General
Using a coastline spanning 3,219 km, the dominion of Thailand (formerly referred to as Siam) geographically is based on Se Asia and shares borders with Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. It features a land section of approximately 515,000 sq km roughly equating for the height and width of France and is made of 76 provinces, that are divided up into four main zones: North of manchester, The North East, Central and South.
History
Thailand can be a country with rich traditions along with a long history from various influences in the east and also through the west. From your Kings in the early Sukhothai Period as much as today, Thailand has produced a definite characteristic appearance to the outer world.
Government
Thailand has been a completely independent nation since 1238 AD and is proudly really the only country in East Asia that’s never been colonised by way of a foreign power. Thailand’s government has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932 and authoritarian ruling bodies have maintained power throughout most of the Thai political history.
From 1958 to 1971 the executive powers with the King were exercised from the Pm as well as the Council of Ministers, his legislative powers by the National Assembly, and his judicial system consists of the Courts of First Instance, the Court of Appeals as well as the Top court.
Since 1971, Thailand’s government has experienced numerous changes. However, the Monarchy as well as the bureaucracy has always been, maintaining stability.
Monarchy
The King of Thailand (His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej) is the world’s longest reigning monarch which is held with utmost respect by all Thais.
The season 2006 marked the King’s 60th year around the throne throughout that they has tirelessly devoted six decades to initiating and implementing a large number of projects for improving and sustaining land development, irrigation, agriculture, healthcare and the training along with the well-being from the Thai people.
Whilst it could be common for most people to openly criticise the Thai Government, it really is considered an insult to criticise or disparage any members from the Thai Royal Family.
People
Thailand features a population of approximately 65 million and has an unemployment rate of approximately 2.6%. Even if this might seem low, it represents a clear, crisp increase from 0.9% in 1997 ahead of the start of Asian financial crisis.
Language and Religion
Thailand’s official language, Thai, is tonal and understood and used nationwide. English is usually used and understood for business and international purposes. Additional regional dialects also exist, differing from north to south and east to west, all of these are members with the Thai half the Thai-Kadai family of languages. The Thai script derives from your Indic ancient writing systems of Pali and Sanskrit and contains 44 consonants and 32 vowels.
Buddhism plays a key role in society and shapes every aspect of daily life in Thailand. With approximately 27,000 temples during the entire country, Buddhism has long since been recognised since the country’s most generally practised religion by roughly 95% of the united states, significantly influencing both Thai society and culture. Islam also is the reason for approximately 4% and Christianity as well as other minority religions comprising 1%.
Education
The common many years of schooling in Thailand is 6.5, with its literacy rate waiting on 95.5%, one of several highest in South East Asia, due to the high priority written by the Government towards a greater national budget being allotted to education.
There are lots of universities and colleges, nearly all that are situated in Bangkok, offering degree courses, and lots of training colleges and vocational schools. Two of Bangkok’s universities, Thammasat and Chulalongkorn are believed to get one of several Top 50 in Asia.
There has also been significant growth recently inside the internationally accredited and affiliated large international schools because of the amount of expatriates situated in Thailand but in addition due to wealthier Thai families preferring their kids for a much more global style of education.
Climate
The majority of Thailand is extremely humid, with humidity degrees of between 66% and 82%, with regards to the time of day and season. Winter (November to February) is comparatively cool and dry by having an average temperature around 21�-24�C. Summer (March to May) is hot and humid with an average temperature around 35�-40�C. The monsoon season (June to October) is hot and rainy, with average temperatures ranging around 24�-30�C.
Time
Thailand’s time zone is 7 hours in advance of GMT/UTC (London). Daylight saving is just not followed.
Currency
The nation’s unit of currency is the Thai baht (THB), that’s put into 100 satang. Notes are issued in 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 baht denominations, while coins contain 25 and 50 satang and the more common 1, 2, 5 and 10 baht coins. US Dollars can be accepted in tourist areas or towards the borders of neighbouring countries. Cards may also be widely accepted nationwide in many shops and all major shops. Exchange rate USD1.00 = THB34.00 (October 2007).
