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2. The Land of the Free Thailand 3. Why Land of Free? Because through diplomacy the former Kings of Thailand managed to keep Thailand from being colonized by the superpowers then. France, Britain, Portugal, Netherlands were all in the land claiming days and all countries were taken except Thailand which remained free and independent. Thai means free, as in independent. It was once an uncolonised nation, unlike the other SE Asian countries. Because in Thai the name means "land of the free". 4. Thailand ,officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. 5. HISTORY 6. After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th century, various states thrived there, such as the various Tai, Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms, as seen through the numerous archaeological sites and artifacts that are scattered throughout the Siamese landscape. Prior to the 12th century however, the first Thai or Siamese state is traditionally considered to be the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai, which was founded in 1238. 7. Following the decline and fall of the Khmer empire in the 13th15th century, the Buddhist Tai kingdoms of Sukhothai, Lanna and Lan Xang (now Laos) were on the ascension. However, a century later, the power of Sukhothai was overshadowed by the new kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century in the lower Chao Phraya River or Menam area. 8. The Southern Region 9. Thailand controlled the Malay Peninsula as far as Malacca in the 1400s and held much of the peninsula, including Temasek (Singapore) some of the Andaman Islands and a colony on Java, but eventually failed when the British used force to guarantee their suzerainty over the sultanate. Mostly the northern states of the Malay Sultanate presented annual gifts to the Thai king in the form of a golden flower a gesture of tribute and an acknowledgement of vassalage 10. The Malay peninsula provinces were infiltrated by the Japanese during World War II, and by the Malayan Communist Party (CPM) from 1942 to 2008, when they decided to sue for peace with the Malaysian and Thai governments after the CPM lost its support from Vietnam and China subsequent to the Cultural Revolution. 11. Military The Royal Thai Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 18 January, commemorating the victory of King Naresuan the Great in battle against the Crown Prince of Burma in 1593. 12. The Royal Thai Armed Forces constitute the military of the Kingdom of Thailand. They consist of the Royal Thai Army the Royal Thai Navy and the Royal Thai Air Force .It also incorporates various paramilitary forces. Currently, the Royal Thai Armed Forces has a combined manpower of about 800,000 personnel. 13. The Head of the Thai Armed Forces is King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), although this position is only nominal. The Armed Forces is managed by the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, which is headed by the Minister of Defense (a member of the Cabinet of Thailand) and commanded by the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, which in turn is headed by the Chief of Defense Forces of Thailand. 14. According to the constitution, serving in the Armed Forces is a duty of all Thai citizens. However, only males over the age of 21, who have not gone through reserve training of the Army Reserve Force Students, are given the option of whether they want to volunteer for the armed forces, or choose the random draft. The candidates are subjected to varying lengths of training, from six months to two years of full-time service, depending on their education, whether they have partially completed the reserve training course, and whether they volunteered prior to the drafting date (usually 1 April every year). 15. Geography Totaling 513,120 square kilometers (198,120 sq mi), Thailand is the world's 51st-largest country by total area. It is slightly smaller than Yemen and slightly larger than Spain. 16. Thailand is home to several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups. The north of the country is the mountainous area of the Thai highlands, with the highest point being Doi Inthanon in the Thanon Thong Chai Range at 2,565 metres (8,415 ft) above sea level. The northeast, Isan, consists of the Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong River. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand. 17. Southern Thailand consists of the narrow Kra Isthmus that widens into the Malay Peninsula. Politically, there are six geographical regions which differ from the others in population, basic resources, natural features, and level of social and economic development. The diversity of the regions is the most pronounced attribute of Thailand's physical setting 18. Education Thailand enjoys a high level of literacy, and education is provided by a well-organized school system of kindergartens, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools, numerous vocational colleges, and universities. 19. Teaching relies heavily on rote rather than on student-centered methodology. The establishment of reliable and coherent curricula for its primary and secondary schools is subject to such rapid changes that schools and their teachers are not always sure what they are supposed to be teaching, and authors and publishers of textbooks are unable to write and print new editions quickly enough to keep up with the volatile situation. 20. Internet In Bangkok, there are 23,000 free Wi-Fi internet hotspots provided to the public. The Internet in Thailand also consists of 10Gbit/s high speed fiber- optic lines that can be leased and ISP's such as KIRZ that provide residential internet services 21. Language The official language of Thailand is Central Thai, a TaiKadai language predominant of Southern Thai and closely related to Lanna, Lao, Shan in Burma, and numerous smaller languages spoken in an arc from Hainan and Yunnan south to the Chinese border 22. Religion The most common religion is Theravada Buddhism. Thai Buddhism ranks amongst the highest in the world. According to the last census (2000) 94.6% of the total population are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand at 4.6%. The southern tip of Thailand is mostly ethnically Malay, and most Malays are Sunni Muslims. Christians represent 0.7% of the population. 23. Culture Thai culture has been shaped by many influences, including Indian, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, and Chinese. 24. Its traditions incorporate a great deal of influence from India, China, Cambodia, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Thailand's national religion Theravada Buddhism is important to modern Thai identity. Thai Buddhism has evolved over time to include many regional beliefs originating from Hinduism, animism as well as ancestor worship. The official calendar in Thailand is based on the Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2012 is 2555 BE in Thailand. 25. Sports Muay Thai is a native form of kickboxing and Thailand's national sport. It incorporates kicks, punches, knees and elbow strikes in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western boxing and this has led to Thailand gaining medals at the Olympic Games in boxing. 26. Takraw is a sport native to Thailand, which the players hit a rattan ball and only be allowed to use their feet, knees, chest and head to touch the ball. Sepak takraw is a form of this sport which appears in volleyball style, the players must volley a ball over a net and force it to hit the ground on opponent's side. It is a popular in other countries in Southeast Asia also. A rather similar game but played only with the feet is Buka ball. 27. BY : ICT GROUP ADD ME ON FACEBOOK : /CJ.CALUMBA