Thailand is a multi-ethnic country,
there are 5 main ethnic groups classified by ethno-linguistic.
There are descendants from many races, such as Malay, Mon, Khmer and Lao.
Since Thailand is surrounded by Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia,making
the nation prone to immigration from these countries. Many of the people in Thailand
live in agricultural areas, but some also reside in urban areas. Thai languages
arepredominantly spoken, and indigenous groups have strongly adopted
Thai culture and language. The term 'Thai' is both a national and ethnic term
for thendominant population of Thailand.In official
Thai documents, the term "hill tribe" (chao khao) began to
appear in the 1960s. This term highlights
a "hill and valley" dichotomy that is based on an
ancient social relationship existing
in most of northern and western Thailand. For the
most part the Tai/Thai occupied the more
fertile intermontane basins and valleys, while the less
powerful groups lived at the less rich higher elevations.