Thailand

ราชอาณาจักรไทย Ratcha Anachak Thai Kingdom of Thailand
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Phleng Chat Royal anthem: Phleng Sansoen Phra Barami
Capital	Bangkok (Krung Thep) 13°44′N 100°30′E
Largest city	Bangkok
Official languages	Thai
Government	Military junta under Constitutional Monarchy
- King	HM The King Bhumibol Adulyadej
- Prime Minister	General Surayud Chulanont
- President of the Council of National Security	General Sonthi Boonyaratglin
Independence
- Sukhothai kingdom	1238–1368
- Ayutthaya kingdom	1350–1767
- Thonburi kingdom	1767 to April 7 1782
- Ratanakosin kingdom	April 7 1782 to date
Area
- Total	514,000 km² (49th) 198,000 sq mi
- Water (%)	0.4
Population
- July 2006 estimate	64,631, 5951
- 2000 census	60,916,441
- Density	126/km² /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$560.7 billion
- Per capita	$8,300
HDI  (2004)	0.784 (medium)
Currency	Baht (฿) (THB)
Internet TLD	.th
Calling code	+66
1 Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected. 2 Based on July 2005 figures.

The Kingdom of Thailand lies in Southeast Asia, with Laos and Cambodia to its east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to its south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to its west.

The country's official name was Siam until June, 1939. The word Thai (ไทย) means "freedom" in the Thai language and is also the name of the majority ethnic group.

Geography

At 198,000 square miles), (513,000 square kilometers) Thailand is the world's 49th-largest country. It is comparable in size to Spain, and somewhat larger than the US state of California. Thailand is home to several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups.

The north of the country is mountainous, with the highest point being Doi Inthanon at 8451 feet (2576 meters). During the winter months in the north, the temperature is cool enough for the cultivation of fruits such as lychees and strawberries. Steep river valleys cut into these high mountains and upland areas that border the central plain.

The northeast consists of the dry Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong river. The soils are poor, and the short monsoon season brings heavy flooding in the river valleys. Sparse grasses cover much of the land.

The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand. The "heartland", Central Thailand, is a natural self-contained basin often termed "the rice bowl of Asia." The complex irrigation system developed for wet-rice agriculture in this region provided the necessary economic support to sustain the development of the Thai state from the thirteenth century, the Sukhothai kingdom, to contemporary Bangkok.

The south consists of the narrow Kra Isthmus that widens into the Malay Peninsula. The South is distinctive in climate, terrain, and resources. Its economy is based on rice cultivation for subsistence and rubber production for industry. Other sources of income include coconut plantations, tin mining, and tourism, which is particularly lucrative on Phuket Island.

The climate is tropical and characterised by monsoons. There is a rainy, warm, and cloudy southwest monsoon from mid-May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoon from November to mid-March. The southern isthmus is always hot and humid. Temperatures normally range from an average annual high of 100 °F (38 °C) to a low of 66 °F (19 °C).

Natural resources include: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite and arable land.

Environmental concerns include land subsidence in the Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table, droughts and earthquakes. Current environmental issue include: air pollution from vehicle emissions, water pollution from organic and factory wastes, deforestation, and soil erosion. Wildlife populations are threatened by illegal hunting.

Major cities beside the capital Bangkok include Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani, Phuket and Hat Yai.

Map of Thailand

History

Archaeologists at Ban Chiang site, located in the Udon Thani Province, have carbon dated the oldest graves to 2100 B.C.E. The Buddhist Sukhothai kingdom is considered the first Siamese/Thai state. According to tradition, Thai chieftains gained independence from the Khmer Empire at Sukhothai, which was established as a sovereign Kingdom byPho Khun Si Indrathit in 1238.

The northern state of Lanna coexisted with Sukhothai. This state emerged in the same period as Sukhothai, but survived longer, ending in 1558, when it fell to the Burmese. Thereafter it was dominated by Burma and Ayutthaya in turn before falling to the army of the Siamese King Taksin in 1775.

The larger Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-fourteenth century, overshadowed Sukhothai's power. After Ayutthaya sacked Angkor in 1431, much of the Khmer court and its Hindu customs were brought to Ayuthaya, and Khmer customs and rituals were adopted into the courtly culture of Siam. The first ruler of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, King Ramathibodi I, established Theravada Buddhism as the official religion and compiled of the Dharmashastra, a legal code based on Hindu sources and traditional Thai custom.

