cases in which one government entity is suing another. In Thailand's
southern border provinces, where Muslims constitute the majority of the
population, Provincial Islamic Committees have limited jurisdiction over
probate, family, marriage, and divorce cases.
The National Assembly consists of two chambers--the
Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is a non-partisan
body with limited legislative powers, composed of 200 directly elected
members from constituent districts, with every province having at least
one Senator. The House of Representatives has 500 members, 400 of whom
are directly elected from constituent districts, and the remainder drawn
proportionally from party lists.
Thailand's 76 provinces include the metropolis
of greater Bangkok. Bangkok's governor is popularly elected, but those
of the remaining provinces are career civil servants appointed by the
Ministry of Interior. Following the 1932 revolution which imposed constitutional
limits on the monarchy, Thai politics was dominated for a half century
by a military and bureaucratic elite. Changes of government were effected
primarily by means of a long series of mostly bloodless coups.
Beginning with a brief experiment in democracy
during the mid-1970s, civilian democratic political institutions slowly
gained greater authority, culminating in 1988 when Chatichai Choonavan--leader
of the Thai Nation Party--assumed office as the country's first democratically
elected prime minister in more than a decade. Three years later, yet another
bloodless coup ended his term.
Shortly afterward, the military appointed
Anand Panyarachun, a businessman and former diplomat, to head a largely
civilian interim government and promised to hold elections in the near
future. However, following inconclusive elections, former army commander
Suchinda Kraprayoon was appointed prime minister. Thais reacted to the
appointment by demanding an end to military influence in government. Demonstrations
were violently suppressed by the military; in May 1992, soldiers killed
at least 50 protesters.
Domestic and international reaction to the
violence forced Suchinda to resign, and the nation once again turned to
Anand Panyarachun, who was named interim prime minister until new elections
in September 1992. In those elections, the political parties that had
opposed the military in May 1992 won by a narrow majority, and Chuan Leekpai,
a leader of the Democratic Party, became Prime Minister. Chuan dissolved
Parliament in May 1995, and the Thai Nation Party won the largest number
of parliamentary seats in subsequent elections. Party leader Banharn Silpa-archa
became Prime Minister but held the office only little more than a year.
Following elections held in November 1996, Chavalit Youngchaiyudh formed
a coalition government and became Prime Minister. The onset of the Asian
financial crisis caused a loss of confidence in the Chavalit government
and forced him to hand over power to Chuan Leekpai in November 1997. Chuan
formed a coalition government based on the themes of prudent economic
management and institution of political reforms mandated by Thailand's
1997 constitution.
In the January 2001 elections, telecommunications
multimillionaire Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party
won an overwhelming victory on a populist platform of economic growth
and development. TRT enjoys an absolute majority in the lower house of
the Parliament, controlling 365 of 500 seats. In a cabinet reshuffle of
October 2002, the Thaksin administration further put its stamp on the
government. A package of bureaucratic reform legislation created six new
ministries in an effort to streamline the bureaucratic process and increase
efficiency and accountability. Parliamentary elections are expected in
February 2005.
Principal Government Officials
Chief of State--King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Prime Minister--Thaksin Shinawatra
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Surakiart Sathirathai
Ambassador to the U.S.--Kasit Piromya
Ambassador to the UN--Laxanachantorn Laohaphan
Thailand maintains an embassy in the United States
at 1024 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington DC 20007 (tel. 202-944-3600). Consulates
are located in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
ECONOMY
The Thai economy is export-dependent, with exports accounting for 60%
of GDP. Thailand's recovery from the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis relied
largely on external demand from the United States and other foreign markets.
The Thaksin government took office in February 2001 with the intention
of stimulating domestic demand and reducing Thailand's reliance on foreign
trade and investment. Since then, the Thaksin administration has refined
its economic message, embracing a "dual track" economic policy that combines
domestic stimulus with Thailand's traditional promotion of open markets
and foreign investment. Weak export demand held 2001 GDP growth to 2.1%.
Beginning in 2002, however, domestic stimulus and export revival fueled
a better performance, with real GDP growth at 6.8% in 2003.
Before the financial crisis, the Thai economy
had years of manufacturing-led economic growth--averaging 9.4% for the
decade up to 1996. Relatively abundant and inexpensive labor and natural
resources, fiscal conservatism, open foreign investment policies, and
encouragement of the private sector underlay the economic success in the
years up to 1997. The economy is essentially a free-enterprise system.
Certain services, such as power generation, transportation, and communications,
are state-owned and operated, but the government is considering privatizing
them in the wake of the financial crisis.
The Royal Thai Government welcomes foreign
investment, and investors who are willing to meet certain requirements
can apply for special investment privileges through the Board of Investment.
