Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, as the ruling monarch. The King has reigned for more than half a century, making him the longest reigning Thai monarch
and the longest reigning current monarch in the world. The King is
recognized as the Head of State, the Head of the Armed Forces, the
Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and Defender of the Faith. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been ruled by a European
power. However, during the Second World War, and while claiming
neutrality, Thailand was occupied by the armed forces of the Empire of
Japan who built the infamous 'Death Railway' using captured Allied
Prisoners of War and slave Asian labourers.
The culture of Thailand incorporates a great deal of influence from
India, China, Cambodia, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Thailand's main
theology Theravada Buddhism is central to modern Thai identity and belief. In practice, Thai BuddhismIslamBurma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia and have maintained a distinctly traditional way of life despite strong Thai cultural influence. Overseas Chinese
also form a significant part of Thai society, particularly in and
around Bangkok. Their successful integration into Thai society has
allowed for this group to hold positions of economic and political
power, the most noteworthy of these being the Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who held power from 2001 until 19 September 2006 when he was ousted by a military coup d'Ć©tat.
Like most Asian cultures, respect towards ancestors is an essential
part of Thai spiritual practice. Thais have a strong sense of
hospitality and generosity, but also a strong sense of social
hierarchy. Seniority is an important concept in Thai culture. Elders
have by tradition ruled in family decisions or ceremonies.
The traditional Thai greeting, the wai,
is generally offered first by the youngest of the two people meeting,
with their hands pressed together, fingertips pointing upwards as the
head is bowed to touch their face to the hands, usually coinciding with
the spoken word "Sawat-dii khrap" for male speakers, and "Sawat-dii ka"
for females. The elder then is to respond afterwards in the same way.
Social status and position, such as in government, will also have an
influence on who performs the wai
first. For example, although one may be considerably older than a
provincial governor, when meeting it is usually the visitor who pays
respect first. When children leave to go to school, they are taught to wai
to their parents to represent their respect for them. They do the same
when they come back. The wai is a sign of respect and reverence for
another, similar to the namaste greeting of India.
Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is the national sport in Thailand and its native martial art
call "Muay." In the past "Muay" was taught to Royal soldiers for combat
on battlefield if unarmed. After they retired from the army, these
soldiers often became Buddhist monks and stayed at the temples. Most of
the Thai people's lives are closely tied to Buddhism and temples; they
often send their sons to be educated with the monks. ā€¯Muayā€¯ is also one
of the subjects taught in the temples.[26]
Muay Thai achieved popularity all over the world in the 1990s. Although similar martial arts styles exist in other southeast Asian
countries, few enjoy the recognition that Muay Thai has received with
its full-contact rules allowing strikes including elbows, throws and
knees. This is due to Thailand's economic standing in the world while
other nation such as Cambodia, Laos and Burma are listed as the world's Least Developed Countries by the UN. Association football,
however, has possibly overtaken Muay Thai's position as most widely
viewed and liked sport in contemporary Thai society and it is not
uncommon to see Thais cheering their favourite English Premier League
teams on television and walking around in replica kits. Another widely
enjoyed pastime, and once a competitive sport, is kite flying.
Taboos in Thailand include touching someone's head or pointing with
the feet, as the head is considered the most sacred and the foot the
dirtiest part of the body. Stepping over someone, or over food, is
considered insulting. However, Thai culture as in many other Asian
cultures, is succumbing to the influence of globalization with some of
the traditional taboos slowly fading away with time.
Books and other documents are the most revered of secular objects.
One should not slide a book across a table or place it on the floor.[citation needed]
Thai cuisine
blends five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty.
Some common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies,
lime juice, lemon grass, and fish sauce. The staple food in Thailand is
rice, particularly jasmine variety rice
(also known as Hom Mali rice) which is included in almost every meal.
Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice, and Thais
domestically consume over 100 kg of milled rice per person per year.[24] Over 5000 varieties of rice from Thailand are preserved in the rice gene bank of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in the Philippines. The King of Thailand is the official patron of IRRI.[27]
Thai society has been influenced in recent years by its
widely-available multi-language press and media. There are numerous
English, Thai and Chinese newspapers in circulation; most Thai popular
magazines use English headlines as a chic
glamor factor. Most large businesses in Bangkok operate in English as
well as other languages. Thailand is the largest newspaper market in
South East Asia with an estimated circulation of at least 13 million
copies daily in 2003. Even upcountry, out of Bangkok, media flourishes.
For example, according to Thailand's Public Relations Department Media
Directory 2003-2004, the nineteen provinces of northeast Thailand
themselves hosted 116 newspapers in addition to radio, TV and cable. ...Pictures of each part of Thailand... North of Thailand              
South of Thailand
East of Thailand
     
North East of Thailand
                 
Rocket Festival in North East
           
Middle of Thailand
                 
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