Free Thailand Tour
The Ultimate Cultural Experience at Your Convenience.
Full Country Name: Thailand (Prathet Thai, meaning "land of the free")
National Flag: The red, white, and blue stripes symbolize the nation,
Buddhism, and the monarchy, respectively.
Capital: Bangkok (Krung Thep, meaning " city of angels")
Geography: The kingdom of Thailand lies in the heart of Southeast
Asia, making it a natural gateway to Indochina, Myanmar and Southern
China. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions : the
mountains and forests of the North; the vast rice fields of the Central
Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the
tropical islands and long coastline of the peninsula South.
The country comprises 76 provinces that are further divided into
districts, subdistricts and villages. Bangkok is the capital city and
centre of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities. It is also
the seat of Thailand's revered Royal Family, with His Majesty the King
recognised as Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, Upholder of
the Buddhist religion and Upholder of all religions.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with His Majesty the King
recognised as Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, Upholder of
the Buddhist religion and Upholder of all religions.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej, or King Rama IX, the ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty, the
present king. The King has reigned for more than half a century,
making him the longestreigning thai monarch. Thailand embraces a
rich diversity of cultures and traditions. With its proud history, tropical
climate and renowned hospitality, the Kingdom is a never-ending
source of fascination and pleasure for international visitors.
Neighboring countries:
1) Myanmar - west and north,
2) Lao P.D.R. - north and northeast,
3) Cambodia - southeast and
4) Malaysia - south.
Area: 513,115 sq. km.
Typography:
Thailand is divided into 4 natural regions:
1) The mountainous North, with its profusion of multi-coloured orchids,
fastinating native handicrafts and winter temperatures are sufficiently
cool to permit cultivation of temperate fruits such as strawberries and
peaches;
2) The high Northeast Plateau, which still jealously guards its many
archaeological and anthropological mysteries;
3) The Central Plain, one of the world's most fertile rice and
fruit-growing areas with colourful traditional culture and way of life as
well as the sandy beaches of the East Coast and vibrant cosmopolitan
Bangkok;
4) The peninsular South where the unspoiled beaches and idyllic
islands complement economically vital tin mining, rubber cultivation and
fishing.
Population: Thais are wellknown for their friendliness and hospitality. A
large majority of over 62 million citizens of Thailand are ethic Thai,
along with strong communities whose ethnic origins lie in China, India
and elsewhere. About 7 million people reside in the capital city of
Bangkok.
People: Thai (80%), Chinese (10%), Malay (3%), and the rest are
minorities (Mons, Khmers, hilltribes) Ethnic Thais form the majority,
though the area has historically been a migratory crossroads, and has
thus produced a degree of ethnic diversity. Integration is such,
however, that culturally and socially there is enormous unity.
Language: Spoken and written Thai is largely incomprehensible to the
casual visitor. However, English is widely understood, particularly in
Bangkok where it is almost the major commercial language. English
and some European Languages are spoken in most hotels, shops and
restaurants in major tourist destinations, and Thai-English road and
street signs are found nationwide.
Religion: Buddhism (95%), Muslim (4%), others (1%)
Government: Thailand has had a constitutional monarchy since 1932.
Parliament is composed of 2 houses, The House of Representatives
and the Senate. Both representatives and senators are elected by the
people. A prime minister elected from among the representatives leads
the government. The country is divided into 76 provinces. The
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration comes under an elected
governor. Appointed provincial governors administer the other 75
provinces (Changwat), which are divided into districts (Amphoe),
sub-districts (Tambon) and villages (Mu Ban).
Head of State: H.R.H. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX of the Chakri
Dynasty)
Prime Minister: Thaksin Shinawatra
Administration: 76 provinces, each subdivided into amphoe (district),
tambon (sub-disrict) and muban (village)
Time: The time in Thailand is seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time (+7 hours GMT).
Climate: Thailand enjoys a tropical climate with three distinct
seasons-hot and dry from February to May (average temperature 34
degrees Celsius and 75% humidity); rainy with plenty of sunshine from
June to October (average day temperature 29 degrees Celsius and
87% humidity); and cool from November to January (temperatures
range from 32 degrees Celsius to below 20 degrees Celsius with a
drop in humidity).
Clothing: Light, cool clothes are sensible and a jacket is needed for
formal meetings and dining in top restaurants. Shorts (except knee
length walking shorts), sleeveless shirts, tank tops and other
beach-style attire are considered inappropriate dress when not
actually at the beach or in a resort area.
Much lower temperatures are experienced in the North and Northeast
during nighttime. The South has a tropical rainforest climate with
temperatures averaging 28 degrees Celsius almost all year round.
Electricity: The electric current is 220 volt AC (50 cycles) throughout
the country. Many different types of plugs and sockets are in use.
