| About Thailand |
| Thailand is a meeting place, where people of diverse backgrounds have come together to pool their culture and racial characteristics, giving rise to something new, strong and vital. With a territory and population about the same size as France, Thailand's people are mostly ethnic Thai, with other ethnic groups mixed in: Burmese, Chinese, Lao, Khmer and hilltribes. The people are mostly Buddhist, less than 10 percent believe in other faiths: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Brahmanism. The country divides into four regions - North, Northeast, Central and South - sharing borders with Malaysia on the south, Burma on the west, Lao on northeast and east, and Kampucha on the east. |
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Thai have their own language. The language spoken in the Central Plains of the
Kingdom is the standard Thai taught in all schools, broadcast over radio and
TV, and printed in publications. The language has derived many words from
other languages, particularly Sanskrit and Pali from India which came to
Thailand with Brahmanism and Buddhism. Words co-opted from the languages of
neighbouring countries are in common use : Chinese , Khmer and Lao. Although
Thai language is standard and used all over Thailand, however, each region
has its own dialect.
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Thailand has three seasons: rainy from July to October, cool and dry from November to February, and hot from March to June . With picking seasons spanning all three seasons of the year, Thailand has more than three dozen kinds of attractive fruit that come in a collage of shapes, a spectrum of colours, and a melange of flavours. Flowers and plants blossom in profusion and display a myriad of colours to delight the eyes and refresh the spirit all year round.
| Full Country Name: | Thailand (Prathet Thai, meaning "land of the free") |
| Capital: | Bangkok (Krung Thep, meaning " city of angels") |
| Geography: | Lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, roughly equidistant between India and China. |
| Neighboring countries: |
1) Myanmar - west and north, 2) Lao P.D.R. - north and northeast, 3) Cambodia - southeast and 4) Malaysia - south. |
| Area: | 514,000 sq. km. (water: 2,230 sq km land: 511,770 sq km) |
| Typography: | Thailand is divided into four distinct areas: 1) the mountainous North, 2) the fertile Central Plains, 3) the semi-arid plateau of the Northeast, and 4) the many beautiful tropical beaches & offshore islands of the Southern peninsula |
| Population: | 60.2 million (6 million in Bangkok alone) |
| People: | Thai (80%), Chinese (10%), Malay (3%), and the rest are minorities (Mons,
Khmers, hilltribes) Ethnic Thais form the majority, though the area has historically been a migratory crossroads, and has thus produced a degree of ethnic diversity. Integration is such, however, that culturally and socially there is enormous unity. |
| Language: | Thai (though English is widely understood in most
major cities) |
| Government: | Democratic Constitutional Monarchy |
| Head of State: | H.R.H. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX of the Chakri Dynasty) |
| Administration: | 76 provinces, each subdivided into amphoe (district), tambon (sub-disrict) and muban (village) |
| National Flag: | The red, white, and blue stripes symbolize the nation, Buddhism, and the monarchy, respectively. |
| Time: | GMT + 7 hours |
| Climate: | Tends to be humid and hot throughout the year. Average annual temperature = 28 degree C (83 degree F) 3 seasons: Hot (Mar-May); Rainy (Jun-Oct); Cool (Nov-Feb) |
| Electricity: | 220 V, 50 Hz |
Festivals in Thailand serve mostly to celebrate the seasons. Some Festivals are held only in a particular region while others are held nationwide. Some festivals relate to the Buddhist religion. Festivals in Thailand are celebrated all year round. Two of which are likely to be recognized by all are Songkran and Loi Kratong.
In April,
Songkran festival comes with big celebration. In
the morning people will bathe the images of Buddha, pouring bowls of perfumed
water over them, after that the elders will be bathed by their children. Later
in the day young people will go out and play with one another by splashing
water, and no one would complain of becoming soaking wet. In Bangkok the
celebration may last one or two days, but in the villages, particularly in the
North, the splashing of water may go on for a week.
Loi Kratong is celebrated on the full moon night in
November . On the night of Loi Kratong people of all ages go down to the rivers
or wherever there is flowing water carrying a Kratong: a floating cup made of
banana leaf or colored paper each containing a candle, incense sticks and
flowers, which will flow along in the water as an expression of reverence for
water to which Thai people owe so much.
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