Thailand is a constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia, located in the middle of the Indochina Peninsula. Its west and north border Myanmar and the Andaman Sea, its northeast is Laos, its southeast is Cambodia, and its south is connected to Malaysia. Thailand implements a free economic policy and is one of the emerging industrial countries and emerging market economies in the world. Thailand is a member and one of the founding countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization, the Asia-Europe Meeting and the World Trade Organization.
Thailand is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world and a Buddhist country. Most Thais believe in the Four-Faced Buddha, and Buddhists account for more than 90% of the country’s population. Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles”.
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. It is located in the Chao Phraya Delta and the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. It is the country’s political, economic, cultural and transportation center, the second largest city in Southeast Asia, and the largest industrial and commercial city in the country. Thais call it “Kong Thep”, which means the City of Angels. It covers an area of 15,652 square kilometers and has a population of about 6 million. Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand. It is located on the banks of the Riverside, a tributary of the Chao Phraya River. It was once the ancient capital of Thailand. It is about 800 kilometers away from Bangkok and is the political, economic and cultural center of northern Thailand.
According to statistics in 2015, the total population of Thailand is about 68 million. There are more than 30 ethnic groups in the country. The Thai is the main ethnic group, accounting for 40% of the total population. The rest are Lao, Chinese, Malay, and Khmer. The per capita GDP is about US$5,800. More than 90% of the people in Thailand believe in Buddhism, the Malays believe in Islam, and a small number of people believe in Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism and Sikhism.