Thailand
The Kingdom of Thailand ( Ratcha Anachak Thai- pronounce in Thai, is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.
It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, 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 Myanmar. 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 capital and largest city of Thailand is Bangkok. It 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; 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. Thailand has also attracted a small number of expatriates from developed countries in the West. 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. Culture and traditions in Thailand are significantly influenced by India, as are Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, as the ruling monarch. The king has reigned for more than sixty-three years, making him the longest reigning Thai monarch and the longest reigning current monarch in the world. 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.
Thailand experienced rapid economic growth between 1985 and 1995 and today is a newly industrialized country with an emphasis on exports and a flourishing tourism industry, thanks to various world-famous tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Bangkok, and Phuket.
Etymology
The Country’s official name was Siam (Thai: Sayam) until June 23, 1939, when it was changed to Thailand. It was renamed Siam from 1945 to May 11, 1949, after which it was again renamed Thailand.
The word Thai is not, as commonly believed, derived from the word Tai meaning “freedom” in the Thai language; it is, however, the name of an ethnic group from the central plains (the Thai people). A famous Thai scholar argued that Tai simply means “people” or “human being” since his investigation shows that in some rural areas the word “Tai” was used instead of the usual Thai word “khon” for people. The phrase “Land of the free” is derived from Thai pride in the fact that Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never colonized by a European power.
The Thai National Anthem refers to the Thai nation as: prathet-thai. The first line of the national anthem is: prathet thai ruam lueat neua chat chuea thai and was translated in 1939 by Colonel Luang Saranuprabhandi as: “Thailand is the unity of Thai blood and body.”
While the Thai people will often refer to their country using the polite form prathet-thai, they most commonly use the more colloquial word ‘Mueang-Thai’ or simply Thai; the word mueang meaning nation but most commonly used to refer to a city or town
Administrative divisions
Thailand is divided into 75 provinces (Thai:changwat), which are gathered into 5 groups of provinces by location. There are also 2 special governed districts: the capital Bangkok (Krung Thep Maha Nakhon) and Pattaya, of which Bangkok is at provincial level and thus often counted as a 76th province.
Each province is divided into districts and the districts are further divided into sub-districts (tambons). As of 2006 there are 877 districts (Thai:amphoe) and the 50 districts of Bangkok (Thai, khet). Some parts of the provinces bordering Bangkok are also referred to as Greater Bangkok (Thai, pari monthon). These provinces include Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon. The name of each province’s capital city (Thai, mueang) is the same as that of the province. For example, the capital of Chiang Mai province (changwat Chiang Mai) is Mueang Chiang Mai or Chiang Mai.
Central : 19 provinces (includes Bangkok)
East : 7 provinces
North : 17 provinces
Northeast (Thai:Isan) : 19 provinces
South : 14 provinces
Largest Metropolitan Areas of Thailand
Rank : Metropolitan area : Population
1 Bangkok(Central)……………11,971,000
2 Pattaya-Chon Buri(East)….. 1,003,839
3 Chiang Mai(North)……………..960,906
4 Hat Yai-Songkhla(South)……..801,747
5 Nakhon Ratchasima(Isan)……439,546
Thank you to Wikipedia for English information. Read more…