Thailand is an online guide to help you get to know Thailand, a major travel destination on mainland Southeast Asia. Thailand or Prathet Thai (ประเทศไทย ), and also known as the Kingdom of Thailand (or Ratcha Anachat Thai, ราชอาณาจักรไทย ), is a country on mainland Southeast Asia. It covers 513,120 sq km (198,115 sq mi) and has a population of 68.8 million people (2016 estimate). The capital of Thailand and also its biggest city is Bangkok.
Thailand is seven hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+7). Traffic is driven on the left here, just as in neighbouring Malaysia. The phone IDD code for Thailand is +66. The official currency is the Baht (THB). The official language of the country is Thai.
The pristine Pileh Lagoon on the island of Phi Phi Ley in Thailand (4 November 2005)
Fisherman's hut in the sea off Ko Yo in Songkhla Province (11 June 2005)
The 76 provinces of Thailand are subdivided into districts, called amphoe (อำเภอ ), and these are further sub-divided into neighborhoods, called tambon (ตำบล ).
A young hilltribe woman with her infant (21 December 2002)
The district containing the administrative office is known as Amphoe Mueang. These are the location of the original Mueang (เมือง ), or historical city state, from which the province developed around. All the provinces share the same name as the provincial capital, with the term Changwat denoting the province and Mueang denoting the capital. Hence Changwat Chiang Mai is Chiang Mai Province while Mueang Chiang Mai is Chiang Mai City. The term "city" is used here as an approximation to denote the provincial capital.
The economy of Thailand, formerly based on agriculture, is today more diversified. Tourism and manufacturing are now major components of the Thai economy. In 2010, Thailand had an estimated nominal GDP of $514.7 billion (2018 estimate), equivalent to a per capita nominal GDP of $7,588. Its per capita GDP at purchasing power parity was $18,943.
Thailand is a constitutional monarch. The king is His Majesty, Maha Vajiralongkorn, who ascended the throne on 13 October, 2016. He was born on 28 July, 1952, as the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and reigns by the title of Rama X.
Huts on the water of Cheow Lan Lake, which formed due to Ratchaprapa Dam, at Khao Sok National Park (26 December 2003)
Thailand is an inviting destination with much to offer travellers, whether they are looking for culture, history or sun-and-surf. The biggest tourist destinations in Thailand, apart from the capital Bangkok, include Phuket, Ko Samui, Chiang Mai and Pattaya.
There are still hill tribes still live on the northern part of Thailand, especially in the hinterland north of Chiang Mai, in places close to the border of Myanmar. There, they continue to practise their age-old customs and wear their traditional attires. Among the tribes are the Akha, the Hmong, the Mien, the Lahu, the Lisu, to name a few. Each has its own costume - their tribal uniform - which distinguishes them not only by tribe, but also by their social status, age, marital status, and even their village. Perhaps the most intriguing are the Padaung, better known as the long-neck people because the women wear brass rings around their arms, legs and necks. Although this custom is diminishing, many have once again taken up this practise for commercial purpose.
Here I am with a Padaung lady (21 December, 2002)
Some of the oldest cities and kingdoms to have flourished in Thailand were founded on the north, chiefly between Sukhothai and the northern border. These ancient cities will give us an insight into the life in Thailand many centuries ago. Although most of the temples are now in ruins, they have been meticulously preserved in heritage parks such as Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai.
The capital of Thailand, Bangkok, is a modern-day metropolis at the geographical centre of the nation. Within driving distances are the beach resorts of Pattaya and Hua Hin. Going further east, we come upon Khmer ruins within the border of Cambodia. Among these are Prasat Hin Phimai and Prasat Phanom Wan, both outside Nakhon Ratchasima.
Negotiating a tight spot inside Ley Cave in Trang Province (3 November 2005)
The gilded chedi of Wat Haripunchai in Lamphun (24 October 2006)
Thailand Customs
Entering Thailand, visitors may bring in any amount of foreign banknotes.
Leaving Thailand, visitors may take out a maximum of 50,000 baht in Thai currency.
Foreigners may bring in without tax one camera, 5 rolls of film, 200 cigarettes, 1 litre of wine.
Thailand SIM Card
If you are planning to stay more than two days in Thailand, it would be wise to get a Thailand SIM Card for your phone. Here are your options, as of October 2018:
Thailand TrueMove H offers unlimited 3G/4G Sim Card for 8-day use. Happy Tourist SIM Card priced at 49 baht, 199 baht, 299 baht and 599 baht. Details
Thailand Public Holidays
New Year Day: 1 January
Magha Puja: Full moon in February/March. This festival commemorates the speech given by Buddha to 1,250 enlightened monks. Throughout Thailand, devotees carry candles and circumambulate the main shrine of the wats three times in the clockwise direction.
Chinese New Year: January/February
Chakri Day: 6 April, commemorates the establishment of the royal house of Chakri
Songkran: 13-15 April - Thai New Year, characterised by water throwing.
Coronation Day: 5 May
Ploughing Ceremony: May, actual day varies
Visakha Puja: Full moon in May, to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha
Asalaha Puja: Full moon in July, to commemorate Buddha's first sermon
Khao Phansa: July, beginning of the Buddhist rainy season retreat
Queen's Birthday: 12 August
Chulalongkorn Day: 23 October
Loy Krathong: Full moon in November, when people head to rivers and lakes to float candle-laden banana-leaf floats called the krathong, intended to be a thanksgiving offering to the water deity. It is also believed that bad luck floats away with the krathong. A spectacular light show takes place at the Sukhothai Historical Park.
2 December, 2016: The crown prince of Thailand formally accepted the invitation to ascend the throne to reign as King Rama X of the Chakri Dynasty. He will take the title of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.
Private Guided Tours of Penang
If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.
Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang
Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.
Adakah anda mempunyai hartanah untuk dijual atau disewakan? Adakah anda ingin membeli atau menyewa hartanah? Hubungi saya. WhatsApp saya (Timothy Tye) di 012 429 9844, dan saya akan menugaskan salah seorang ejen hartanah saya untuk berkhidmat kepada anda. Saya akan pilih ejen untuk anda, mengikut keperluan hartanah anda. Oleh itu, apabila anda menghantar mesej kepada saya, berikan saya beberapa butiran tentang apa yang anda perlukan, sama ada untuk menjual, untuk membeli, untuk disewakan atau untuk disewakan, dan jenis hartanah apakah itu kondo, pangsapuri, rumah, kedai, pejabat atau tanah.
Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.
Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.