THAILAND is a Southeast Asian country with a rich and diverse history. It was influenced by Indian and Chinese cultures and ruled by various kingdoms, such as Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, and Chakri. Thailand was never colonized by a European power, thanks to the reforms of King Chulalongkorn. Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932 and a major exporter of rice, rubber, textiles, electronics, and tourism in the 20th century. Thailand also faced challenges, such as wars, rebellions, corruption, human rights violations, and environmental problems.

• TOTAL AREA: 513,120 sq km
• POPULATION: 71,653,956 (2024 est.)
• CAPITAL: Bangkok (population 11,070,000 — 2023)
• ETHNIC GROUPS: Thai 97.5%, Burmese 1.3%, other 1.1%, unspecified <0.1% (2015 est.)
• LANGUAGES: Thai (official) only 90.7%, Thai and other languages 6.4%, only other languages 2.9% (includes Malay, Burmese); English is a secondary language of the elite (2010 est.)
• MAJOR RELIGIONS: Buddhist 90%, Muslim 4%, Christian 3%, other 1%, none 1% (2023 est.)
• TIME DIFFERENCE: UTC+7
• EXCHAGE RATES: Baht (THB) per US Dollar (USD) 33.55 (2024)
• TELEPHONE CODE: +66
• EMERGENCY PHONES: Ambulance/Police: 191, Fire 199
• TIPPING GUIDELINES: A 10% tip is adequate in restaurants, but check to see if a service charge has been added; if so, leave behind some loose change. It is common to round up the fare to the nearest bill in taxi cabs. Most hotels include a 10% service charge in the bill, but you can tip bellhops USD 1-2 for carrying bags to a room. Leave housekeeping 20 baht under your pillow.
• SOUVENIRS: Buddha statues, silk harem pants and other fabric items, hill tribe bags, spices and sauces
• CLIMATE: Thailand has a tropical climate with three seasons: hot, rainy, and dry and cool. The seasons are influenced by monsoon winds that bring warm moist air or cold dry air. The average temperature is around 30°C, and has risen by 0.8°C per century. The hot season is from March to May, and is hot and dry. The rainy season is from mid-May to October, and is wet and humid. The dry and cool season is from November to February, and is cooler in the north and inland, but hot on the coast and in the south. The southern peninsular region has a different rain pattern, with more rain on the east coast in winter and more rain on the west coast in summer.