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Tanintharyi

(Encyclopedia)Tanintharyi tĕnăsˈərĭm [key], region (1983 pop. 917,628), 21,297 sq mi (55,159 sq km), extreme S Myanmar. Dawei (Tavoy), the capital, and Myeik (Mergui) are the chief towns. A narrow strip of coa...

Southeast Asian languages

(Encyclopedia)Southeast Asian languages, family of languages, sometimes also called Austroasiatic, spoken in SE Asia by about 80 million people. According to one school of thought, it has three subfamilies: the Mon...

Thailand

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Thailand tīˈlănd, –lənd [key], Thai Prathet Thai [land of the free], officially Kingdom of Thailand, constitutional monarchy (2015 est. pop. 68,658,000), 198,455 sq mi (514,000 sq km), So...

Chinese

(Encyclopedia)Chinese, subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages (see Sino-Tibetan languages), which is also sometimes grouped with the Tai, or Thai, languages in a Sinitic subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan lan...

Yingluck Shinawatra

(Encyclopedia)Yingluck Shinawatra yēngˈlŭkˈ shĭˈnäwät [key] 1967–, Thai business executive and political leader, first female prime minister of Thailand (2011–14), grad. Chiang Mai Univ. (B.A., 1988), K...

Scottish Gaelic language and literature

(Encyclopedia)Scottish Gaelic language and literature: see Celtic languages; Gaelic literature. ...

Preah Vihear

(Encyclopedia)Preah Vihear prä wēˈhän [key], Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, N central Cambodia near the Thai border. Situated on the edge of a plateau overlooking the N Cambodian plain, the temple was begun i...

Samak Sundaravej

(Encyclopedia)Samak Sundaravej säˈmäk so͞ontärəwāˈ [key], 1935–2009, Thai political leader, prime minister of Thailand (2008), b. Bangkok. He earned a law degree from Thammasat Univ., Bangkok, then worked...

ruby

(Encyclopedia)ruby, precious stone, the transparent red variety of corundum, found chiefly in Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka and classified among the most valuable of gems. The Myanmarese stones are blood red, th...

Thanom Kittikachorn

(Encyclopedia)Thanom Kittikachorn täˈno͝om kĭtˌəkəchôrnˈ [key], 1911–2004, Thai political and military leader. He entered the army in 1929, rising to command of a division by 1950. After supporting a cou...