Short Nation Name: Siam
National Flag:
Territory:
Colonies: The island chains above, including: The Maldives, Andaman and Nicobar islands and the South-Sumatran islands.
Client States: None.
Official Language(s): Thai and Burmese.
Form of Government: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State: Chulalongkorn (Rama V)
Head of Government: Regent Saovabha Bongsri
Capital City: Sukhothai.
Population: Approximately 55,000,000.
Ethnicities: Thai, Burmese, Hindu.
Religion: Secular, with the main religions being Theravāda Buddhism, Sunni Islam and Hinduism.
Army: The Siamese army is very disorganized, as it is currently going through a modernizing progress. The standing army consists of 250,000 well-trained soldiers, mostly line infantry of a mid 19th century level. The army's reserves is a trained force of another 750,000. Those have equipment and uniforms ready to be called in. In the case of war, Siam could mobilize another 5,000,000 soldiers, but the cost of supplying and producing equipment to such a force could not work for a longer time.
Navy: The Siamese navy is actually relatively modern, having seen a lot of development the past years. The total personnel of the Siamese Imperial Navy is 40,000 active and 60,000 reserves. There is monthly trainings. Siam has 4 dreadnoughts, 9 heavy cruisers, 4 armoured cruisers, 18 light cruisers, 38 destroyers, 46 corvettes and one experimental submarine. The Siamese Navy has a merchant fleet too, but it is not used in warfare at all.
Air Force: Siamese war theorists have though about aerial warfare but has not come far, they are far from prototypes.
Economic Strength: The economic strength of Siam is far from a Western Great Power's strength, or industrial power but it is still much better than other "uncivilized" nations. There is a bit of industries in Bangkok, Sukothai and Yangoon, and the trading of wares from the Siamese colonies make up some good asian wares on the global market.
Infrastructure: The infrastructure in Siam is decent, in western standards. The roads are well maintained, but there is only experimental railroads and these are between the major cities.
Scientific Research and Development: Siam is somewhat behind the Western nations, but not too far. The civil researches of industry and biology is of western levels but is not recogniced. The military technology is very diverse, being combinations of mid 19th century weapons and technology to a navy of the level of the late 19th century. Still, Siam is viewed as uncivilized by the Europeans.
Primary Goals: Establish a Great Power in the Indian Ocean by defeating and driving away the Europeans from Indochina and Indonesia. Reach western level of technology.
History: After the fall of Ayutthaya by the Burmese armies in 1767, the former vassal of the first-named Kingdom, Siam recovered rapidly. After several wars in South-East Asia the Kingdom of Siam saw itself as the victor and established a reign of peace in 1804. Further contacts with European traders brought both western technology and coal to Siam in the 1830s, to the exchange of cheap asian wares. As Burma slowly became weaker as it lost territory to both China and Britain, Siam took it's chance and defeated Burma in a war between 1853-54, resulting in a conquest of eastern Burma. After this, Siam started to sieze control over island after island in the Indian Ocean, soon controlling an overseas Colonial empire in the Indian Ocean. Developing industries and a more modern navy in the 1880s to the present day, the Siamese Kingdom is now trying to get international recognition as a civilized power, and allies to get more power in Asia.
