What is your geographical knowledge of Thailand?

Look at the image I will attach to this forum message. I think it dates from 2005.

Does it surprise you? Can you explain the results.

Why are the top-ranked provinces so high, and why are the lower-ranked provinces so low?

So many people on this forum speak knowingly about Thailand and yet know so little.

I have a quiz for you.

1. How many provinces are there in Thailand?

2. How many provinces are there in the south of Thailand?

3. Is Sa Keaw in Isaan or central Thailand?

4. Is Petchabun in Isaan or the north of Thailand?

5. What are the newest provinces in Thailand?

What prizes do we get?

What prizes do we get?

Ha ha!

Sorry, no prizes. Let's just share our knowledge.

Why does CHACHOENSAO rank so high?

1. 70 something

* chachoensao...I have no idea. What is your theory?

1. 70 something

* chachoensao...I have no idea. What is your theory?

Don't know about Chachoensao. That one puzzles me.

See how Lamphun is ranked at number 12. Why do you think that is? And yet Chiang Mai is way down at 33.

How about Songkhla at number 15?

CHACHOENSAO is the airport province, no?

And I think Petchabun is North.

I don't know the answers to the other questions but the chart is really useful so many thanks for posting it. In an earlier thread we were talking about Tak and whether it was West or North and now we know it's North. Actually didn't know there was a region called West but now I do!

Also, am pleased to see it confirmed that Issan is indeed the poorest region, that settles some debates.

Well number 4 at least always causes confusion,according to Wiki Phetchabun is in the north,according to Thai Visa and others it's central,it's at least not in Issan.

It is however a long way from Bangkok and took me 7 painful hours today on the bus.

I think

1. 70 something

* chachoensao...I have no idea. What is your theory?

Don't know about Chachoensao. That one puzzles me.

See how Lamphun is ranked at number 12. Why do you think that is? And yet Chiang Mai is way down at 33.

How about Songkhla at number 15?

I think I would have to know where the data comes from before I could answer the question. How was the data collected?

Sorry, one more bit of data:

the top rated provinces are all centered around the industrial complexes of Samut Prakan, that why they're so high.

Ditto Lamphun, there's a whole mass of Japanese owned clean engineering firms in Lamphun, Chiang Mai itself has relatively little industry although it is an agricultural hub and distribution centre.

Oh, and just realised, Sa Keaw is in Issan.

Look at the image I will attach to this forum message. I think it dates from 2005.

Does it surprise you? Can you explain the results.

Why are the top-ranked provinces so high, and why are the lower-ranked provinces so low?

No, it doesn't surprise, and yes it is easily explained. All Thai people are registered in certain provinces as living there. Many/most working age people in certain provinces do not actually live and work in the province they are registered in. Instead they work in a province like Rayong. Their economic contribution is counted in that province, at whatever factory or business they work in, but for the census they are counted in their home province. Hence they are dividing by the wrong number.

The average income in Rayong is not remotely close to $20,000 year. It's just that there are huge numbers of people from other provinces working there in factories, so the economic production of those people is counted there, but when they divide by the number of people, they are diving by only the number of people registered in Rayong and they are not counting the hundreds of thousands from other provinces that live and work there.

Similarly other provinces are having the contribution of their workers counted somewhere else, but they are still counting all those workers as living in that province even though their contribution isn't counted there. Additionally, for many provinces, the majority of economic activity is grey market and unrecorded. No one records all the small shops and restaurants, but a big factory is always recorded.

In looking at this again I'm a little confused by the term GPP and presume that should be GDP? The above poster refers to "income per person", will somebody please clarify or educate me on this point?

Also, the numbers relative to wealth (be they income or GDP) do not surprise, Bangkok and East dominate the wealth tables, followed by South and then North, Issan is at the bottom as anticipated - am I surprised by the degree of disparity, no not really but am always have to be surprised and learn something new.

Nowadays, many uses a GPS.

The newest province, Bueng Kan, is not on the list so I assume is included in Nong Khai's figures.

What prizes do we get?

Ha ha!

Sorry, no prizes. Let's just share our knowledge.

Why does CHACHOENSAO rank so high?

Not so sure. There is a big Toyota factory and when I stop eating in the area, there is always a lot of Japanese, there is maybe a relation.

Hmmm, the airport is in Samut Prakan province which is next to chachoensao, there must be a connection there I would think.

I can assure you, that most foreigners here know more about Thai geography AND history than middle and high school students.

