Thailand, formally known as Siam, is bordered to the east by Laos and Cambodia; to the south, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia; and to the west, the Andaman Sea and Burma and resembles the shape of an elephants head. Its capital and largest city is Bangkok.

At 514,000 km² (198,000 sq mi), Thailand is the world's 49th-largest country. It is comparable in size to France, and somewhat larger than the US state of California.

The north of the country is mountainous, with the highest point being Doi Inthanon at 2,576 metres (8,451 ft). The northeast consists of the Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong river. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand and the south consists of the narrow Isthmus of Kra that widens into the Malay Peninsula.