Page 73 - Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Thailand

Facts & Figures

• Area: 198,115 square miles

• Capital: Bangkok

• Languages: Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), and ethnic and regional
dialects are spoken.

• Ethnicities: Thai 95.9%, Burmese 2%, other 2.2%

• Location: Thailand is bordered by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia

• Geography: Thailand is roughly the size of France or the state of Texas. The country has
been described as a huge rice paddy interrupted by the sprawling metropolis of Bangkok.
However, that assessment isn’t entirely fair. In fact, the country’s geography is actually
quite varied, with a rich central plain, heavily forested mountains in the north, and a
tropical rain forest along the southern peninsula.

• Population: 67,741,401

• Religions: Buddhist 93.6%, Muslim 4.9%, Christian 1.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.1%
(2014 estimate)

• Time zone: Thailand is twelve hours ahead of U.S. EST. So when it is 6am in Washington
D.C., it is 6pm in Bangkok.

National Holidays: Thailand

In addition to the holidays listed below, 05/05 Coronation Day
Thailand celebrates a number of national
7/30 King’s Birthday
holidays that follow a lunar calendar. To
ʭYO Z`_ TQ dZ` bTWW MP _]LaPWTYR O`]TYR _SP^P # ?SP <`PPYɪ^ -T]_SOLd 8Z_SP]ɪ^ /Ld
holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.
com/holidays. 10/13 Passing of King Bhumibol

01/01 New Year’s Day 10/23 Chulalongkorn Day
04/06 Chakri Day 12/05 Father’s Day

04/13-4/17 Songkran 12/10 Constitution Day
05/01 Labor Day 12/31 New Year’s Eve

Historical Overview of Thailand
Early History

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