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.gif) Thailand in brief |
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 Location |
Climate |
Time |
History |
| Poeple |
Religion |
Language |
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| 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 a Southeast Asian
migratory, cultural and religious cross-roads. With an area
of some 510,000 square kilometres and a population of some
57 million, Thailand is approximately the same size as France.
Thailand shares borders with Myanmar to the west and north,
Laos to the north-east, Kampuchea to the west, and Malaysia
to the south. Geographically speaking, Thailand is divided
into six major regions: the mountainous north where elephants
work forests and winter temperatures are sufficiently cool
to permit cultivation of temperate fruits such as strawberries
and peaches; the sprawling north-east plateau, largely bordered
by the Mekong River, where the world's oldest Bronze Age civilisation
flourished some 5,000 years ago; the central plain, one of
the world's most fertile rice and fruit-growing areas; the
eastern coastal plain, where fine sandy beaches support the
growth of summer resorts; western mountains and valleys, suitable
for the development of hydro-electric power: and the peninsular
south where arresting scenic beauty complements economically
vital tin mining, robber cultivation and fishing.
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| Climate |
Thailand enjoys
a tropical climate with 3 distinct seasons - 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 28 C (83 F), ranging, in Bangkok, for example,
from 30 C in April to 25 C in December.
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| Time |
Time in Thailand
is 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+ 7).
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| History |
Archaeological
discoveries around the north- east hamlet of Ban Chiang suggest
that the world's oldest Bronze Age civilisation was flourishing
in Thailand some 5,600 years ago. Successive waves of immigrants,
including Mons, Khmers and Thais, gradually entered the land
mass now known as Thailand, most slowly travelling along fertile
river valleys from southern China. By the 11th and 12th centuries,
Khmers ruled much of the area from Angkor. By the early 1200s,
Thais had established small northern city states in Lanna,
Phayao and Sukhothai. In 1238, two Thai chieftains rebelled
against Khmer suzerainty and established the first truly independent
Thai kingdom in Sukhothai (literally, 'Dawn of Happiness').
Sukhothai saw the Thais' gradual expansion throughout the
entire Chao Phraya River basin, the establishment of Theravada
Buddhism as the paramount Thai religion, the creation of the
Thai alphabet and the first expression of nascent Thai art
forms, including painting, sculpture, architecture and literature.
Sukhothai declined during the 1300s and eventually became
a vassal state of Ayutthaya, a dynamic young kingdom further
south in the Chao Phraya River valley. Founded in 1350, Ayutthaya
remained the Thai capital until 1767 when it was destroyed
by Burmese invaders. During Ayutthaya's 417 years as the capital,
under the rule of 33 kings, the Thais brought their distinctive
culture to full fruition, totally rid their lands of Khmer
presence and fostered contact with Arabian, Indian, Chinese,
Japanese and European powers. Ayutthaya's destruction was
as severe a blow to the Thais as the loss of Paris or London
would have been to the French or English. However, a Thai
revival occurred within a few months and the Burmese were
expelled by King Taksin who later made Thon Buri his capital.
In 1782, the first king of the present Chakri dynasty, Rama
I, established his new capital on the site of a riverside
hamlet called Bangkok (Village of Wild Plums). Two Chakri
monarchs, Mongkut (Rama IV) who reigned between 1851 and 1868,
and his son Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868-1910) saved Thailand
from western colonisation through adroit diplomacy and selective
modernisation. Today, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy.
Since 1932, Thai kings including the present monarch, H.M.
King Bhumipol Adulyadej have exercised their legislative powers
through a national assembly, their executive powers through
a cabinet headed by a prime minister, and their judicial powers
through the law courts.
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| People |
Throughout her
long history, Thailand has gently absorbed immigrants. Many
were skilled as writers, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians
and architects, and helped enrich indigenous culture. People
inhabiting Thailand today share rich ethnic diversity - -
mainly Thai, Mon, Khmer, Laotian, Chinese, Malay, Persian
and Indian stock - - with the result that there is no typically
Thai physiognomy or physique. There are petite Thais, statuesque
Thais, round-faced Thais, dark-skinned Thais and light-skinned
Thais. Some 80% of all Thais are connected in some way with
agriculture which, in varying degrees, influences and is influenced
by the religious ceremonies and festivals that help make Thailand
such a distinctive country.
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| Religion |
Theravada Buddhism
is the professed religion of more than 90% of all Thais, and
casts strong influences on daily life. Buddhism first appeared
in Thailand during the 3rd Century B.C. at Nakhon Pathom,
site of the world's tallest Buddhist monument, after the Indian
Buddhist Emperor Asoka (267-227 B.C.) despatched missionaries
to Southeast Asia to propagate the newly established faith.
Besides moulding morality, providing social cohesion and offering
spiritual succour, Buddhism provided incomparable artistic
impetus. In common with medieval European cathedrals, Thailand's
innumerable multiroofed temples inspired major artistic creation.
Another reason for Buddhism's strength is that there are few
Thai Buddhist families in which at least one male member has
not studied the Buddha's teachings in a monastery. It has
long been a custom for Buddhist males over twenty, once in
their lifetimes, to be ordained for a period ranging from
s days to a months. This usually occurs daring the annual
Rains Retreat, a a-month period during the Rains Season when
all monks forego travel and stay inside their monasteries.
Besides sustaining monastic communities, Thai temples have
traditionally served other purposes - - as the village hostelry,
village news, employment and information agency, a school,
hospital, dispensary and community centre - - to give them
vital roles in Thai society. The Thais have always subscribed
to the ideal of religious freedom. Thus sizeable minorities
of Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs freely pursue their
respective faiths.
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| Language |
Spoken and written
Thai remain largely incomprehensible to the casual visitor.
However, English is widely understood, particularly in Bangkok
where it is almost the major commercial language. English
and other European languages are spoken in most hotels, shops
and restaurants, in major tourist destinations, and Thai-English
road and street signs are found nation-wide.
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