After more than 400 years of power, in 1767, invading Burmese armies brought down the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, burned its capital burned, and split the territory split. Thonburi was the capital of Thailand for a brief period under King Taksin the Great, until a coup d'etat in 1782. The current (Ratthanakosin) era of Thai history began in 1782 following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great.

European powers began travelling to Thailand in the sisteenth century. Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country to have never been colonized by a European power. The reasons for this are that Thailand had a long succession of able rulers in the 1800s and that it was able to utilise the rivalry and tension between the French and the British. As a result, the country remained as a buffer state between parts of Southeast Asia that were colonised by the two colonial powers. Despite this, Western influence led to many reforms in the nineteenth century and major concessions to British trading interests. This included the loss of the three southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's three northern states. The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 made the modern border between Siam and British Malaya,

The Siamese coup d'état of 1932 transformed the Government of Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. King Prajadhipok initially accepted this change but later surrendered the throne to his ten-year old nephew, Ananda Mahidol.

File:Khom Chad Luek front page, 31 December 2006.jpg

Sonthi Boonyaratkalin (right) named "Man of the Year 2006" by Khom Chad Luek newspaper along with Sondhi Limthongkul

In early January 1941, Thailand invaded French Indochina, beginning the French-Thai War. The Thais were better equipped than, and outnumbered, the French forces, easily taking Laos. The French decisively won the naval Battle of Koh Chang. The Japanese mediated the conflict. On May 9 a peace treaty was signed in Tokyo, with the French being coerced by the Japanese into relinquishing its hold on the disputed territories.

On December 8, 1941, a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan demanded the right to move troops across Thailand to the Malayan frontier. Japan invaded the country and engaged the Thai army for six to eight hours. Japan was granted free passage, and on December 21, 1941, Thailand and Japan signed a military alliance with a secret protocol wherein Tokyo agreed to help Thailand get back territories lost to the British and French colonial powers and Thailand undertook to assist Japan in her war against the Allies.

After Japan's defeat in 1945, with the help of a group of Thais known as Free Thai Movement who were supported by the United States, Thailand was treated as a defeated country by the British and French, although American support mitigated the Allied terms. Thailand was forced to return the territory it had gained to the British and the French. In the post-war period Thailand enjoyed close relations with the United States, which it saw as a protector from the communist revolutions in neighbouring countries.

King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) died in 1946 under somewhat mysterious circumstances, the official explanation being that he shot himself by accident while cleaning his gun. His brother Bhumibol Adulyadej succeeded him to become the longest reigning king of Thailand, and very popular with the Thais.

Although nominally a constitutional monarchy, Thailand was ruled by a series of military governments, most prominently led by Luang Phibunsongkhram and Sarit Dhanarajata, interspersed with brief periods of democracy.

In 1997, the Asian financial crisis hit Thailand and the Thai baht was soon worth 56 baht to the US Dollar compared to about 25 baht to the dollar before 1997. Since then the baht has regained some strength and currently trades around 36-38 baht to the dollar.

In 1992 the last military ruler, Suchinda Kraprayoon, gave up power in the face of massive popular protests, supported by the king. From 1992 to September 2006, Thailand was a functioning democracy with constitutional changes of government.

On September 19, 2006, the Royal Thai Army led by Army Commander General Sonthi Boonyaratglin seized control of government when billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was in New York at the United Nations General Assembly. Later, the military declared martial law, abrogated the Thai Constitution, and suspended Parliament. A new Prime Minister was sworn in on 1 October, 2006, and Thailand's king swore in a post-coup cabinet, chosen by new Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont.

The Thai solar calendar is based on Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2007 is called 2550 BE in Thailand.

Government and politics

File:YellowSea09June.jpg

Almost a million people awaiting Bhumibol's arrival at ceremonies marking his 60th anniversary as King, June 9, 2006

Democracy Monument and pupils in Bangkok.

Thailand was a representative democratic constitutional monarchy until the sudden coup on September 19, 2006. The Thai public, however, appear to be largely unaffected by this reform, as the change is constitutional, not physical.

The king has little direct power under the constitution. However, as a king, he is a sign of national identity and is the chosen protector of Buddhism in Thailand. The present monarch enjoys a great deal of popular respect and moral authority, which has on occasion been used to resolve political crises. It is considered a crime to mock or criticize the King and in doing, one can expect charges of lese majesty.