To attract additional foreign investment, the government has modified
its investment regulations.
The organized labor movement remains weak
and divided in Thailand; less than 2% of the work force is unionized.
In 2000, the State Enterprise Labor Relations Act (SELRA) was passed,
giving public sector employees similar rights to those of private sector
workers, including the right to unionize.
Roughly 60% of Thailand's labor force is
employed in agriculture. Rice is the country's most important crop; Thailand
is a major exporter in the world rice market. Other agricultural commodities
produced in significant amounts include fish and fishery products, tapioca,
rubber, corn, and sugar. Exports of processed foods such as canned tuna,
pineapples, and frozen shrimp are on the rise.
Thailand's increasingly diversified manufacturing
sector made the largest contribution to growth during the economic boom.
Industries registering rapid increases in production included computers
and electronics, garments and footwear, furniture, wood products, canned
food, toys, plastic products, gems, and jewelry. High-technology products
such as integrated circuits and parts, electrical appliances, and vehicles
are now leading Thailand's strong growth in exports.
The United States is Thailand's largest export
market and second-largest supplier after Japan. While Thailand's traditional
major markets have been North America, Japan, and Europe, economic recovery
among Thailand's regional trading partners has helped Thai export growth
(18.6% in 2003). Further recovery from the financial crisis depends heavily
on increased exports to the rest of Asia and the United States.
Machinery and parts, vehicles, electronic
integrated circuits, chemicals, crude oil and fuels, and iron and steel
are among Thailand's principal imports. The recent increase in import
levels (17% in 2003) reflects the need to fuel the production of high-technology
items and vehicles.
Thailand is a member of the World Trade Organization
(WTO) and the Cairns Group of agricultural exporters. Tourism contributes
significantly to the Thai economy (about 4%), and the industry has benefited
from the Thai baht's depreciation and Thailand's stability. Tourist arrivals
in 2003 (10.1 million) declined from the previous year (10.9 million)
due to concerns over Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the
war in Iraq.
Bangkok and its environs are the most prosperous
part of Thailand, and the infertile northeast is the poorest. An overriding
concern of successive Thai Governments, and a particularly strong focus
of the current government, has been to reduce these regional income differentials,
which have been exacerbated by rapid economic growth in and around Bangkok
and the financial crisis. The government is trying to stimulate provincial
economic growth with programs such as the Eastern Seaboard project and
the development of an alternate deep-sea port on Thailand's southern peninsula.
It also is conducting discussions with Malaysia to focus on economic development
along the Thai-Malaysian border.
Although the economy has demonstrated moderate
positive growth since 1999, future performance depends on continued reform
of the financial sector, corporate debt restructuring, attracting foreign
investment, and increasing exports. Telecommunications, roadways, electricity
generation, and ports showed increasing strain during the period of sustained
economic growth and may pose a future challenge. Thailand's growing shortage
of engineers and skilled technical personnel may limit its future technological
creativity and productivity.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Thailand's foreign policy includes support for ASEAN in the interest of
regional stability and emphasis on a close and longstanding security relationship
with the United States.
Thailand participates fully in international
and regional organizations. It has developed increasingly close ties with
other ASEAN members--Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, and Vietnam--whose foreign and economic
ministers hold annual meetings. Regional cooperation is progressing in
economic, trade, banking, political, and cultural matters. In 2003, Thailand
served as APEC host. Supachai Panitchpakdi, the former Deputy Prime Minister
of Thailand, currently serves as Director-General of the World Trade Organization
(WTO).
In recent years, Thailand has taken an increasingly
active role on the international stage. When East Timor gained independence
from Indonesia, Thailand, for the first time in its history, contributed
troops to the international peacekeeping effort. Its troops remain there
today as part of a UN peacekeeping force. As part of its effort to increase
international ties, Thailand has reached out to such regional organizations
as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Thailand has contributed troops
to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2003, Thailand initiated
the Economic Cooperation Strategy (ECS) plan to provide economic, trade
and development assistance to neighboring Burma, Cambodia, and Laos.
U.S.-THAI RELATIONS
Since World War II, the United States and Thailand have developed close
relations, as reflected in several bilateral treaties and by both countries'
participation in UN multilateral activities and agreements. The principal
bilateral arrangement is the 1966 Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations,
which facilitates U.S. and Thai companies' economic access. Other important
agreements address civil uses of atomic energy, sales of agricultural
commodities, investment guarantees, and military and economic assistance.
In June 2004 the United States and Thailand initiated negotiations on
a free trade agreement which will reduce and eliminate barriers to trade
and investment between the two countries.
