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Thailand Country & Its People
 Thailand is a place of exquisite natural beauty, filled with tropical rainforests, golden sand beaches, and traditional mountain and fishing villages. Striking patchworks of rice paddies and fruit orchards cover the fertile delta of the Chao Phraya River, which flows through Bangkok and into the Gulf of Siam. The mighty Mekong River lies to the northeast along the long border with Laos. The country extends north from the Malay Peninsula up a narrow isthmus before expanding east toward Laos and continuing north, giving a map of Thailand the approximate shape of an elephant's profile.
Thailand's history is rich, and evidence of early Pleistocene cultures goes back as far as 600,000 BC. The ancestors of the present-day Thais arrived in the 10th century AD, coming in successive migrations from Southwestern China and settling in the northern hill country around the Mekong River. The first independent Thai kingdom appeared in the mid-13th century when Thais defeated the Khmer at Sukhothai. The kingdom expanded greatly under its third ruler, King Ramkhamhaeng, who is also credited with creating the Thai alphabet. Buddhist art and architecture from this period, called the Dawn of Happiness, are considered the finest Thailand has produced.
By 1350, the capital had moved to Ayutthaya, in central Thailand, where it remained until 1569 when it was destroyed by invaders from Burma. Within twenty years, however, Ayutthaya had been completely rebuilt. The 16th and 17th centuries brought diplomatic and commercial relations with Europe, and by 1656 the city had a thriving population of over a million people.
 In 1783 Rama I founded the Chakri Dynasty and moved the Thai capitol to Bangkok. King Rama IV (made famous by Yul Brenner in The King and I ) is remembered by the Thai people as a visionary leader who started Thailand down the road to reform. His son, Rama V, took those reforms further, and by the time of his death in 1910, Thailand had become a modern nation recognized by the world. The transition to a constitutional monarchy came in 1933 when the Rama VII granted universal suffrage and general elections.
In the 1980's, Thailand emerged as an economic force in Southeast Asia. Modern Thailand continues to industrialize rapidly with extensive investment coming from China and Japan. Though the Thai constitution gives the king very limited power, Thailand's current ruler, King Bhumibol (Rama IX), wields considerable moral and political authority. Throughout his fifty-year reign, the king has played an active role in instituting and overseeing programs for rural development. The respect in which he is held enables him to act as a forceful mediator in resolving political disputes.
Thailand has three distinct seasons--a dry, cool season from October to March, a short hot and humid period from April to May (mango showers), and a wet season from June to September. This climate supports a wide variety of flora and fauna, including 35,000 species of wild orchids, many spectacular butterflies, and tropical rainforests and coastal mangroves. Thai cuisine is as complex and exciting as any in the world, making use of such wildly varied ingredients as basil, chilis, ginger, garlic, coconut, curry, lemon grass, and peanut sauce. Each region or locale features its own distinctive specialties taking advantage of local ingredients. And Thai markets--cornucopias of fruits and vegetables, clothing and crafts, silks and sarongs--never fail to delight the senses.
 Thailand's culture has been infused with Buddhism ever since Indian missionaries brought the religion in the third century BC. Thai art and architecture have been masterfully refined over the centuries to commemorate the glory of the Buddha--so much so that Thailand is sometimes called the Land of Golden Temples. There are ornate pavilions for joyous celebrations and meditation, gold-domed pagodas in memorial to all past, present and future Buddhas, and intricately carved temples for worship and spiritual devotion.
Thailand remains a strong and independent nation, entirely free from the legacy of Western colonial occupation that hangs over many of its neighbors. The Thai people are independent and proud, qualities that in no way diminish their unrivaled graciousness and hospitality to foreigners. It is no accident that Thailand is called the Land of Smiles |
