Thailand
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Thailand
Demographics:
Thailand is a small country in Southeastern Asia with 76 provinces. It is about 511,770 sq km and borders the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. In comparison Thailand is slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming. The climate there is tropical and rainy from mid May to September and dry and cool from November to mid March. Some of Thailands natural resources are tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, and gypsum. These things can be found in either the plain or mountains.
Even though the country has lot of open land there are cities. One of these cities being the capital, Bangkok which has nearly 9 million people. The total population of the country is 64,631,595 people with a growth rate .68%. The life expectancy is 69.95 years for men and 74.68 years for women. The different ethnic groups in Thailand are the Thai who make up about 75% of the population. There are also the Chinese who make up only 14% and other groups that make up the rest of the 11%. The religions include mainly Buddhism, then Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. But regardless of religion most of Thailand speaks Thai as their first language. This includes the different ethnic dialects. Their second language is English. The total literacy rate is pretty high at 92.6%.
Thailands government is constitutional monarchy. The legal system is based on a civil law system, with influences of common law. The economy is a free enterprise and includes pro-investment policies. The population below the poverty rate is only 10% and the exchange rate is about 42 baht per U.S. dollar.
Historical Sketch:
There have been people living in Thailand for over 4000 years but because there isnt any written documentation there isnt a lot know about many of those years. Though by the 6th century AD many thriving agricultural communities has established all throughout Thailand and Buddhism was already widely practiced. Then up until the 11th century there was time period called the Dvaravati period. This included a group of city-states that centered around the Nakhon Pathom area. But this quickly faded with the invasion of the Khmers. In the 13th century many Thai principalities united and took over Haripunchai and Sukhothai from the Mons and Khmers. The Sukhothai then declared their independence in 1238 and began to expand. This kingdom is considered the first true Thai Kingdom. In the 14th and 15th centuries the kings of Ayuthaya became very powerful and expanded their kingdom eastward but around mid 16th century they came under the control of the Burmese. By the end of the century they were able to regain control. In the 17th century many historical artifacts were destroyed in a battle between the Thais and Burmese. After the battle the Thai people established a new capital in 1769 on the banks of Chao Phraya. This was done under the control of general Phya Taksin who also began to unite the north and south provinces of Thailand.
In 1782 King Rama was crowned, he then moved the capital to Bangkok, which is where it is today. After King Rama in 1809 King Rama II took the throne then follwed by King Rama III in 1824. King Rama III developed trade with China and increased the countries domestic agricultural production. When King Mongkut (Rama IV) was crowned in 1851 he began to establish diplomatic relations with the European nations. Also he started a modernization of the Thai education system. In 1869 his son King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) took throne and help create the railroad systems. Then in 1910 King Vajirvudha (Rama VI) took the throne for fifteen years and introduced compulsory education. In 1925 Vajivudhas brother King Prajadhipol (Rama VII) took the throne in 1925, then seven years later a group of Thai students helped establish a constutional monarchy which is still used there today. Philbul Songkhram who was a important military leader then took control and stayed in control until after WWII when King Rama VIII ascended the throne in 1935. But in 1946 he was assassinated under mysterious circumstances. His brother Bhumipol Aduldej King Rama IX replaced him and he remains king to this day.
People:
Like any other country Thailand has celebrities. Tata Young is one of them. She was a very successful and famous singer and actress. She stared in movies, a T.V. series and most importantly made many award winning albums. Veerawan Phongam is another Thai idol, staring in many Thai movies. Tanya Suesantisuk is one of Thailands most famous female models. Sunthon Phu was quite possibly one of the greatest poets to ever come out of Thailand. He was different than other poets because he was born a common man and educated in a temple. He wrote with royal scribes as a young man and that later developed his skills in poetry. His most famous poems are “Nirats” and “Phra Chaisuriya.”
King Chulaalongkorn was one of the most famous kings of Thailand. He made peace with many nations including France, Britian, and America. He is mostly known with abolishing slavery in Thailand and advancing the ways of communication.
Most people have seen the movie “Anna and the King.” This movie is based on a true person (Anna Edwards) who travels to Thailand and meets the King. This is actually a true story. However, this movie is banned in Thailand because most of the elements in the movie are false.
Language:
Thai (or known as Siamese) is the name of the language that is used in Thailand. It is currently one of the oldest