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Thailand - The Land of Smiles
Earlier known as Siam, Thailand shares common borders with Myanmar in the north and the west, Laos in the North-East, Malaysia in the south and Kampuchea in the west.
Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist kingdom, is over 5,00,000 sq km in area with a population of over 60 million. 80% of the population of Thailand is native Thai. The remaining 20% is made up of Chinese (10%), Malays (3%), Mons, Khmers, Laotians and Indians. There has been a fair amount of intigration among the population.
Theravada Budhism is the predominant religion in Thailand, having been brought in by missionaries sent by Indian Emporer Asoka during the 3rd century BC. Practiced by an estimated 90% of the population, Budhism has contributed in a major way to what Thailand is today, a land of rich heritage and culture, a country with a high level of religious tolerance where the minorities are free to practice their religion, be they Christians, Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs.
Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932, currently ruled by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, or King Rama IX, the ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty. The King has reigned since June 9 1946, making him the longest reigning Thai monarch. He exercise his legislative powers through a national assembly, executive powers through a cabinet headed by a prime minister and judicial powers through the law courts.
Thailand enjoys a paliamentary form of democracy. The parliament consists of two houses, The Senate and the House of Representatives and the contry is governed by the Prime minister assisted by a cabinet of Ministers.
The national flag of Thailand is composed of three horizontal bands, red, white and blue. These represent the People, Budhism and the Monarchy.
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