Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 70 million, it spans 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi). Thailand is bordered to the northwest by Myanmar, to the northeast and east by Laos, to the southeast by Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the southwest by the Andaman Sea; it also shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the southeast and Indonesia and India to the southwest. Bangkok is the state capital and largest city.
Walking Street, a red-light district in Pattaya. Prostitution in Thailand is not illegal. Section 5 of the relevant Act makes that very clear. What is forbidden is openly and shamelessly offering sexual services or causing a public nuisance. However, due to police corruption and an economic reliance on prostitution dating back to the Vietnam War, it remains a significant presence in the country. It results from poverty, low levels of education and a lack of employment in rural areas. Prostitutes mostly come from the northeastern (Isan) region of Thailand, from ethnic minorities or from neighbouring countries, especially Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. In 2019, UNAIDS estimated the total population of sex workers in Thailand to be 43,000. (Full article...)
Wat Phra Kaew (Thai: วัดพระแก้ว, RTGS: Wat Phra Kaeo, pronounced[wát.pʰráʔ.kɛ̂ːw]ⓘ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace in the historical centre of Bangkok. It houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country's palladium.
Construction of the temple began in 1783 under the orders of Rama I, the first king of the Chakri dynasty. Since then, each successive king has been personally involved in adding, restoring and embellishing the temple during their reigns as a way of making religious merit and glorifying the dynasty. Many important state and royal ceremonies are held within the temple each year, presided by the king in person and attended by government officials. This makes the temple the nation's preeminent place of worship and a national shrine for the monarchy and the state. Throughout the years, each king has donated sacred and valuable objects to the temple, making it a treasury as well. (Full article...)
Image 4
The Emerald Buddha adorned in winter season attire
The Sultanate of Singora was a heavily fortified port city in the deep south of Thailand.
The Sultanate of Singora was a heavily fortified port city in southern Thailand and the precursor of the present-day town of Songkhla. It was founded in the early 17th century by a Persian, Dato Mogol, and flourished during the reign of his son, Sultan Sulaiman Shah. In 1680, after decades of conflict, the city was destroyed and abandoned; remains include forts, city walls, a Dutch cemetery and the tomb of Sultan Sulaiman Shah. An inscribed cannon from Singora bearing the seal of Sultan Sulaiman Shah is displayed next to the flagpole at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London.
Lalisa Manobal (also spelled Manoban; born Pranpriya Manobal; March 27, 1997), known mononymously as Lisa (Korean: 리사), is a Thai rapper, singer, dancer, and actress. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, which debuted under YG Entertainment in August 2016. She is set to make her acting debut in 2025 in the HBO television series The White Lotus.
Lisa made her debut as a solo artist with the single album Lalisa in September 2021, which made her the first female artist to sell 736,000 copies of an album in its first week in South Korea. The music video for its lead single of the same name broke the record for the most-viewed music video in the first 24 hours on YouTube by a solo artist. Both "Lalisa" and the album's viral second single "Money" charted in the top ten of the Billboard Global 200, with the latter breaking the record for the longest-charting song by a female K-pop soloist on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Lalisa and "Money" became the first album and song by a K-pop solo artist to reach one billion streams on Spotify, respectively. In 2024, Lisa established her own management company named Lloud and signed with RCA Records. (Full article...)
According to the Cambodian ambassador to the United Nations, the most recent dispute began on 15 July 2008 when about 50 Thai soldiers moved into the Keo Sikhakirisvara Pagoda vicinity which he claimed was located in Cambodia's territory about 300 metres (980 ft) from the Temple of Preah Vihear. Thailand claimed the demarcation had not yet been completed for the external parts of the area adjacent to the temple, which was adjudged to be Cambodian by a nine to three decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962. (Full article...)
Image 8
Statue of King Ram Khamhaeng the Great, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai Province, Thailand
He is credited for the creation of the Thai alphabet and the firm establishment of Theravada Buddhism as the state religion of the kingdom. (Full article...)