Under the pre-coup democracy, the head of government was the Prime Minister, and is appointed by the king from among the members of the lower house of parliament, usually the leader of the party that can organise a majority coalition government. The Prime Minister usually appoints a Cabinet.

The parliament was called the National Assembly and was bicameral: it consisted of a house of representatives of 500 seats and a senate of 200 seats. Members of both houses were elected by popular vote. The senate was elected based on the province system, where one province can return more than one Senator depending on its population size. Members of the house of representatives served four-year terms, while senators served six-year terms.

The court system has three layers, the highest body being the Supreme Court.

Thailand is an active member of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Thailand is divided into 76 provinces, which are gathered into five groups of provinces by location. There are also two special governed districts: the capital Bangkok and Pattaya, of which Bangkok is also at a provincial level, while Pattaya is part of Chon Buri Province. Some Thai people still count Bangkok as a province, making Thailand a 76-province country.

Each province is divided into smaller districts. As of 2000 there are 796 districts, 81 minor districts, and the 50 districts of Bangkok.

Economy

A market in Bangkok.

With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was one of East Asia's best performers in 2002-04. Boosted by increased consumption and strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 6.9 percent in 2003 and 6.1 percent in 2004 despite a sluggish global economy. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth.

In late December 2004, a major tsunami took 8500 lives in Thailand and caused massive destruction of property in the southern provinces of Krabi, Phangnga, and Phuket. Growth slowed to 4.4 percent in 2005 and again in 2006. The downturn can be attributed to high oil prices, weaker demand from Western markets, a severe drought in rural regions, tsunami-related declines in tourism, and lower consumer confidence.

In 2006, investment stagnated as investors, spooked by the Thaksin administration's political problems, stayed on the sidelines. The military coup in September brought in a new economic team, led by the former central bank governor. In December, the Thai Board of Investment reported the value of investment applications from January to November had declined by 27 percent year-on-year. On the positive side, exports have performed at record levels, rising nearly 17 percent in 2006. Export-oriented manufacturing - in particular automobile production - and farm output are driving these gains.

Thailand is the world’s no.1 exporter of rice, exporting 6.5 million tons of milled rice annually. Rice is the most important crop in the country. Thailand has the highest percent of arable land, 27.25%, of any nation in the Greater Mekong Subregion. About 55 percent of the available land area is used for rice production.

Substantial industries include electric appliances, components, computer parts and automobiles, while tourism contributes about 5 percent of the Thai economy's GDP. Long stay foreign residents also contribute heavily to GDP.

Exports totalled US$123.5-billion in 2006. Export commodities were textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances. Export partners were the United States 15.4 percent, Japan 13.6 percent, China 8.3 percent, Singapore 6.9 percent, Hong Kong 5.6 percent, and Malaysia 5.2 percent.

Imports totalled US$119.3-billion in 2006. Import commodities were capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, and fuels. Import partners were Japan 22 percent, China 9.4 percent, US 7.4 percent, Malaysia 6.8 percent, UAE 4.8 percent, and Singapore 4.6 percent.

Per capita GDP was US$9,100 in 2006.

Demographics

Thailand's population of 64.6 million people is relatively homogeneous. More than 85 percent speak a Tai (correct) language and share a common culture. This core population includes the central Thai, who make up 33.7 percent of the population, including Bangkok, and have long dominated the nation politically, economically, and culturally, the north-eastern Thai or Lao (34.2 percent), northern Thai (18.8 percent), and southern Thai (13.3 percent).

The population is mostly rural, concentrated in the rice-growing areas of the central, north-eastern, and northern regions. However, as Thailand continues to industrialize, its urban population - 31.1 percent of total population, principally in the Bangkok area - is growing.

Thailand's highly successful government-sponsored family planning program has resulted in a dramatic decline in population growth from 3.1 percent in 1960 to around 1 percent today. Life expectancy also has risen, a positive reflection of Thailand's efforts at public health education.

However, the AIDS epidemic has had a major impact on the Thai population. Today, over 700,000 Thais live with HIV or AIDS - approximately two percent of adult men and 1.5 percent of adult women. Each year until at least 2006, 30,000 to 50,000 Thais will die from AIDS-related causes. Ninety percent of them will be aged 20-24, the most productive sector of the workforce. The situation could have been worse; an aggressive public education campaign in the early 1990s reduced the number of new HIV infections from 150,000 to 25,000 annually.

