Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Brief History
Located just north of the equator Thailand is bordered by Myanmar (Burma) to the northw-
est, Laos to the northeast, Cambodia to the east, and Malaysia to the south. It lies between
the Gulf of Thailand in the east and the Andaman Sea in the west. A little bigger in size than
Spain, Thailand's population has nearly doubled since 1970 to approximately 67 million.
Nearly three quarters of the population are ethnic Thai with the remaining population a mix
of Chinese, Thai-Chinese, Malay and smaller groups of other expats. More than 95% are
Theravada Buddhist, one of two major branches within Buddhism, which has heavily influ-
enced the culture. Thai cuisine reflects the cultural influences from countries like Malaysia,
Cambodia, Myanmar and China, making Thai food a culinary mix of spicy, sweet, sour, and
bitter flavors.
The word "thai" means free and therefore "Thailand" means land of the free which is an ap-
propriate name as it is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been occupied by
foreign powers, a point of pride with the Thai people. You will quickly notice that the people
are very outwardly upbeat and smiley, hardworking and pleasant overall. Thai people say
"mai pen rai" which means "ok", "nevermind" or "it's not a problem" but more than that it
encompasses the focus of their lives that they are to be enjoyed and not filled with worries.
Prior to 1949 Thailand was known as Siam to the rest of the world. The term Siamese twins
comes from two famous Thai brothers, Chang and Eng, who were attached at the midsection
and traveled in a circus in the 1800's. Currently Thailand is ruled by King Bhumibol Aduly-
adej of the Chakri dynasty who took the throne in 1946. He is the longest-serving head of
state that is currently in office and, although it is a constitutional monarchy, it is against the
law to criticize the monarchy.
During World War 2 Thailand allied with Japan and after the war became an ally of the
United States. Since the 1980s it has undergone extensive modernization and development
which boosted the economy and Thailands' global presence. In the last six years there has
been growing anti-government sentiment and in the spring of 2014 there was a military coup
d'état. There were protests and other unrest but since then Thailand has restabilized and the
events did not generally affect tourists.
Asabackpackermeccatherearemanylowbudgettravelersfromallovertheworld.Chinese
nationalsmakeupthelargestpercentageofvisitors,followedby(inorder)Malaysia,Russia,
Japan, South Korea, Laos, India, Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam,
Germany and France.
