Thailand

Kingdom of Thailand ราชอาณาจักรไทย Ratcha Anachak Thai
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Phleng Chat Thai Royal anthem: Phleng Sansoen Phra Barami
Location of Thailand (green) in Southeast Asia (dark grey) — [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Bangkok1 13°45′N 100°29′E / 13.75°N 100.483°E / 13.75; 100.483
Official languages		Thai[1]
Official scripts		Thai alphabet
Demonym		Thai
Government		Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
-	Monarchy of Thailand	Bhumibol Adulyadej
-	Prime Minister	Abhisit Vejjajiva
Formation
-	Sukhothai Kingdom	1238 - 1448
-	Ayutthaya Kingdom	1351 - 1767
-	Thonburi Kingdom	1768 - 1782
-	Rattanakosin Kingdom	6 April 1782
-	Constitutional Monarchy	24 June 1932
-	Later Constitution	24 August 2007
Area
-	Total	513,115 km2 (50th) 198,115 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.4 (2,230 km2)
Population
-	2009 estimate	63,389,730 (21st)
-	2000 census	60,606,947[2]
-	Density	132.1/km2 (85th) 342/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$547.060 billion[3] (24th)
-	Per capita	$8,239[3] (86th)
GDP (nominal)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$273.313 billion[3] (33rd)
-	Per capita	$4,116[3] (92nd)
Gini (2002)		42
HDI (2007)		▲0.783[4] (medium) (87th)
Currency		Baht (฿) (THB)
Time zone		(UTC+7)
Drives on the		left
Internet TLD		.th
Calling code		+66
1	^ Thai name: Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep. The full name is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.
2	^ According to the Department of Provincial Administration's official register, not taking into account unregistered citizens and immigrants.

Thailand (pronounced /ˈtaɪlænd/; Thai: ราชอาณาจักรไทย Ratcha Anachak Thai, IPA: [râːtɕʰa ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k tʰɑj]( listen)) is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest. The country is a kingdom, a constitutional monarchy with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who has reigned since 1946, making him the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning Thai monarch in Thai history.^[5] The king is officially titled as the Head of State, the Head of the Armed Forces, an Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths. The largest city in Thailand is Bangkok, the capital, which is also the country's center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities.

Thailand is the world's 50th largest country in terms of total area (slightly smaller than Yemen and slightly larger than Spain), with a surface area of approximately 513,000 km² (198,000 sq mi), and the 21st most-populous country, with approximately 64 million people. About 75% of the population is ethnically Thai, 14% is of Chinese origin, and 3% is ethnically Malay;^[6] the rest belong to minority groups including Mons, Khmers and various hill tribes. There are approximately 2.2 million legal and illegal migrants in Thailand.^[7] Thailand has also attracted a number of expatriates from developed countries.^[8] The country's official language is Thai.

Thailand is one of the most devoutly Buddhist countries in the world. The national religion is Theravada Buddhism which is practiced by more than 94.7% of all Thais. Muslims make up 4.6% of the population and 0.7% belong to other religions.^[9] Culture and traditions in Thailand are significantly influenced by India, as are Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Thailand experienced rapid economic growth between 1985 and 1995 and is a newly industrialized country with tourism, due to world-class tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Bangkok, and Phuket, and exports contributing significantly to the economy.^[10][11]

History

Main articles: History of Thailand and People of Thailand

An example of pottery discovered near Ban Chiang in Udon Thani province, the earliest dating to 2100 BCE.

The region known as Thailand has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period, about 10,000 years ago. Similar to other regions in Southeast Asia, it was heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India, starting with the kingdom of Funan around the 1st century CE. After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th century, various states thrived there, such as the various Tai, Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms, as seen through the numerous archaeological sites and artifacts that are scattered throughout the Siamese landscape. Prior to the 12th century however, the first Thai or Siamese state is traditionally considered to be the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai, which was founded in 1238.

Buddhist images at Wat Mahathat built during the Sukhothai period.

Following the decline and fall of the Khmer empire in the 13th–14th century, the Buddhist Tai kingdoms of Sukhothai, Lanna and Lan Chang were on the ascension. However, a century later, the power of Sukhothai was overshadowed by the new kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century in the lower Chao Phraya River or Menam area. Ayutthaya's expansion centered along the Menam while in the northern valley the Lanna Kingdom and other small Tai city-states ruled the area. Thailand retained a tradition of trade with its neighbouring states, from China to India, Persia and Arab lands. Ayutthaya became one of the most vibrant trading centres in Asia. European traders arrived in the 16th century, beginning with the Portuguese, followed by the French, Dutch and English.

After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 to the Burmese, King Taksin the Great moved the capital of Thailand to Thonburi for approximately 15 years. The current Rattanakosin era of Thai history began in 1782, following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great. A quarter to a third of the population of some areas of Thailand were slaves.^[15][16] Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian nation that has never been colonized. Two main reasons for this were that Thailand had a long succession of very able rulers in the 19th century and that it was able to exploit the rivalry and tension between French Indochina and the British Empire. As a result, the country remained a buffer state between parts of Southeast Asia that were colonized by the two powers, Great Britain and France.

The ruins of Wat Chaiwatthanaram at Ayutthaya, the city was burned and sacked in 1767 by a Burmese army under the Alaungpaya Dynasty.

Western influence nevertheless led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions, most notably being the loss of a large territory on the east side of the Mekong to the French and the step-by-step absorption by Britain of the Shan (Thai Yai) States (now in Burma)^{[citation needed]} and the Malay Peninsula. The losses initially included Penang and Tumasik and eventually culminated in the loss of four predominantly ethnic-Malay southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's four northern states, under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909. In 1932, a bloodless revolution carried out by the Khana Ratsadon group of military and civilian officials resulted in a transition of power, when King Prajadhipok was forced to grant the people of Siam their first constitution, thereby ending centuries of absolute monarchy. During World War II, the Empire of 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 before Plaek Pibulsonggram ordered an armistice. Shortly thereafter 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 regain territories lost to the British and French. Subsequently, Thailand undertook to 'assist' Japan in its war against the Allies, while at the same time maintaining an active anti-Japanese resistance movement known as the Seri Thai.

Grand Palace in Bangkok built in 1782, is the official residence of the King of Thailand.

After the war, Thailand emerged as an ally of the United States. As with many of the developing nations during the Cold War, Thailand then went through decades of political instability characterised by coups d'état as one military regime replaced another, but eventually progressed towards a stable prosperity and democracy in the 1980s.

Articles Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand