Location
Thailand is a Southeast Asian, predominantly Buddhist Kingdom almost equidistant between India and China. For centuries known by outsiders as Siam, Thailand has been something of Southeast Asian migratory, cultural and religious crusades.
With an area of some 510,000 square kilometers and a population of 63 million. Thailand is approximately the same size as France. Thailand shares borders with Mynmar to the west and north, Laos to the northeast, Kampuchea to the east, and Malaysia to the south.
Climate
Thailand enjoys a tropical climate with 3 distinct season-summer from March through May, rainy with plenty of sunshine from June to September and cool from October through February. The average annual temperature is 28C(83 F), ranging, in Bangkok, for example, from 30 c in April to 25 c in December.
Religion
Theravada Buddhism is the professed religion of more than 90% of all Thais, and cases strong in flounces on daily life.
The Thais has always subscribed to the ideal of religious freedom. Thus sizeable minorities of Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs freely pursue their respective faiths.
Culture
Thailand enjoys very much its own distinctive culture (drama, literature, music, architecture, sculpture and painting, basket and silk weaving, lacquerware, brassware, pottery and jewelry), its own language and alphabet its own cuisine, Mattel arts and its own beliefs and attitudes.
Government
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliamentarian system. His Majesty , the king is popularly held to be sacred and inviolable, he reigns as Head of State, upholder of religions and head of the Armed Forces.
Economy
Thailand is basically and agricultural country, with about 80% of the population engaged in farming or related occupations. Rice is the major export as well as one of the major foreign exchange earners, the others being tapioca, sugar, natural rubber and of course tourism to round out the top five.
Language
Thai is the national language. It’s very tonal and comes from the Sino-Tibetan family. variations are spoken in the North and South with Laotian dialects dominate in the Northeast. English is fluently spoken in areas pertaining to tourism and trade.
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