Geography
Situated in the heart of the Southeast Asian mainland and covering an area of 513,115 sq. km., from North 5° 30” to 21° and from East 97° 30” to 105°, Thailand borders the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Myanmar to the north, Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand to the east, Myanmar and the Indian Ocean to the west, and Malaysia to the south. Thailand has maximum dimensions of about 2,500 km. north to south and 1,250 km. east to west, with a coastline of approximately 1,840 km. on the Gulf of Thailand and 865 km. along the Indian Ocean.
Religion
Buddhism, the national religion, is the professed faith of 95 percent of the population. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and others are embraced by the rest of the population. There is absolute religious freedom. The King of Thailand, under the constitution and in practice, is patron of all major religions embraced by the people.
Language
The official national language, spoken by almost 100 percent of the population, is Thai. It is a tonal language, uninflected, and predominantly monosyllabic. Most polysyllabic words in the vocabulary have been borrowed, mainly from Khmer, Pall, or Sanskrit. Dialects are spoken in rural areas. Other languages are Chinese and Malay. English, a mandatory subject in public schools, is widely spoken and understood, particularly in Bangkok and other major cities.
Thailand’s national flag, ceremoniously raised each morning at 08:00 and lowered in the evening at 18:00 in every town and village is composed of five horizontal bands of red, white, and blue. Outer bands of red representing the nation enclose equal inner bands of white evoking religion. The blue band, occupying the central one-third of the total area, symbolizes the monarchy. The harmony of the design expresses the complementary nature of these three pillars of the Thai nation.
This tricolor flag, first introduced by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in 1917, replaced an earlier design in which a white elephant was placed against a red background