Country's Full Name: Kingdom of Thailand; Ratcha Anachak Thai

Brief History: Formerly known as Siam, Thailand remains the only country never occupied by any European country. In the local dialect the word "Thai" means free, deriving Thailand as "the land of free". Thais have Mongloid origin with Chinese ancestral links. Unified Thailand came into existence in 1350 with a new dynasty led by King Ramathibodi I (Uthong). As Thailand was prone to Burmese attack the capital was shifted to present day Bangkok. In 1782, the King Phra Buddha Yodfah Chulaloke (Rama I) was coroneted starting a new Chakri dynasty. The present day King belongs to the same dynasty. Thailand was briefly occupied by Japan in 1941 in the Second World War. Albeit King is the chief of state, the country is ruled by democratic and military rulers. In the latest development a referendum held in August 2007 suggests military to go back in barracks within a year.

What is the country known for:
The country is favored tourist destination bringing loads of tourists every year.
Predominately a Buddhist country, visit the ancient monasteries and temples found rampant in the country.
Pattaya remains the most famous city in Thailand for its bright nightlife, sandy beaches.

Main Industries:
Tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer.
Agriculture - products: rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans
Natural resources: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land

Main Trading Partners:
Exports - partners: Colombia 15%, US 12.6%, Japan 9%, China 6.4%, Singapore 5.5%, Hong Kong 5.1% (2006)
Exports: $143.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances

Imports - partners: Malaysia 19.9%, Japan 10.6%, China 7.5%, US 6.6%, Malaysia 5.5%, UAE 4.4% (2006)
Imports: $121.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels

Major Cities: Bangkok, 6,320,174; Nonthanburi, 304,700; Chiang Mai, 175,500

Location:
Thailand is situated in the heart of Southeast Asia bordered to the north by Myanmar (Burma) and Laos, to the east by Kampuchea (Camdodia) and to the south by Malaysia. Its largely flat terrain, tropical climate and abundant rivers have made it one of the most fertile countries in the world.

Size:
Total: 514,000 sq km (land: 511,770 sq km/water: 2,230 sq km)
Slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming

Time Zone: GMT/UTC 7 hours

Type of Government: Thailand remains a constitutional monarchy where the king is honored as "Son of God".
The bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consisted of the Senate or Wuthisapha having 150 seats serving six-year term; and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon having 480 seats serving four-year term. After military coup in September 2006, coup leaders appointed an interim National Assembly with 250 members to act as Senate and House of Representatives.

Chief of State: King Phumiphon Adunyadet (Bhumibol Adulyadej) (since 9 June 1946)
Head of government: Prime Minister Samak Sundavavej (since 29 January 2008)

National Holidays:

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
1 Feb *Magha Bucha Day.
6 Apr Chakri Day.
15 Apr Songkran (Thai New Year).
28 Apr Visakha Bucha.
1 May Labour Day.
5 May Coronation Day.
1 Jul *Khao Phansa Day (Buddhist Lent).
1 Jul Mid Year Bank Holiday.
12 Aug HM The Queen's Birthday.
23 Oct Chulalongkorn Day.
5 Dec HM The King's Birthday.
10 Dec Constitution Day.
31 Dec New Year's Eve.

Note
* The religious festivals are determined by the Buddhist lunar calendar and therefore are difficult to predict. The dates provided here are estimates.
** Date to be confirmed.
Generally people in Thailand don't work on Saturdays.

Population:
65,068,149
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.6% (male 7,195,750/female 6,870,858)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 22,547,238/female 23,092,881)
65 years and over: 8.2% (male 2,437,640/female 2,923,782) (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth (2007 est): total population: 72.55 years (male: 70.24 years/female: 74.98 years)

Religion:
Buddhist 95%, Islam 5%, Christian 1% (2000 census)
Ethnic groups: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Language: Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects.

Local Customs:
Never disrespect the king or the royal family, they are the most revered.
Keep off your shoes when visiting a religious place or when invited to somebody's home.

Best time to go: The climate of popular destinations remains hot and humid round the year. Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok the most popular tourist destinations remain drenched from April to November. December to March remains the favorable season to visit.

Currency:

1 US Dollar = 31.64687 Thai Baht
1 Thai Baht (THB) = 0.03160 US Dollar (USD)

1 British Pound = 61.59715 Thai Baht
1 Thai Baht (THB) = 0.01623 British Pound (GBP)

1 Euro = 45.92246 Thai Baht
1 Thai Baht (THB) = 0.02178 Euro (EUR)

Customs:
Cigarettes, cigars, or smoking tobacco each or in total must not exceed 250 grams in weight but cigarettes not exceeding 200 in quantity. One liter each of wine or spirits may be brought in free of duty.

Tipping:
In upscale restaurants 10 percent service charge is added to the bill. The locals leave the loose change as acceptance of good service.
Bell boys may be given 10-20 Baht as gratuity.
Many massage parlors don't expect you to give the tip to the masseuse or masseurs. It depends upon you to tip for exemplary service up to 100 Baht.
Taxi drivers can be rounded off as tip.