Travellers with electric shavers, hair dryers, tape recorders and other
appliances should carry a plug adapter kit. The better hotels will make
available 110-volt transformers.
Weights & measures: The metric system is used throughout Thailand.
Numerals on vehicle speed ometers, highway markers and speed limits
all indicate kilometres.
Tap water: Tap water is clean but drinking from it directly should be
avoided. Bottled water is recommended
Public Holiday:
The Thai Calendar Thailand has adopted the western calendar to
divided the year into days, weeks and months, using Thai names for
these units. Years are numbered according to the Buddhist era (BE)
which commenced 543 years before the Christian era. Therefore 2003
AD is BE 2546 and 2004 is BE 2547.
National public holidays Thailand's national public holidays are linked
to religious or agricultural traditions and follow the lunar calendar,
therefore the dates for some of the holidays change each year.
The following are national public holidays in Thailand :
New Year's Day : Jan 1
Makha Bucha Day : late January to early March
Chakri Day : April 6
Songkran Day : April 13
National Labour Day : May 1
Coronation Day : May 5
Visakha Bucha Day : May
Asanha Bucha Day : July
Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent) : July
HM the Queen's Birthday : August 12
Chulalongkorn Day : October 23
HM the King's Birthday : December 5
Constitution Day : December 10
New Year's Eve : December 31
Money Matters:
Business hours: Most comercial concerns in Bangkok operate on a
five-day week, usually from 8 am to 5 pm. Many stores open seven
days a week from 10 am to 10 pm. Government offices are generally
open between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm with a noon to 1 pm lunch break,
Monday to Friday except on public holidays. Banks are open Mondays
to Fridays from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm except on public holidays.
Currency and Currency exchange: The thai unit of currency is the baht
1 baht is divided into 100 satang. Note are in denominations of 1,000
(brown), 500 (purple), 100 (red), 50 (blue), 20 (green) and 10 (brown)
baht. Coins consist of 25 satang, 50 satang, 1 baht, 5 baht and 10
baht.
Major currency bills and travellers cheques are cashed easily at hotels,
tourist shops, all provincial banks, shopping centres and money
changers.Travellers cheques are best changed in banks (you will need
your passport). Rates of exchange at banks or authorised money
changers are better than those at hotels and department stores.
Any amount of foreign currency may be brought into the country.
Visitors may take foreign currency out of Thailand, but no more than
the amount stated in the customs declaration made on arrival.
Travellers leaving Thailand may take out no more than 50,000 baht
per person in Thai currency.
Credit Cards: Credit cards are widely accepted. For lost cards :
American Express Tel : 0 2273 5100 or 0 2273 0022
Diners Club Tel : 0 2238 2920 or 0 2238 2680
Master Card Tel : 0 2256 7326-7
Visa Tel : 0 2256 7326-7
Postal Services: Thailand's mail service is reliable and efficient. Major
hotels provide basic postal services on their premises. Provincial post
offices are usually open from 8.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
International Roaming Mobile Phone: A Subscriber Identity Module
Card (SIM Card) is now available for Thai and foreigh customers who
are travelling around for work. The SIM Card must be used in
conjunction with a Digital GSM mobile phone within the 900-MHz range
or a Digital PCN mobile phone within the 1800-MHz range.
Fax and E-mail: All of Thailand's leading hotels offer facsimile (fax) and
e-mail services. Numerous private businesses offer such facilities, most
often in conjunction with translation services.
Internet Services: Thailand has been expanding its information service
for residents and tourists alike through the Internet system. Services
are now available at Thailand's leading hotels and at the many "
cybercafes " that are cropping up in all major tourist destinations.
Telephone services: At present, all telephone numbers (for local calls
and long distance calls within the country) have nine digits.
For Bangkok calls, 02 is added to the existing numbers i.e. 0 2694
1222.
For provincial calls, an area code is added to the existing numbers.
For example, area code for Chiang Mai is 053 = 0 5324 8604; area
code for Phuket is 076 = 0 7621 1036.
For mobile phones, 01 or 09 is added to the existing numbers.
The new system has no effect on international phone calls.
The international dialling code for Thailand is 66.
When making international calls to Thailand, add 66 and omit the
leading 0.
When making international calls from Thailand, first dial 001+country
code+area code+telephone number
If calling Laos or Malaysia, there is a special code which is charged at
a semi-domestic rate.
When calling Laos, first dial 007+856+area code+telephone number
When calling Malaysia, first dial 09+06+area code+telephone number
Direct assistance: 1133 (local), 100 (international)
Emergency Telephone Numbers:
Central Emergency (Police, Ambulance, Fire) : 191
Highway Patrol : 1193
Crime Suppression : 195 or 0 2513 3844
Tourist Police (English, French and German spoken) : 1155
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Call Centre : 1672
Immigration Bureau : 0 2287 3101-10
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