Thailand

Overview

The best cultures and backgrounds makes Thailand an interesting and memorable country to visit. More people visit Thailand than any other country in Southeast Asia. This is no surprise as the Royal Kingdom of Thailand has much to offer for the visitor: historic culture, lively arts, beautiful beaches, a good nightlife, friendly and hospitable people and last but not least one of the best cuisines in the world. Travel in Thailand is easy due to a good network of trains, busses and airplanes. Most visitors enter the country via the Southeast Asian travel hub Bangkok , the City of Angels. From there you can do great daytrips to cities like the former capital Ayutthaya and Kanchanaburi , known for the River Kwai bridge.  Popular beach islands include Koh Samui and Phuket Island. Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand is popular for Thai culture and scenary.

From there most visitors head either north or south. In the north you can visit the interesting cities of Sukhothai , Chiang Mai , Chiang Rai or Mae Hong Son . The north is known for its fantastic trekking possibilities, the interesting hill tribes, and its gentle Lanna culture. In the south the traveler can relax at some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, for example, Koh Tao , Krabi , Koh Samui or Phuket or Trang . Some areas are very touristy, but it is easy to find some quiet spots.  A little closer to Bangkok there is the resort town of Hua Hin  ...more

History

Southeast Asia has been inhabited for more than half a million years. Recent archaeological studies suggest that by 4000 B.C. communities in what is now Thailand had emerged as centers of early bronze metallurgy. This development along with the cultivation of wet rice provided the impetus for social and political organization. Research suggests that these innovations may actually have been transmitted from there to the rest of Asia including to China.

The Thai are related linguistically to groups originating in southern China. Migrations from southern China to Southeast Asia may have occurred in the 6th and 7th centuries. Malay Mon and Khmer civilizations flourished in the region prior to the arrival of the ethnic Thai.

Thais date the founding of their nation to the 13th century. According to tradition in 1238 Thai chieftains overthrew their Khmer overlords at Sukhothai and established a Thai kingdom. After its decline a new Thai kingdom emerged in 1350 on the Chao Praya River.

The first ruler of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya King Rama Thibodi made two important contributions to Thai history: the establishment and promotion of Theravada Buddhism as the official religion (to differentiate his kingdom from the neighboring Hindu kingdom of Angkor) and the compilation of the Dharmashastra a legal code based on Hindu sources and traditional Thai custom. The Dharmashastra remained a tool of Thai law until late in the 19th century. Beginning with the Portuguese in the 16th century Ayutthaya had some contact with the West but until the 1800s its relations with neighboring...more