The official name of Thailand is the Kingdom of Thailand and it was formerly known as Siam.
Thailand’s name in the Thai language is Prathet Thai, which means “Land of the Free.” It is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized by a European nation.
Thailand has had several names over the centuries. For hundreds of years it was known by the names of its dominant cities, such as Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, and Thonburi. Since the 1800s, it has repeatedly switched back and forth between Siam (Sanskrit meaning dark or brown) and Thailand.
Thailand shares a border with four countries: Myanmar (formerly Burma) to the north and west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Malaysia to the south.
Thailand's national symbol is the elephant. A century ago there were 100,000 elephants in the country, now there are just an estimated 2,000 left in the wild.
Thailand’s national language is called Thai which many scholars believe is a form of Chinese that was gradually brought to the area between the 7th and 13th centuries. As with Lao, Vietnamese, and Chinese, Thai is a very tonal language. Its alphabet has 32 vowels and 44 consonants.
Thailand's climate is tropical with a rainy monsoon season from November through to March with the southern area of the country being especially hot and humid.
Thailand has a population of 67 million people (67,448,120) as of July 2013.
Each year, around six million foreign tourists visit Thailand. Thailand has also attracted many expatriates from developed countries.
Thailand is the world’s 51st largest country.
The size of Thailand is 198,115 square miles (513,115 sq km).
Seventy-five percent of the people in Thailand are Thai, 14% are Chinese, and 11% are “other".
It is a customary mark of respect in Thailand for a person to always keep their head lower than that an older person or a more important person than you are.
The Thai currency is called the Baht. And, it is illegal to step on any Thai currency.
The national flag of Thailand is raised every morning at 8:00 and lowered every evening at 6:00. It was introduced in 1917 by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). Its two horizontal red stripes symbolize the land and its people. The white horizontal stripes represent the purity of Buddhism, the nation’s main religion. The wide blue band across the center stands for the monarchy. Before 1917, the flag had a picture of a white elephant against a red background.
The Garuda, a creature from the Hindu religion, is a national and royal symbol of Thailand.
The Ramakien is the national epic narrative of Thailand and has influenced everyday Thai life for hundreds of years. The story is actually the Thai version of Ramayana, a poem first told in India 3,000 year ago.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. The current king is the world’s longest reigning monarch. He is Bhumibol Adulyadej who became King Rama IX in June 1946. He was born in the U.S. in 1927 while his father was studying medicine at Harvard. The king owns a patent on a form of cloud seeding and holds a degree in engineering from Switzerland. He also plays the saxophone and composed Thailand’s national anthem.
Bangkok is the largest city and the capital of Thailand.
One in 10 Thais live in Bangkok.
The longest place name in the world is the full name of Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit. It means “City of Angels, Great City of Immortals, Magnificent City of the Nine Gems, Seat of the King, City of Royal Palaces, Home of Gods Incarnate, Erected by Visvakarman at Indra’s Behest".
Bangkok is one of Asia’s top tourist destinations. In 2005, more than 11 million foreign tourists visited in the city.
Thailand has over 1430 islands.
The highest elevation in Thailand is Doi Inthanon at 8,514 feet (2,595 m). It is also a popular tourist destination. In fact, an estimated 12,000 people visit the summit each New Year’s Day. The lowest elevation is sea level along the coast.
Buddhism is the primary religion in Thailand, it is practiced by approximately 94.6% of the population. Throughout Thailand are many Buddhist temples and grand golden Buddhist statues. Muslims make up 4.6%, Christians 0.7%, and other religions 0.1%.
In the past, all Thai young men including the kings became Buddhist monks for at least a short period of time before their 20th birthday. Today, fewer young men observe the practice.
Siamese cats are native to Thailand. In Thai they are called wichen-maat, meaning “moon diamond.” A 14th-century book of Thai poems describes 23 types of Siamese cats; today only six breeds are left. Giving a pair of Si Sawat cats (a type of Siamese cats) to a bride is supposed to bring good luck to the marriage.
There are 15 reserved wild animal species in Thailand including two types of Rhinoceros. It is prohibited by law to breed, hunt, possess or trade these species.Thai food is world renown, dishes that include spicy curries with rice or noodles are found on many other country's menus throughout the world.
Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is a form of kickboxing and is Thailand's national sport.
Thailand is often called the "Golf Capital of Asia", with beautifully kept courses at a reasonable price the country attracts a larger number of golfers from around the world.
Thailand is home to the world’s largest gold Buddha, the largest crocodile farm, the largest restaurant, the longest single-span suspension bridge, and the world’s tallest hotel.
The world’s smallest mammal, the Craseonycteris thonglongyai (the bumble bat), is found in Thailand.
