Thailand country information

Thailand, a short introduction

Thailand is located in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma. The country consists of 76 provinces with Bangkok being the capital of the country.

The Thai kingdom was established in the 14th century. It was known as Siam until 1939 and Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country which has never been colonized by any European country.

Thailand is a constitutional Monarchy. The Kingdom is reigned by the longest reigning King in the world, King Bhumibol Adulyadej since 9 June 1946. The national holiday of Thailand 5 December, this is the birthday of King Bhumibol Abdulyadej (5 December 1927).

flag fo Thailand

The national flag of Thailand consists of five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red. The red color symbolizes the nation and the blood of life, white represents religion and the purity of Buddhism and blue represents the monarchy

Thailand's population was estimated at almost 68 million people in 2009 of which 33% live in urbanized areas. Ethnically 75% are Thai, 14% Chinese and 11% belong to other ethnic groups. According to a survey in the year 2000 around 94.6% is Buddhist, followed by 4.6% Muslims and 0.7% Christians.

Although it might seem that tourism is contributing largely to Thailand's economic growth tourism makes up 6.7% of Thailand's economy and 7% of its work force. Mayor economic Thai exports like machinery and electronic components, agricultural commodities, and jewelry account for more than half of GDP which stands at 540.1 billion dollar. The unemployment rate is an amazing 1.5% and the average income per capita is $8.200,-

Practical information

International telephone country code: 66

Currency: Baht

Thai Baht Exchange Rate

International airports:

Suvarnabhumi International Airport (new Bangkok international airport)
Don Mueang International Airport (old Bangkok international airport)
Chiang Mai International Airport
Chiang Rai International Airport
Hat Yai International Airport
Phuket International Airport
U-Tapao International Airport (Pattaya)
Udon Thani International Airport