Key Facts

Official Name:	Kingdom of Thailand
Type of Govermment:	Constitutional Monarchy
Capital City:	Bangkok
Official Languages:	Thai
Area:	514,000 sq. Km/ 200,460 sq. Mi.
Population:	62.1 million
Religions:	Buddhism, Islam
Currency:	Baht ( B )
Time Zone:	EST + 12 hrs, GMT + 7 hrs ( Thailand does not observe daylight saving time.)
Weights and Measures:	Metric system ; some local measures may be encountered

Thailand, meaning the “Land of Free”, is a land of diverse beauty with hundreds of miles of coastline, forested mountains, and warm tropical weather. The Thais themselves are true representatives of the “Land of Smiles”, peaceful, hospitable, and tolerant people who enjoy life.

Thai culture is influenced greatly by Buddhism, but also incorporates rites from other eastern religions such as Hinduism and Animism. Society is hierarchical, and all relationships have a superior – inferior definition. Status and success, formerly based on a person’s religious and nationalistic attitudes, but more recently on wealth and education, are considered reflections of a person’s virtue. Criticism and any behavior that would cause someone to “lose face” are avoided at all costs.

Thailand has undergone rapid industrialization; it’s economy has become one of the most successful in Southeast Asia in the last decade. As the predominant city, Bangkok has been the center of the growth and now has in excess of 10 million inhabitants.

The Thais

Over 60 million people live in Thailand; approximately 40 percent live in urban areas. Thailand has a young population, with approximately 25 percent of Thais under age 14, 69 percent between ages 15 – 59, and 6 percent over age 60 . The government’s birth – control initiative has reduced the growth rate to close to one percent. Improved medical standards are helping raise life expectancy.

Income disparity between urban and rural agrarian areas continues to grow. Urban areas, especially Bangkok, draw migrants and immigrants looking for employment.

Ethnic Makeup

Approximately 75 percent of the population are ethnic Thai, either Central, Northeastern, Northern, or Southern. Chinese in Thailand constitute about 14 percent, but their intermarriage with Thais over many generation makes it difficult to separate the two. There are also Thais of Malay, Khmer, Vietnamese, and Laotian ancestry.

Minority groups include ethnic Khmer, Vietnamese and other refugees who live mainly along the borders, and approximately 500,000 mountain people who belong to a number of distinct ethnic groups.

Languages

The national language is Central Thai, Which has its own written script based on Pail and Sanskit. There are many regional dialects. Lao and Khmer are spoken in some northern areas and along the Cambodian border. Chinese ans malay are also spoken by many. Various minorities, such as the Mon and Hmong, have their own languages.

Cultural Traditions

Krengjai,an important concept in Thailand, means “consideration”. A hierarchical system of status and respect runs throughout Thai society and dictates that the inferior in a relationship, whether by age, sex or status, will feel krengjai for the person who is in the superior position.

The complexity of society in terms of status is evident in the fact that there are 11 different words for “you”. A Thai adjusts his/her language and behavior patterns from a position of superior to that of inferior to that of equal, depending on the known or inferred position of the other person. When someone's status is not known, a Thai will judge or ascertain a person's appearance, age, occupation, wage, intra – organizational ranking, education, family and social connections. Family and social connections are the most important factors to a Thai.

Thai artistic traditions are expressed in beautiful ceramics, textiles, and bronzes; in traditional dances and drama; and in Thai boxing.

Religion

Ninety – five percent of the Thais are Theravada Buddhists and four percent are Muslims. There are small groups of Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs.

The government tolerates all established religions; strict laws ensure they are treated with respect by Thais and foreigners alike. However, the government and culture is profoundly influenced by Buddhist principles and practices.

Geography and Climate

The kingdom of Thailand occupies the central portion of the Indochinese peninsula, which it shares with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia in Southeast Asia. Extending into the Malay Peninsula, Thailand has an extensive coastline along the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean.

Thailand has a strategic location as the only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore. Thailand is about the same size as France or the U.S. States of Arizona and Utah combined.

Thailand has a tropical monsoon climate, with high temperatures, high humidity, and long hours of sunshine most of the year. There are three seasons: the hot season from March to June; the rainy season from July to October; and the cool season from November to February.

The rainy season brings drenching monsoon downpours. Rainfall is heaviest in the south and lightest in the northeast. Summer temperatures reach peaks of 40ํ*C/104*F, somewhat lower in the hill country. The cool season brings modest relief at night, with temperatures as low as 8*D/46*F in the north.

Weather Chart

Bangkok

Average daily maximum/minimum temperatures and pracipitation

Chiang Mai

Average daily maximum/minimum temperatures and pracipitation