Thailand

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THAILAND

The Land of Smile

Historical Background

There are conflicting opinions as to the origins of the Thais. Three decades ago it could be said with presumed certainty that the Thais originated in Northwestern Szechwan in China about 4,500 years ago and later migrated down to their present homeland. However, this theory has been altered by the discovery of remarkable prehistoric artifacts in the village of Ban Chiang in the Nong Han District of Udon Thani Province in the Northeast. These include evidence of bronze metallurgy going back 3,500 years, as well as other indications of a far more sophisticated culture than any previously suspected by archaeologists. It now appears that the Thais might have originated here in Thailand and later scattered to various parts of Asia, including some parts of China.

Siam is the name by which the country was known to the world until 1939 and again between 1945 and 1949. On May 11, 1949, an official proclamation changed the name of the country to "Prathet Thai", or "Thailand", by which it has since been known. The word "Thai" means "free", and therefore "Thailand" means "Land of the Free."

Geography

The Kingdom of Thailand, located in Southeast Asia on the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, shares boundaries with Myanmar (Burma) on the west and northwest, Laos on the east and northeast, Cambodia (Kampuchea) on the southeast, and Malaysia on the south. Thailand, although rich in rubber and in mineral resources, was never colonized by Europeans and has existed as a unified monarchy since 1350. The capital, BANGKOK, an attractive blend of Western and Thai architecture, was established in 1782.

Thailand covers a land area of 513,115 square kilometers, from North 5° 30¨ to 21° and from East 97° 30¨ to 105° 30¨, and extends about 2,500 kilometers from north to south and 1,250 kilometers from east to west, with a coastline of approximately 1,840 kilometers on the Gulf of Thailand and 865 kilometers along the Indian Ocean.

Topography

Thailand is divided into four natural regions:

The North
The Central Plains or Chao Phraya River Basin
The Northeast or the Korat Plateau
The South or the Southern Peninsula

The Climate

The climate is tropical with long hours of sunshine and high humidity. There are three seasons:

Hot from March to June
Rainy from July to October
Cool from November to February

Average low temperature is 20°C (68°F) and high temperature is 37°C (98.6°F). The geographic and climatic conditions make the country suitable for the cultivation of a wide range of tropical and semi-tropical agricultural crops.

Population

The country has a population of approximately 58.6 million (1994), of which around 6 million live in the capital city, Bangkok. The most important ethnic minority are Chinese. Other minority groups include Malays, Cambodians, Indians, non-Thai hill tribes, and some Vietnamese.

The National Language

The official national language, spoken by almost 100 per cent of the population, is Thai, classified by linguists as belonging to a Chinese-Thai branch of the Sino-Tibetan family. It is a tonal language, uninflected, and predominantly monosyllabic. Most polysyllabic words in the vocabulary have been borrowed, mainly from Khmer, Pali or Sanskrit. Dialects are spoken in rural areas. Principal other languages are Chinese and Malay. English is widely spoken and understood, particularly in Bangkok and other major cities.

The National Flag

The flag of the Kingdom of Siam was created during the reign of King Rama II and flew on all Siamese sea-going vessels The symbol of a white elephant on a red background was chosen because white elephants are considered very auspicious by Thais.

The five horizontal stripes of three colors (red, white, and blue) have very significant meanings. Red signifies the life-blood of Thai people; the white stripe symbolizes the purity of Buddhism, the national religion; and the dominant blue stripe, the monarchy and the important part it plays in the daily life of the Thai people. The present national flag was designed by King
Rama VI and was first used on September 28, 1917.

National Anthem

The national anthem is played on all ceremonial of national flag is being raised and lowered . Its music was composed in 1932 by Professor Phra Jenduriyang, while the lyrics, as presently constituted, were written in 1939 by Colonel Luang Saranuprabhands. A literal translation is as follows:

Thailand is the unity of Thai blood and body.
The whole country belongs to the Thai people, maintaining thus far for the Thai.
All Thais intend to unite together.
Thais love peace, but do not fear to fight.
They will never let anyone threaten their independence.
They will sacrifice every drop of their blood to contribute to the nation,
will serve their country
with pride and prestige-full of victory. Salute.

National Dress	National Day
Although there is no official national dress, the traditional dress has been adopted as the unofficial national costume and can be seen on both formal and informal occasions .	December 5, the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is generally regarded as national day. This day is a public holiday.

Sport

Thai Boxing or "Muay Thai" as referred to by locals, is an art of self defense that comes naturally to Thai boys, unlike other martial arts in which training is essential. Thai boys know the arts of kicking and boxing in Muay Thai style even they are very little, usually urged on by their elders. Muay Thai is an ancient art of self, and it is believed that many of the deadlier forms of this arts have been lost over the centuries, as each teacher has been said to have kept the highest forms to himself to prevent his students from disobedience.
Unlike other martial arts, Muay Thai has musical accompaniment which consists of a drum or "Klong" small brass cymbals called "Ching Chup" and a Thai clarinet commonly called " Pee." At the beginning of each fight the contenders dance to the rhythm of the music around the ring to pay homage to their respective teacher, usually for five to ten minutes.
If you want to know more about Muay Thai or find a school in the U.S., try this US Muay Thai Association

Food

Thailand's culinary heritage is blessed with an abundant amount of food found in the seas and in the fields which offers ample opportunity to the adventurous cook to use his resourcefulness in concocting a variety of nutritious and delicious dishes.
The food in general is rather spicy with the most commonly used ingredients being ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, knob khaa, coriander leaves and roots, cumin seed, Manglak leaves and seeds, lemon grass and basil leaves. Equally important in bringing out the distinctive Thai flavor are prepared curry paste, nam prik, and the high quality Thai fish sauce, nam pla.
There is an on-line grocery store and cooking school at Thai Grocery & Cooking Schoolfree!
If you really want to learn how to cook Thai food professionally, you have to go to Royal Thai School of Culinary Arts in Thailand.!

Fruit

Thailand is a paradise for tropical fruits. At any time during the year at least a dozen of different kinds can be found in the market. Their strong aromas and distinctive tastes are addictive once more acquires a liking for them. These include the durian, rambutan, magosteen, longans, lychee, langsat and many others.

Religion

Present day spiritual society is composed of dissimilar ingredients: thousands of Theravada monasteries and over a quarter of a million monks; a ubiquitous belief in spirits and ghosts; a corresponding interest in astrology, palmistry and the occult; Brahman rites and ceremonies, confined mainly to the royal court; and Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism and ancestor worship associated with the substantial Chinese population. Religious minorities of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians complete a rich variety of thought, philosophy, dogma, ritual, belief, superstition, worship and endeavor that is fashioned into a tolerant society with Buddhism as the dominant spiritual factor.

Population is distributed by religious beliefs as follows:

Buddhists	93.47%
Muslims	3.96%
Christians	0.52%
Hindus, Sikhs	0.01%
Unidentified	2.04%

Religious Rights and Liberty are Guaranteed and Protected in Thailand

NEWS

                        The Nation
                        Daily News
                        Thai Rath

TRAVEL

Tourism Authority of Thailand
Amazing Thailand

SHOPPING

Bangkok Center

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Reference
Thailand at a Glance, Mahidol university.