Case in point. Last week, a student grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a map. He asked me where is England. We both look at the map in total awe. He is in awe because he asked a genuinely good question to his teacher.

My awe is that we are both looking at a map of Thailand and its neighbors.

See how Lamphun is ranked at number 12. Why do you think that is? And yet Chiang Mai is way down at 33.

The list is sorted "per capita"

See how Lamphun is ranked at number 12. Why do you think that is? And yet Chiang Mai is way down at 33.

The list is sorted "per capita"

Yes, but what per capita, GDP, average annual income, bowls of som tam per year?

See how Lamphun is ranked at number 12. Why do you think that is? And yet Chiang Mai is way down at 33.

The list is sorted "per capita"

Yes, but what per capita, GDP, average annual income, bowls of som tam per year?

In the picture they list it as gpp per capita.

Which to tell you the truth I am not sure of but,

When I see "per capita" I think X amount of income/product etc. divided by population.

In which case I know Chiang Mai has I believe over 1.5 million & Lamphun only 43k populations.

In that case it seems understandable ( if I have thought of this correctly ) how Lamphun would be higher than

Chiang Mai

As a side note; wonder how many Thais know that they once had a farang as a defence minister, like way back in the late 1800s?

Yes I agree it's a factor of wealth but what is it, the key though I think is to understand what GPP really is and no doubt some enlightened soul will come along momentarily and tell us, maybe?

The chart is 7 years old.

As stated at the outset, but GPP?

Why does CHACHOENSAO rank so high?

Provinces on the Eastern seaboard, Chachoengsao, other provinces surrounding Bkk, and other provinces with large industrial estates distort the Yearly income per capita GPP figures because of a higher proportion of professional, and management salaries paid in those factory complexes.

Yes I agree it's a factor of wealth but what is it, the key though I think is to understand what GPP really is and no doubt some enlightened soul will come along momentarily and tell us, maybe?

I am not 100% positive but I believe it is Gross Regional and Provincial Product

http://www.nesdb.go.th/Default.aspx?tabid=96

Why does CHACHOENSAO rank so high?

Provinces on the Eastern seaboard, Chachoengsao, other provinces surrounding Bkk, and other provinces with large industrial estates distort the Yearly income per capita GPP figures because of a higher proportion of professional, and management salaries paid in those factory complexes.

"Yearly income per capita GPP", I believe an explanation is in order.

What prizes do we get?

Ha ha!

Sorry, no prizes. Let's just share our knowledge.

Why does CHACHOENSAO rank so high?

Probably just because of the Eastern side of the province has the airport and all the factories around and not far from sukhumvit.

After a quick google earth the rest of the province doesn't seem to have anything.

The table isn't much of a surprise. The factories that make up the majority of the countires high paying industry stretch from Eastern Bangkok down to Rayong.

The amount in Bangkok is probably bought down by the amount of low paid migrants.

Rayongs is probably pushed up by the oil industry.

The one that does surprise me is Samut sokhon as there doesn't seem to be anything like the industry there is on the eastern side of the gulf when driving through it, but this is 7 years old and much more is on the eastern side since then. I imagine the province wouldn't be as high today.

As someone posted I'd like to know how this survey was really done because I cant see the most people in this country with real money declaring their true income/wealth.

As a side note; wonder how many Thais know that they once had a farang as a defence minister, like way back in the late 1800s?

Yeah, easier to get a work permit then.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

I can assure you, that most foreigners here know more about Thai geography AND history than middle and high school students.

Case in point. Last week, a student grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a map. He asked me where is England. We both look at the map in total awe. He is in awe because he asked a genuinely good question to his teacher.

My awe is that we are both looking at a map of Thailand and its neighbors.

When I told my friends back home that I will leave Thailand to work in Hong Kong, a lot of them were convinced that Hong Kong were in Japan.

I'm sure more than half of the posters here will place Sierra Leone somewhere in South America.

And if I give you a blank map of Europe, can you place Bucarest and Budapest in less than 15 seconds ?

Why does CHACHOENSAO rank so high?

Provinces on the Eastern seaboard, Chachoengsao, other provinces surrounding Bkk, and other provinces with large industrial estates distort the Yearly income per capita GPP figures because of a higher proportion of professional, and management salaries paid in those factory complexes.

"Yearly income per capita GPP", I believe an explanation is in order.

Oh, Freudian slip from looking at the chart in the OP.