The Kingdom of Thailand is situated in South East Asia and borders Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia. The area of present day Thailand has been inhabited since prehistoric times.

Thailand was a part of the Khmer Empire – the largest continuous empire in South East Asia, which lasted from the 8th to the 13th Century, after which a Buddhist Kingdom was founded. In 1782, Bangkok became the capital of the Chakri dynasty under the rule of King Rama I the Great. Although influenced by the European powers and neighbouring Colonies,

Thailand is the only country in South East Asia never to have been colonised. Intelligent Thai rulers managed to use the rivalry between France and the United Kingdom to their advantage. A bloodless coup in 1932 established a constitutional monarchy. During World War II, Thailand was an ally of Japan, but during the Cold War it allied itself with the United States. Until a relatively stable democracy was formed in the 1980, Thailand underwent several coups and military regimes.

Inhabitants: 63,000,000
Area: 500,000 km2
Capital: Bangkok (8,200,000 inhabitants)
Languages: Thai
Religion: Buddhists (95%), Muslims (4%), others (1%)
GDP (PPP) per capita: $9,200
Government: Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
Climate: Thailand has a tropical climate with high temperature and humidity. The seasons are dominated by Monsoons.