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ราชอาณาจักรไทย
Ratcha Anachak Thai
Kingdom of Thailand
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|
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Anthem: Phleng Chat
Royal anthem: Phleng Sansoen Phra Barami |
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Capital
(and largest city) |
Bangkok1
 13°45′N, 100°29′E |
| Official languages |
Thai |
| Demonym |
Thai |
| Government |
Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy |
| - |
King |
Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) |
| - |
Prime Minister |
Samak Sundaravej |
| Formation |
| - |
Nanchao Period |
(650-1250) |
| - |
Sukhothai Kingdom |
(1238-1448) |
| - |
Ayutthaya Kingdom |
(1351-1767) |
| - |
Thonburi Kingdom |
(1768-1782) |
| - |
Rattanakosin Kingdom |
6 April (1782-1932) |
| - |
Constitutional Monarchy |
24 June 1932 |
| Area |
| - |
Total |
513,115 km² (49th)
198,115 sq mi |
| - |
Water (%) |
0.4 |
| Population |
| - |
December 2007 estimate |
63,038,247 (20th) |
| - |
2000 census |
60,606,947[1] |
| - |
Density |
122/km² (85th Independence)
317/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP) |
2007 estimate |
| - |
Total |
$519.9 billion[2] (21st) |
| - |
Per capita |
$8,000[2] (69th) |
| GDP (nominal) |
2006 estimate |
| - |
Total |
$206.338 billion (34th) |
| - |
Per capita |
$3,400 (92nd) |
| Gini (2002) |
42 (medium) |
| HDI (2005) |
▼ 0.781 (medium) (78th) |
| Currency |
Baht (Thai: บาท; Symbol: ฿) (THB) |
| Time zone |
(UTC+7) |
| Internet TLD |
.th |
| Calling code |
+66 |
| 1 |
^ Thai name: Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep
The full name is "Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara
Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet
Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit" |
| 2 |
^ According to the Department of Provincial Administration's official register, not taking into account unregistered citizens and immigrants. |
The Kingdom of Thailand (IPA: /ˈtaɪlænd/, Thai: ราชอาณาจักรไทย, IPA: [râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj]) is an independent country in Southeast Asia. To its north lies Laos and Burma; to its east, Laos and Cambodia; to its south, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia; and to its west, the Andaman Sea and Burma. Its capital and largest city is Bangkok,
called "Krung Thep Mahanakorn" in Thai. At 514,000 km² (198,000 sq mi)
, Thailand is the world's 50th largest country in terms of land area,
whilst it is the world's 28th largest country in terms of population. It is comparable in terms of population to countries such as France and United Kingdom, and is similar in land area to France and California, United States. The Thai language is Thailand's official language, written in its own script, and 95% of Thais are Buddhists of the Theravada branch. The culture of Thailand incorporates a great deal of influence from India, China, Cambodia, and the rest of Southeast Asia.
Like most Asian cultures, respect towards ancestors and elders is an
essential part of Thai spiritual practices. Thais have a strong sense
of hospitality and generosity, but also a strong sense of social
hierarchy. Seniority is an important concept in Thai culture. Elders
have by tradition ruled in family decisions or ceremonies.
Thailand has one of the longest monarchies
in history. It is the only Southeast Asian country that was not
colonized by any European power. A unified Thai kingdom was established
in the mid-14th century. Thailand was known as Siam until 1939 when it was renamed. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Axis during World War II, Thailand became a US ally during the Cold War. Thailand is currently facing separatist violence in its three southernmost ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces which border Malaysia.
Thailand exports an increasing value of over $105 billion worth of goods and services annually. Major exports include rice, textiles and footwear, fishery products, rubber, jewelery, automobiles, computers
and electrical appliances. Thailand is the world’s biggest exporter of
rice, exporting about 6.5 million tons of milled rice annually. Rice is
the most important crop in the country; farming thus is the occupation
done by most people of the country.
Etymology
The country's official name was Siam (Thai: สยาม; IPA: [saˈjaːm], RTGS: Sayam origin unknown) until 23 June 1939,[3] when it was changed to Thailand; it was renamed Siam between 1945 and 11 May 1949, after which the name Thailand was once again adopted. The word Thai (ไทย) is not, as commonly believed to be, derived from the word Tai (ไท) meaning "free" in the Thai language; it is, however, the name of an ethnic group from the central plains (the Thai people).[citation needed]
A famous Thai scholar argued that Tai (ไท) 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" (คน) for
people [4].
With that in mind the locals seemed to have also accepted the
alternative meaning and will verbally state that it means "Land of the
free".[citation needed]
Ratcha Anachak Thai (Thai: ราชอาณาจักรไทย) means "Kingdom of Thailand" or "Kingdom of Thai". Etymologically, its components are: -Ratcha- (from Sanskrit raja, meaning "king, royal, realm", from Sanskrit) ; -ana- (from Pāli āṇā, "authority, command, power", itself from Sanskrit ājñā, same meaning) -chak (from Sanskrit chakra, meaning "wheel", a symbol of power and rule).
History
-
- See also: Peopling of Thailand
The region known today as Thailand has been inhabited by humans since the paleolithic period (about 10,000 years ago). Prior to the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th century, various states thrived there, such as the various Tai, Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms, as seen through the numerous archaeological sites and artifacts that are scattered throughout the Siamese landscape. Prior to the 12th century however, the first Thai or Siamese state is traditionally considered to be the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai, which was founded in 1238.
Following the decline and fall of the Khmer empire in the 13th - 14th century, various Buddhist Tai Kingdoms of Sukhothai, Lanna and Lan chang were on the ascendancy. However, a century later, Sukhothai's power was overshadowed by the new kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century.
After Ayutthaya fell in 1767 to the Burmese, Thonburi was the capital of Thailand for a brief period under King Taksin the Great. The current (Rattanakosin) era of Thai history began in 1782 following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great.
Siam retains an immemorial tradition of trade with its neighboring states and the cultures of the Indian ocean and the South China sea. European trade and influence arrived to Thailand in the 16th century, beginning with the Portuguese. Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian
nation never to have been colonised. Two main reasons for this were
that Thailand had a long succession of very able rulers in the 1800s
and that it was able to exploit the rivalry and tension between the French and the British. As a result, the country remained as a buffer state between parts of Southeast Asia that were colonized by the two colonial powers.
Despite this, Western influence led to many reforms in the 19th century
and major concessions, most notably being the loss of large territory
on the east side of the Mekong to the French and the step by step absorption by Britain of the Shan (Thai Yai) States (now in Burma) and the Malay Peninsula.
The loss initially included Penang and Tumasik and eventually
culminated in the loss of three predominantly ethnic-Malay southern
provinces, which later became Malaysia's three northern states, under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.
In 1932, a bloodless revolution resulted in a new constitutional monarchy. During World War II, Thailand became an ally of Japan while at the same time maintaining an active anti-Japanese resistance movement known as the Seri Thai. After the war, Thailand emerged as an ally of the United States. As with many of the developing nations during the Cold War, Thailand then went through decades of political transgression characterised by coups d'état as one military regime replaced another, but eventually progressed towards a stable prosperity and democracy in the 1980s.
In 1997, Thailand was hit with the Asian financial crisis and the Thai baht
for a short time peaked at 56 baht to the US dollar compared to about
25 baht to the dollar before 1997. Since then, the baht has regained
most of its strength and as of 23 May 2007, is valued at 32 baht to the
US dollar.
The official calendar in Thailand is based on Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2008 is called 2551 BE in Thailand.
Politics and government
-
- See also: Constitutions of Thailand
History
Since the political reform of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has had
Classical
from 