Business Hours
Most companies operate an 8 hours day, 5 days a week, beginning between 8.00am and 9.00am which has a one-hour lunch time from noon. Banks are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Private shops would not have set business hours and in some cases stay open late.
Communication
Thailand comes with an efficient postal service plus a modern telecommunications network, including a major international direct telephone service functioning One day. International postage is also cheap, reliable and efficient.
Cellular phone networks will also be increasing fast for instance AIS, DTAC, True Move and Hutch. Prepaid sim cards for cellphones are available and employed in any imported phone and respective recharge cards will also be inexpensive and simple to locate.
Government entities has approved further expansion with the telecommunication networks to satisfy the expected further growth in the economy. Internet cafes are wide ranging, specially in areas using a large number of holidaymakers, e.g. Phuket, Samui and Bangkok.
Thailand is more advanced inside the cyber world than the majority of South East Asia and also the popularity the high-speed Internet rates continue to competitively drop every year.
Medical Facilities
Medical facilities in Bangkok are much like those available in Western countries. Bangkok has 3 University research hospitals, 12 private and public hospitals and numerous medical clinics.
Transportation
Entry by land, air, river or sea into Thailand is permitted at various border crossing points from Malaysia: (Betong, Padang Besar, Sadao and Sungai Kolok), Myanmar: (Mae Sai, Mae Sot, Ranong and Three Pagodas Pass), Laos: (Chiang Kong, Chong Mek, Mukhdahan, Nakhon Phanom and Nongkhai) and Cambodia: (Hat Lek and Aranya Prathet).
The new Suvarnabhumi Airport is Thailand’s major international airport and is the key hub for all in and outbound air traffic in Thailand since September 2006. It serves over 80 major international airline carriers with direct flights to destinations throughout the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide.
The national carrier, Thai Airways International and also the smaller domestic airline, Bangkok Airways, present an extensive domestic schedule to everyone major centres in Thailand. Furthermore, the low-cost airlines for instance PB Air, Orient Thai Air, Phuket Airline, Nok Air and Thai AirAsia present an extensive schedule to centres in Thailand and the ASEAN countries.
Additionally, there are extensive and regular rail links and bus routes between Bangkok and all sorts of major towns and cities throughout Thailand and neighbouring countries.
In Bangkok, the well serviced and regular 2 lines in the elevated-rail system called the Skytrain (BTS) and the single underground 18-station subway network (MRT) relieve people in the traffic congestion, providing daily commuters air-conditioned comfort and speed.
Living Conditions
Bangkok is a cosmopolitan city, where expatriates generally try a high total well being. Supermarkets stock a number of imported food products besides local produce, and a massive amount leisure activities can be found including soccer, rugby, tennis, cricket in particular, golf.
Bangkok comes with its frustrations however, specially the traffic and pollution, however numerous resorts and scenic attractions including Pattaya, Hua Hin, Rayong, Kanchanaburi and Khao Yai National Park are in easy reach for weekend breaks beyond your city.
Housing & Accommodation
An array of accommodation can be acquired, specially in Bangkok, from basic, relatively inexpensive apartments to expensive luxury condominiums and serviced apartments.
Most expatriate accommodation is found the Sukhumvit and Sathorn/Silom areas, that are near to retail and business centres. On many occasions, employers of expatriates could also provide financial aid for accommodation.
Chambers of Commerce
There are a number of active international Chambers of Commerce operating in Thailand, such as American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AUSCHAM), Belgian/Luxembourg, British Chamber of Commerce (BCCT), Canadian, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, German-Thai Chamber of Commerce, Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce, India-Thai, Italian, Japanese, Korean-Thai, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norwegian, Singapore-Thai, South African, Swedish.
