There are conflicting opinions as to the origins of the Thai. Only a few decades ago, it could be said with presumed certainty that they originated in northwestern Szechuan in China about 4,500 years ago and later migrated down to their present homeland. However, this theory has been altered by the discovery of remarkable prehistoric artifacts in the village of Ban Chiang, in the northern province of Udon Thani. These include evidence of bronze metallurgy going back 3,500 years, as well as other indications of a far more sophisticated culture than any previously suspected. It now appears that the Thais might have originated here in Thailand and later scattered to various parts of Asia, including some parts of China, though as yet the matter is far from settled."Siam" is the name by which the country was known to the world until 1949. On 11 May 1949, an official proclamation changed the name of the country to "Prathet Thai", or Thailand. The word "Thai" means "free", and therefore "Thailand" means "Land of the Free."

Situated in the heart of the Southeast Asian mainland and covering an area of 513,115sq.km.,from North5o 30" to 21o and from East 97o 30" to 105o, 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.

Thailand is a warm and rather humid tropical country. The climate is monsoonal, marked by a pronounced rainy season lasting from about May to September and a relatively dry season for the remainder of the year. Temperatures are highest in March and April and lowest in December and January. The average temperature is 23.7oC to 37.5oC. It is quite uncommon for rain to fall except between May-Sep. The North differs from Central and Southern Thailand during the rainy season and continuous rainfall in quite rare. It will usually rain heavily for a period between 30 minutes to one hour, once or twice a day and soon dries up after the sun appears. The area is then left feeling fresh and cool.The rainy (monsoon) season is best for rafting and river activities

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, Pali, 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.

The city of Bangkok is Thailand's political, commercial , industrial and cultural capital. Situated near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, it is also the seat of Thailand's revered Riyal Family. Bangkok was known as the “ Venice of the East , with the city crossed by canals (klong) along which the life of the people was conducted. Sadly many of these klongs have, in the name of progress, given way to roads to accommodate cars. Along the banks of these original klongs, were the stilt houses of ordinary people. In 1864 the first road, Charoen Krung (New Road), was built. Then in the early 1900s, broad European style avenues were constructed to allow for efficient transportation to the then country retreats that are today the hub of the metropolis.

Although it has long been a lively city, the hurly- burly that is Bangkok today was unimaginable 25 years ago. It remains a fascinating city, within minutes you can press from quite, tree-lined khlong to a deafening, six – lane highway. The passing traffic is in itself a spectacle. Brightly coloured tuks and motorbikes laden with assorted cargoes, from bolts of fabric and baskets of chickens to whole families, zig-zag through lines of sleek modern cars.

You can dine in the air-conditioned comfort of world-class restaurants snack at pavement food stalls; clothe yourself in creations from exclusive boutiques or from colourful racks of cheap garments on street-side displays; shop at modern supermarkets and delicatessens or in the open markets where there is a bewildering array of foods-from cabbages to crunchy locusts. As you would expect in such a big city, the pace is fast, with private enterprise the motor behind the round-the-clock activity. Yet this is still a city with time for fun (sanuk), time for smiles, time for the tinkling of temple bells and for the gentle rattle of food bowls in the early morning as saffron-robed monks move quietly about the street

The Thai unit of currency is the baht. Notes are in denominations of 1,000 (brown), 500 (purple) , 100 (red) , 50 (blue) ,20 (green) and 10 (brown) baht. There is also a 10 baht coin which has a copper center with a silver border and 5 and 1 baht silver coins. The copper coloured coins are the 50 and 25 satang. Note : 100 satang = 1 baht

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