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| Below you find facts and figures about the constitution, history, religion, climate and
the people of the Kingdom. Further information can be found in the other sections of the
site, while Multimedia features videos and
slideshows. - Enjoy. |
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Monarchy |
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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.
While the Monarch does not really exercise actual power, he still is the
head of state. Given the reverence that Thais have for the Royal Family, which is anchored
in both, history and religious traditions and beliefs, |
H.M. is still to be considered the
most influential party within Thailand's democratic constitution.
In times of turmoil and unrest the Monarch is seen as the only reliable constant, based on
the respect of His people and an age-old court ceremonial |
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| History
Archaeological discoveries around the north-
east village of Ban Chiang suggest that the world's oldest Bronze Age civilisation was
flourishing in Thailand some 5,600 years ago. |
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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.
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| 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,
respectively. |
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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 village called Bangkok (Village
of Wild Plums).
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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.
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The Thai Flag, Red-White-Blue-White-Red,
represents Land and People (Red), Budhism (White) and the Monarchy (Blue) |
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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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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 |
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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. |
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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
Raining Season when all monks forego travel and stay inside their monasteries. |
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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 and not only Bangkok features plenty of mosques, temples and
churches of all sizes and denominations. |
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| Geography and Climate |
| 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. |
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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; |
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| 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; |
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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 spreading of summer
resorts; |
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the 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, rubber cultivation and fishing. |
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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 in Thailand is 7 hours ahead of Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT+ 7). |
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; road and street signs are nation-wide in Thai and in English. |
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