Thailand
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| Thailand ราชอาณาจักรไทย Raja-anachakra Thai |
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| National information | |||||
| National motto: | none | ||||
| National anthem: | Phleng Chat | ||||
| About the people | |||||
| Official languages: | Thai | ||||
| Population: (# of people) |
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| Geography / Places | |||||
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| Capital city: | Bangkok | ||||
| Largest city: | Bangkok | ||||
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| Politics / Government | |||||
| Established: | April 7, 1782 | ||||
| Leaders: | King: Bhumibol Adulyadej Prime Minister: Surayud Chulanont |
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| Economy / Money | |||||
| Currency: (Name of money) |
Baht | ||||
| International information | |||||
| Time zone: | +7 | ||||
| Telephone dialing code: | 66 | ||||
| Internet domain: | .th | ||||
Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia. Its edges touch Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Myanmar (which is also called Burma.) Thailand was called Siam until 1949. The capital (the city where the government is) is called Bangkok. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was not colonised by Western countries due to its westernised system of government at that time.
Thailand has a king, who is the head of state (Person in charge of the country). Today, the king is Bhumibol Adulyadej. Even though he is the head of state, he does not tell the people of the country how the country should work. The person who decides this for the Thai people (people of Thailand) is the Prime Minister, who is the head of government (Person in charge of the government). Today, the Prime Minister is Surayud Chulanont.
Most of the people of Thailand follow the religion called Buddhism, making them Buddhists. However, a small amount of them, mostly in the south part of the country, follow the religion Islam, making them Muslims. Now, some of the Muslims in the south have begun fighting the government of Thailand, because they want to be more independent (free of the control of another country).
On September 19, 2006, the Thai army staged a coup d'état and took power from the Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It was non-violent (they did not fire the guns or hurt anyone). They declared martial law, the law that makes the army control the country.
[edit] History
Many people believe that the first Thai state was the Buddhist kingdom named Sukhothai founded in 1238. A century later, a bigger Thai kingdom named Ayuthaya appeared in the South of Sukhothai. Later Sukhothai became a part of Ayuthaya. Ayuthaya existed for more than 400 years before its fall by the attack of a Burmese kingdom. A Thai soldier then founded a new capital city at Thonburi, and became King Taksin. Thonburi was the capital for a short period. The current era, Rattanakosin, started on the foundation of Bangkok as the capital city by King Rama I of Chakri Dynasty.
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| Countries and territories of Asia |
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Afghanistan | Armenia2 | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Bangladesh | Bhutan | Brunei | Cambodia | China (PRC) | Cyprus2 | East Timor | Gaza Strip | Georgia2 | Hong Kong3 | India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq | Israel | Japan | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Lebanon | Macau3 | Malaysia | Maldives | Mongolia | Myanmar | Nepal | North Korea | Oman | Pakistan | Philippines | Qatar | Russia1 | Saudi Arabia | Singapore | South Korea | Sri Lanka | Syria | Taiwan (ROC) | Tajikistan | Thailand | Turkey1 | Turkmenistan | United Arab Emirates | Uzbekistan | Vietnam | West Bank | Yemen |
| 1. Includes territory in both Europe and Asia. 2. Usually thought of Europe for cultural, Politically and historical reasons. 3. Special territories. |
