The Land of Smiles

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Thailand is referred to as the “Land of Smiles” as Thais use smiles for many different situations. There are happy smiles but one smile the “yim soo” smile is used when the situation is so bad and tense that all one can do is smile (Jesus). But Thais have a lot to smile about though their life expectancy is only on average 69 years. As agriculture is 54% of Thailand’s wealth and economy. Thailand’s agricultural based economy ties very well into the ceremonies they perform (Frances 7-8).
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia and covers 198,115 square miles. The capital city is Bangkok and other major cities are Chiang Mia, Ayutthaya, and Nakhon Ratchasima. The official language of Thailand is Thai and 95% of Thais are Buddhists. 75% of people are Thai and 14% Chinese (Frances 7-8).
One agricultural product produced by Thailand is cassava. There are many different names throughout the continents of the world but in the Asian continent, tapioca is its name. Its yuca in Spanish-speaking countries and in South America specifically around the Brazil area it is called madioca. No matter the name, cassava has brought a lot of revenue to Thailand through exporting tapioca flour (Thai Tapioca Starch Association). Tapioca flour or tapioca starch is found by removing the starch from the cassava root of the plant. Once the roots have fully grown, they’re harvested, and go through a process to have toxins removed so that the starch may be extracted. It is extracted by repeatedly washing and pulping the root and then taking the liquid and separating it out (Tapioca Flour). The two types of cassava are sweet and bitter. Sweet cassava is edible for humans. It is not bitter and has a low acid content. It is planted more for home use then for com...

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