United States
Thailand Travel and Destination Guide
BACKGROUND INFO
Full Name
Kingdom of Thailand
Capital City
Bangkok
Area
514,000 sq km
Population
65,000,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +7
Daylight Saving Start
not in use
Daylight Saving End
not in use
Weights Measures System
Metric
Geography
Thailand shares borders with Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Cambodia. The country's east coast borders the Gulf of Thailand and the west coast abuts the Andaman Sea. The country is divided into four main zones: the fertile, central plains of the Chao Phraya River; the poorer region of the 300m/985ft-high northeast plateau; the fertile valley and mountains of Northern Thailand; and the rainforested southern peninsula. The highest peak is the 2596m (8512ft) Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai province.
Languages
• Thai (official)
Thai is a complicated language with its own unique alphabet, but it's fun to try at least a few words. The main complication with Thai is that it is tonal: the same word could be pronounced with a rising, falling, high, low or level tone and could theoretically have five meanings!
People
Thai (75%), Chinese (11%), Malay (3.5%); other - Mon, Khmer, Phuan and Karen minorities (10.5%)
Religion
Buddhist (95%), Muslim (4%)
Government Type
Constitutional Monarchy
Government Leaders
Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
King (head of state)
Somchai Wongsawat
Prime Minister (head of government)
Country Dialing Code
66
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