Bottles of cannabis-infused drink on a "healthy drink" shelf of a convenience store in Bangkok, photo taken in 2023
In Thailand, cannabis, known by the name Ganja (Thai: กัญชา; RTGS: kancha) has recently had new laws passed through. Cannabis that has less than 0.2% THC, referred to as industrial hemp in USA, was legalised on 9 June 2022. Medicinal cannabis, with no THC restrictions, was made legal in 2018 but required patients to obtain a prescription from a medical practitioner. Recreational cannabis is still illegal according to Thai law.
Possession, cultivation, distribution, consumption, and sales of all cannabis plant parts are legal, as long as it is operated under the 2 laws. Cannabis extracts and cannabis products (including edibles, food supplements, cosmetics, etc.) containing more than 0.2% THC by dry weight are still categorised as a Category 5 narcotic. (Full article...)
Image 22Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, the royal reception hall built in European architectural style. Construction was started by Rama V, but was completed in 1915. (from History of Thailand)
Image 33Wat Arun, the most prominent temple of the Thonburi period, derives its name from the Hindu god Aruṇa. Its main prang was constructed later in the Rattanakosin period. (from History of Thailand)
Image 34Funeral pyre of Chan Kusalo, the patriarch-abbot of northern Thailand. (from Culture of Thailand)
Image 43Display of respect of the younger towards the elder is a cornerstone value in Thailand. A family during the Buddhist ceremony for young men who are to be ordained as monks. (from Culture of Thailand)
Image 47Map showing linguistic family tree overlaid on a geographic distribution map of Tai-Kadai family. This map only shows general pattern of the migration of Tai-speaking tribes, not specific routes, which would have snaked along the rivers and over the lower passes. (from History of Thailand)
Image 48A 14-year-old Vietnamese contaminated with Agent Orange. (from History of Thailand)
Image 49The ruins of Ayutthaya city was completely buried beneath a mass of jungle vegetation in 1930. (from History of Thailand)
This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.
SEATO's flag
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty signed in September 1954 in Manila, Philippines. The formal institution of SEATO was established on 19 February 1955 at a meeting of treaty partners in Bangkok, Thailand. The organization's headquarters was also in Bangkok. Eight members joined the organization.
Primarily created to block further communist gains in Southeast Asia, SEATO is generally considered a failure because internal conflict and dispute hindered general use of the SEATO military; however, SEATO-funded cultural and educational programs left longstanding effects in Southeast Asia. SEATO was dissolved on 30 June 1977 after many members lost interest and withdrew. (Full article...)
... that the first Thai typewriter left out two letters, which eventually became obsolete?
... that during Siam Niramit, a Bangkok cultural show, the forestage was transformed into a 50-metre-long (160 ft) river?
... that the first batch of Action Computer Enterprise's Discovery 1600, one of the first multi-user microcomputers, was delivered to a tobacco-growing business in Thailand?
... that a kind of deep fried egg dish might be perceived as a warning in Thai folklore?
... that Thai YouTuber MindaRyn began an anime singing career after her music covers were noticed by a Japanese record label?
Tom yum or tom yam (UK: /ˌtɒmˈjæm,-ˈjʌm/, US: /-ˈjɑːm/; Thai: ต้มยำ, RTGS: tom yam[tômjām]ⓘ) is a family of hot and sour Thai soups. It is a soup that normally includes shrimp. The strong hot and sour flavors makes it very popular in Thai cuisine. The name "tom yam" is composed of two Thai words. Tom refers to the boiling process, while yam means 'mixed'.
Historian Giles Milton contends that the origins of Tom Yum can be traced back to India, where there is a variation of hot and sour shrimp soup known as "sour prawn soup." (Full article...)
Credit:ooboyoo (uploaded by Manop)
The interior of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, also known as (New) Bangkok International Airport (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานสุวรรณภูมิ).
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_-_img_08.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.svg){kind=small}
Commons
Wikibooks
Wikidata
Wikinews
Wikiquote
Wikisource
Wikispecies
Wikiversity
Wikivoyage
Wiktionary