There are about 75 ethnic groups. Thai (including Lao, who make up about 30 percent of the Thai population) account for 75 percent of Thailand’s population, Chinese make up 14 percent, and others make up the remaining 11 percent. The Chinese, who have played a disproportionately significant role in the economy, have mostly integrated completely into mainstream Thai society, and do not live in Bangkok's Chinatown on Yaowarat Road. Other ethnic groups include Malays in the south, Mon, Khmer and various hill tribes. After the end of the Vietnam War, many Vietnamese refugees settled in Thailand, mainly in the northeastern regions.

File:Buddha.06.JPG

Theravada Buddhism is highly respected in Thailand.

Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Thailand and is the religion of 94.6 percent of its people. The government permits religious diversity, and other major religions are represented. Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand, at 4.6 percent, and often live in separate communities. Christians, mainly Catholics, represent 0.75 percent of the population. A tiny but influential community of Sikhs and some Hindus also live in the cities. Spirit worship and animism are widely practiced.

Both men and women do agricultural work. Domestic work is done mostly by women, as is weaving. Both men and women sell in markets or door-to-door, but transportation of goods is done mainly by men. Religious specialists and traditional healers generally are male. Women work mainly in teaching and nursing.

Violence and discrimination against women continues, as does trafficking in women for prostitution, although the 1997 constitution provides women with equal rights. Women constitute 44 percent of the labor force. Laws require equal wages for equal work, and women may own and manage businesses. More women hold professional positions, and women's access to higher education has increased.

Traditionally, the crown owned all land, but individuals had use rights if they paid taxes on land they occupied. Low population density meant land ownership in rural areas was not an issue. Large agricultural estates were rare. Chinese Thais often owned urban land. About 90 percent of farmers owned their land in the 1950s. The 1941 Land Act made it difficult for non-Thais to own land, and efforts to circumvent these restrictions helped create a chaotic system in which title was difficult to determine. Under the new constitution restrictions on foreign ownership were removed.

Individuals find their own marriage partners. Thai marriage ceremonies are generally divided into a Buddhist component, which includes prayers and the offering of food and gifts to monks and images of the Buddha, and a non-Buddhist component rooted in folk traditions, which centers on the couple's family.

Following the Thai Dowry system, known as the “Sin Sodt,” the groom is expected to pay a sum of money to the family, supposedly to compensate them and to demonstrate financially capability of taking care of their daughter. Some families may abuse the Sin Sodt when a westerner is involved and may demand unreasonably high sums of money.

Polygyny, where the male has a number of wives, was common among the elite but is now rare, although wealthy and powerful men often have a “minor wife.” Divorce is usually a matter of a couple ceasing to live together and dividing their property. The nuclear family is the core of the domestic unit, but it often includes members of the extended family. The husband nominally heads the household, but the wife has considerable authority. Women are responsible for most domestic chores.

Like most Asian cultures, respect towards ancestors is an essential part of Thai spiritual practice. Thais have a strong sense of hospitality and generosity, but also a strong sense of social hierarchy. Seniority is an important concept in Thai culture. Thais will bow to their feet of their parents or grandparents to honor them. In addition, the elders always rule in family decisions or ceremonies.

Thai is a Daic language in the southwestern Tai group. Large-scale Chinese migration took place in the nineteenth century, and most of the Chinese in Thailand speak dialects of Min Nan Chinese. There are 24 Mon-Khmer-speaking groups. Seven Austronesian languages are spoken, all of which belong to the Malayic Malayo-Polynesian group. The main Austronesian language is Pattani Malay, which is spoken by about 2.5 million people in the southern region. There are 19 Tibeto-Burman-speaking groups include nine groups that speak Karen languages. Three Hmong-Mien languages are spoken in the north. Various migrant communities speak Korean, Japanese, Tamil, and Urdu. Thai is the national language and the medium for education and mass communication. It is widely used by speakers of other Tai languages and is a second language for most other people.

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was an elite of Thai nobles, a small commercial middle class of Chinese and Europeans, and a lower class of rural farmers. A more modern economy means the class system is based on wealth, and a larger middle class exists. The growth of urban areas has brought a class of urban poor.

Culture

Ban Chiang pottery in the Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin-Dahlem

Due to its geographical location, Thai culture has always been greatly influenced by China and India. However, different indigenous cultures have also existed in Thailand since the Ban Chiang culture, which dates back to 2100 B.C.E. The culture has been heavily influenced by Buddhism. Other influences have included Hinduism, conflict and trade with Southeast Asian neighbors such as Laos and Myanmar, and repeated influxes of Chinese immigrants.