The United States and Thailand are among
the signatories of the 1954 Manila pact of the former Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO). Article IV(1) of this treaty provides that, in the
event of armed attack in the treaty area (which includes Thailand), each
member would "act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional
processes." Despite the dissolution of the SEATO in 1977, the Manila pact
remains in force and, together with the Thanat-Rusk communique of 1962,
constitutes the basis of U.S. security commitments to Thailand. Thailand
continues to be a key security ally in Asia, along with Australia, Japan,
the Philippines, and South Korea. In December 2003, Thailand was designated
a Major Non-NATO Ally.
Thailand's stability and independence are
important to the maintenance of peace in the region. Economic assistance
has been extended in various fields, including rural development, health,
family planning, education, and science and technology. The formal USAID
program ended in 1995. However, there are a number of targeted assistance
programs which continue in areas of mutually defined importance, including:
health and HIV/AIDS programming; refugee assistance; and trafficking in
persons. The U.S. Peace Corps in Thailand has approximately 128 volunteers,
focused on primary education, with an integrated program involving teacher
training, health education, and environmental education.
Thailand has received U.S. military equipment,
essential supplies, training, and assistance in the construction and improvement
of facilities and installations since 1950. In recent years, U.S. security
assistance has consisted of military training programs carried out primarily
in the United States. A small U.S. military advisory group in Thailand
oversees the delivery of equipment to the Thai Armed Forces and the training
of Thai military personnel in its use and maintenance. As part of their
mutual defense cooperation over the last decade, Thailand and the United
States have developed a vigorous joint military exercise program, which
engages all the services of each nation and now averages 40 joint exercises
per year.
Thailand is a route for Golden Triangle--the
intersection of Burma, Laos, and Thailand--heroin trafficking to international
markets.. While Thailand is no longer a significant opium producer, money
laundering, police and military corruption, and a continuing narcotics
flow out of Burma have hindered efforts to limit its role as a transfer
point. The United States and Thailand work closely together and with the
United Nations on a broad range of programs to halt the flow of narcotics.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in 1971 affirming U.S.-Thai cooperation,
resulting in a strengthened Thai enforcement program. The U.S. has extended
financial support for the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA)
in Bangkok, which provides counternarcotics and anti-crime training to
participants from regional countries. With U.S. support, Thailand has
a good record in crop control, law enforcement, and demand reduction.
Trade and Investment
The United States is Thailand's second largest trading partner after Japan;
in 2003 merchandise imports from Thailand totaled $15.18 billion, and
merchandise exports totaled $5.84 billion, resulting in a U.S. bilateral
trade deficit of over $9 billion. The U.S., Japan, Singapore, and the
European Union are among Thailand's largest foreign investors. American
investment, concentrated in the petroleum and chemicals, finance, consumer
products, and automobile production sectors, is estimated at $21 billion.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Darryl N. Johnson
Deputy Chief of Mission--Alexander A. Arvizu
Political Affairs Counselor--Robert J. Clarke
Economic Affairs Counselor--Michael J. Delaney
Public Affairs Counselor--Mark Larsen
Consul General--Edward J. Wehrli
The U.S.
Embassy in Thailand is located at 120/22 Wireless Road, Bangkok (tel.
66-2-205-4000). There is a Consulate General in Chiang Mai, 387 Wichayanond
Road (tel. 66-53-252-629).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides Consular
Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements. Consular
Information Sheets exist for all countries and include information
on entry requirements, currency regulations, health conditions, areas
of instability, crime and security, political disturbances, and the addresses
of the U.S. posts in the country. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country. Public Announcements are issued
as a means to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats
and other relatively short-term conditions overseas which pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Free copies of this information
are available by calling the Bureau of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225
or via the fax-on-demand system: 202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets
and Travel Warnings also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet
home page: http://travel.state.gov.
Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication series, which contain
information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad are
on the internet and hard copies can be purchased from the Superintendent
of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800;
fax 202-512-2250.
Emergency information
concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office
of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies,
Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000.
The National Passport
Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized
public contact center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT
(1-877-487-2778). Customer service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time, excluding
federal holidays.
Travelers can check
the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747)
and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or
requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions
and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International
Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.
Information on travel
conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal
holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained
before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the
U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials"
listing in this publication).
U.S. citizens who
are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged
to register at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in
a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of their passports.
This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency.
Further
Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov,
the Department of State web site provides timely, global access to official
U.S. foreign policy information, including Background Notes and daily press briefings along with the
directory of key officers
of Foreign Service posts and more.
Export.gov provides a
portal to all export-related assistance and market information offered
by the federal government and provides trade leads, free export counseling,
help with the export process, and more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a
service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides authoritative
economic, business, and international trade information from the Federal
government. The site includes current and historical trade-related
releases, international market research, trade opportunities, and country
analysis and provides access to the National Trade Data Bank.
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