Thailand: Background
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 A woman wearing a traditional headdress. |
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Thailand, located in Southeast Asia, is a country with a tropical climate and many rivers, forests, and mountains. Roughly the size of France, the country has four main regions. The northern region has mountains full of evergreen and teak trees as well as fertile valleys. This is where you can find Ithanon Mountain, the country's highest peak.
The central plain, with its rich soil, is where most of Thailand's rice grows. The Chao Phraya River, which is very large, runs through this plain. Thai people travel along the river and use it to water their fertile rice fields. The southern peninsula contains rain forests, rubber-tree plantations, and wetlands. Some people are working in the wetlands to save the sea turtles. Many other kinds of animals can be found in Thailand's forests and jungles. These include tigers, crocodiles, snakes, and elephants. Many Thais are concerned that destruction of the country's forest and wild areas threatens the animals.
The country's northeast region is a high, semi-arid plateau. Cattle are raised there, and crops such as rice and maize are grown. It is the poorest region of Thailand, and has had many droughts in the past.
The country has 76 provinces, which are like states. Bangkok, Thailand's capital and largest city, is exciting, modern, and crowded, with millions of people and huge traffic lines of cars, trucks, and bikes. Canals run through the city, and boats are often turned into floating markets, where people can buy anything from chickens to vegetables.
Many people live in Thailand's cities and work in industry. But lots of other Thais live in small villages along the ocean or beside rivers. They live the same way their grandparents and great-grandparents lived. Almost every village has a Buddhist center, called a wat, and religion is very important in everyday life.
More than half of all Thai workers are farmers who grow rice and other crops on small farms. Instead of plows, water buffalo are the main source of power for some small farms in Thailand. Rice is a very important food in Thailand, and boiled or steamed rice is the center of most meals. People cook rice with fish, pork, chicken, meat, and vegetables — it is often fried and spiced. Because large parts of the country have very fertile soil, the Thais enjoy a rich variety of fruits, such as mangos, litchi, and durian, which smells terrible but tastes great.
Many people throughout the world visit Thailand. They are attracted by the natural beauty of its coastline and forests, its friendly people, the excellent Thai cuisine, and the temples and shrines located throughout the country. The Thai people—who have enjoyed a long history free from the domination of foreign countries — remain proud of their country.
History Highlights
A.D. 100 to 900: The Tai people, who live in river valleys in northern mainland southeast Asia and southwestern China, increasingly migrate from their original homeland. They expand across the northern sectors of southeast Asia. Meanwhile, the Mon people — the first people in mainland Southeast Asia to adopt Buddhism — set up small Buddhist kingdoms in the lands that are now Myanmar and central Thailand.
1238: Thai leaders revolt against the Khmer people of Cambodia and establish the Thai kingdom in the region of Sukhothai. The Sukhothai period lasts from the mid-13th to the mid-15th century. It is a time of prosperity. The period is also known for artwork such as pottery and sculpture.
1350: Rama Thnibodi establishes Buddhism as the official religion of the kingdom. It remains so today.
1431: The Thai army fights against the Khmer of Cambodia and sacks Angkor, the neighboring empire's capital.
1511: European traders begin coming to the region. The Portuguese reach here as early as 1511, followed in the 1600s by Dutch, English, Spanish, and French traders and missionaries. At first, there is cooperation, but when some Europeans become too eager to convert the Thai people from Buddhism to Christianity, the rulers expel the French in 1688 and close their borders to the West.
1855: Britain's Queen Victoria pushes for an end to all trade restrictions in Siam (the name of the country until it was changed to Thailand in 1939). Treaties follow that leave the country's political rule intact, but opens it up to world trade and reduces its independence from other nations. World trade brings major changes to Siam.
1969: War rages in Vietnam. The fighting devastates all of southeast Asia. Thailand has 11,000 troops serving in Vietnam. Large amounts of American money pour into Thailand. This sparks development but also brings corruption as well as a gap in the standard of living between rich and poor.
1998: The country is hit by hard economic times, prompted by a currency collapse one year earlier. Poor people face especially difficult times. But over the next year, the currency begins to rebound and conditions improve. Economic development during the 1990s brings Thais more material prosperity. But serious social problems confront the country, from environmental pollution to overcrowding.
Write about it: Learn more about Thailand
in these selected Web sites: This page includes links
outside of Scholastic.com.
If you were living in Thailand, would you prefer to live
in the city or in a village? Why?
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Buddhism
http://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm
PBS explains the basics of Buddhism, from the four noble truths to the
idea of karma. Explore this site on Thailand for more of the country's
history and to download a screensaver from Thailand!
Nakorn Payap International School
http://nis.ac.th/index2.html
Visit the Web site of this school to learn more about the kids who
participated in Scholastic's Global Trek by answering your questions.
Thai Palaces
http://www.palaces.thai.net/
Transport yourself to the world of Thai's royal family. Take virtual tours
of three royal palaces and explore the world of this royal family.
Samlors: Transportation in Thailand
http://www.frangipani.com/huahin/samlor.htm
Learn about this traditional mode of transportation in Thailand. See the
variety of models and learn about the tuk-tuk, which is gaining popularity.