The traditional house is raised on wooden posts to provide protection from floods and intruders. This under part is a place for women to work, a place to sleep during the hot season, a storage space, and a place to keep domestic animals. The house is constructed of prefabricated units that fit together with wooden pegs. The raised part has an open area that includes a partly shaded front veranda, and at the rear an open balcony for washing clothes, and doing laundry. The interior includes a living room and a sleeping space. People usually sit on mats, and there is little furniture. There may be a cooking area in the living room in smaller houses, or a separate space for cooking.

Rice is the staple food. A meal will include rice, dishes with gravy, side dishes, soup, and a salad. Thai cuisine blends five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. Some common ingredients used include garlic, shallots, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass, and fish sauce. Whereas in central and southern Thailand polished white rice is eaten, in the north and northeast people eat glutinous or sticky rice. Fish and shellfish are popular. Curries are eaten throughout the country, but there are regional varieties. Chinese food has influenced the national cuisine, especially noodle dishes. A popular snack is green papaya salad.

Thai culture has been greatly shaped in recent years by its vibrant and free press. There are numerous English, Thai and Chinese papers in circulation and Thailand is the largest newspaper market in South East Asia with an estimated circulation of at least 13 million copies daily in 2003.

Thai visual art was traditionally primarily Buddhist. Thai Buddha images from different periods have a number of distinctive styles. Contemporary Thai art often combines traditional Thai elements with |modern techniques.

Literature in Thailand is heavily influenced by Indian culture. The most notable works of Thai literature are a version of the Ramayana called the Ramakien, written in part by Kings Rama I and Rama II, and the poetry of Sunthorn Phu.

There is no tradition of spoken drama in Thailand, the role instead being filled by Thai dance. This is divided into three categories- khon, lakhon and likay- khon being the most elaborate and likay the most populist. Nang drama, a form of shadow play, is found in the south.

The music of Thailand includes classical and folk music traditions as well as string or pop music.

The most favorite sport in Thailand is football but now the professional leagues Thai League and Pro League in Thailand is in its infancy. The English FA Premier League has a large following. Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is probably the most popular spectator sport in Thailand and its native martial art. The other main indigenous sport is takraw, which is similar to volleyball, but played with the feet and a light rattan ball. There are several versions of the game with differing rules.

There is a Swan Boat circuit where the villages field teams to compete. The International invitational race is usually in November

A waterfall in Sai Yok National Park.

The standard greeting in Thailand is a prayer-like gesture called the wai. Taboos include touching someone's head or pointing with the feet, as the head is considered the most sacred and the foot the dirtiest part of the body. Stepping over someone, or over food, is considered insulting. It is also considered extremely rude to step on a Thai coin, because the king's head appears on the coin. It is also customary to remove one's footwear before entering a home or a temple, and not to step on the threshold. Books and other documents are the most revered of secular objects - therefore one should not slide a book across a table or place it on the floor.

There are Thai customs relating to the special status of monks. Thai monks are forbidden physical contact with women. Women are therefore expected to make way for passing monks to avoid contact. Women making offerings to monks place their donation at the feet of the monk, or on a cloth laid on the ground or a table. Monks apply powders intended to carry a blessing to Thai women by using the end of a candle or stick. Lay people are expected to sit or stand with their heads at a lower level than that of a monk. Within a temple, monks may sit on a raised platform during ceremonies to make this easier to achieve.

Traditionally funerals last for a week. Crying is discouraged, so as not to worry the spirit of the deceased. Copies of Buddhist scriptures may be printed and distributed in the name of the deceased, and gifts are given to a local temple. Monks are invited to chant prayers to provide merit for the deceased, and protect against the dead relative returning as a malicious spirit. Often, a thread is connected to the corpse or coffin and held by the chanting monks to transfer the merit of the monks' recitation. The corpse is cremated, and the urn with the ash is usually kept in the local temple.

See also

Thailand Portal

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External links

Official

• Thaigov.go.th Royal Government of Thailand
• Tourism Authority of Thailand Official tourism website
• Thai National Assembly Official Thai Parliament website
• Mfa.go.th Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Thailand Internet Information Thailand : National Electronics and Computer Technology Center

Other

• CIA - The World Factbook - Thailand
• Template:Flickr
• Thailand Travel Dictionary Non-commercial information site

Countries of Southeast Asia

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Countries & Territories on the South China Sea

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