Thailand houses the world’s largest fish, the 12-meter Rhincodon typus, otherwise known as the whale shark.
A century ago, northern Thailand was covered with dense hardwood forests. Today only about ¼ of the country remains wooded. Thailand has the second-highest rate of forest loss in Southeast Asia. Only Singapore has lost more. Today, logging is banned in Thailand.
A nuclear family in Thailand is rare because most people live in large extended families.
In Thailand, it is illegal to leave your house without wearing underwear.
In Thailand, it is illegal to drive any vehicle shirtless.
Traffic police in Bangkok wear facemasks because of dangerous levels of air pollution. Additionally, police stations are equipped with oxygen tanks in case exhaust fumes overwhelm the officers. More than 20% of Bangkok’s police have some form of lung disease. One Thai bank estimated that Bangkok’s pollution woes cost the nation $2.3 billion annually in lost production, wasted energy, and health costs.
The 2004 tsunami hurtled a wall of water 30 feet high over Thailand’s coast, killing over 8,000 people. An estimated 1,500 Thai children lost their parents and more than 150,000 Thais working in the fishing or tourist industries lost their livelihoods.
One-tenth of all animal species on Earth live in Thailand.
Prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, but the law is very rarely enforced. Estimates of the number of sex workers vary from 30,000 to more than 1 million.
More than 1,500 species of orchids grow wild in Thai forests. Thailand is the world’s number one orchid exporter.
Thailand is home to what may be the world’s longest snake, the reticulated python. The largest one ever found stretched over 33 feet (10 m) from end to end.
Thailand is home to the world’s longest poisonous snake, the king cobra. The cobra can reach more than 18 feet long, and one bite from it can kill an elephant.
The largest living lizard is native to Thailand. The monitor lizard can grow as long as 7 feet.
Approximately 10% of the world’s bird species live in Thailand, a greater proportion than in all of Europe or North America.
Swiftlet nests are made from strands of saliva from the male swiftlet bird. Swiftlet nests collected from Thai caves can fetch more than $900 per pound. It is one of the world’s most coveted and expensive food items.
The Mekong River, which forms part of Thailand’s eastern border, supports more than 1,300 species of fish. It holds some of the world’s largest freshwater fish, including a giant catfish which can reach nearly 10 feet long and weigh as much as 660 lbs.
Both the Hollywood movie and Broadway play of The King and I are banned in Thailand. Based on the Siamese ruler King Mongkut and a British teacher named Anna Leonowens, the movie was seen as insulting to the king. While the movie depicts him as uncultured, he is believed to be the first Asian ruler to speak, read, and write English fluently. He also is considered highly intelligent, cultured, and well read. Further, he is known as the father of Thai scientists.
Over 300,000 Thai have settled in North America with the largest communities along the West Coast in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver. Also, today,over 10,000 Americans live in Thailand.
Thailand is the world’s largest producer of tin.
Thailand is the world's biggest exporter of rice.
Northern Thailand was a major producer of opium in the 1960s and 1970s, which was a major source of income for the hill tribes. The northern tip of Thailand, the western tip of Laos, and the eastern corner of Myanmar make up what is called the “Golden Triangle” and is notorious for the production and trafficking of opium and heroin.
The brothers who gave the world the term “Siamese twins” were born in 1811 in a village near Bangkok. The twins Eng and Chang were joined at the chest and left Thailand for the U.S when they were 17 years old. Each brother married, and between them they had 22 children. In 1873, Eng caught pneumonia and died. Chang died a few hours later.
The first case of HIV/Aids was reported in Thailand in 1984. Thailand currently has the highest prevalence of HIV in Asia.
Sex tourism increased significantly during the 1960s and 1970s because during the Vietnam War American troops were flown to R&R (GIs called it I&I: Intoxication and Intercourse) sites not formally attached to military bases. The Thai government passed the Entertainment Places Act in 1966, which codified the practice of police tolerance of military prostitution.
Thailand has one of the worst child sex trafficking records in the world.
Thailand has a reputation for sexual tolerance and is considered very safe for LGBT travelers. Transsexuals, also known as krathoeys or lady-boys, are highly visible in mainstream society.
The population of Thailand is 67,091,089 which ranks it the 20th most populated country in the world. And, the ranking takes into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS.
To Thais, the head is the most important part of the body. Consequently, no one must ever touch another person, even a child, on the head.
Traditionally in Thailand, feet are considered lowly because they symbolize an attachment to the ground, which is a cause for human suffering. As such, a person must never sit with their feet pointing to a statue in a temple or at some other person. Feet must always be tucked underneath the body.