In 1993, Thailand commemorated its BANGKOK '83 Philatelic Exhibition by issuing a souvenir sheet picturing Buddhist temples in Bangkok (Scott #1001a). Only 20,000 souvenir sheets were issued, and Scott '11 prices it unused at $ 90.-.Aside from liking the sheet as an investment in Thailand's economic growth, it has the added attraction of being a Buddhism topical, appealing to collectors among that growing religion's hundreds of millions of adherents worldwide.
A nation of 66 million people, Thailand is the second largest economy in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. Despite this, Thailand ranks midway in the wealth spread in Southeast Asia as it is the 4th richest nation according to GDP per capita, after Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia. Though most of the country's population still works in agriculture, the relative contribution of agriculture to GDP has declined while exports of goods and services have increased. Major industries include automobiles and automotive parts, financial services, electric appliances and components, tourism, cement,, appliances, computers and parts, furniture, plastics, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, and tobacco. Annual GDP growth has averaged just over 3% over the last 5 years, but this takes into account a 2% contraction in 2010, due to the global financial crisis.
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