The Kingdom of Thailand lies in Southeast Asia, with Laos and Cambodia to its east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to its south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to its west. The country's official name was Siam (Thai: สยาม; IPA: [saˈjaːm], RTGS: Sayam), until 24 June 1939. The word Thai (ไทย) means "freedom" in the Thai language and is also the name of the majority ethnic group.

History
Due to its geographical location, Thai culture has always been greatly influenced by China and India. However, different indigenous cultures have also existed in Thailand since the Ban Chiang culture.

The first Siamese/Thai state is traditionally considered the Buddhist kingdom Sukhothai founded in 1238, following the decline and fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th - 15th century.

A century later, Sukhothai's power was overshadowed by the larger Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century. After Ayutthaya sacked Angkor itself in 1431, much of the Khmer court and its Hindu customs were brought to Ayuthaya, and Khmer customs and rituals were adopted into the courtly culture of Siam.

After Ayuthaya fell in 1767, Thonburi was the capital of Thailand for a brief period under King Taksin the Great, until a coup d'etat in 1782. The current (Ratthanakosin) era of Thai history began in 1782 following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great.

European powers began traveling to Thailand in the 16th century. Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country to have never been colonized by a European power. The two main reasons for this is that Thailand had a long succession of very able rulers in the 1800s and that it was able to utilise the rivalry and tension between the French and the British. As a result, the country remained as a buffer state between parts of Southeast Asia that were colonised by the two colonial powers. Despite this, Western influence led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions to British trading interests. This included the loss of the three southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's three northern states.

In 1932, a bloodless revolution resulted in a new constitutional monarchy. During the war, Thailand was allied with Japan. Yet after the war, it became an ally of the United States. Thailand, holding an unstable government, went through a series of coups d'état, but eventually progressed towards democracy after the 1980s.

In 1997, Thailand was hit with the Asian financial crisis and the Thai baht was soon worth 56 baht to the US Dollar compared to about 25 baht to the dollar before 1997. Since then the baht has regained some strength and currently trades around 36-38 baht to the dollar.

The official calendar in Thailand is based on Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2006 is called 2549 BE in Thailand.

Government
Thailand was a constitutional monarchy until the sudden coup on September 19, 2006. The King is well respected and it is a crime to insult any of the Royal Family. The Thai King recently celebrated 60 years on the throne and millions of Thai citizens commemorated the event and showed their reverence by donning yellow t-shirts and/or by wearing yellow wrist bands - the official royal colour. The government is now a military junta headed by Sonthi Boonyaratglin (RTGS: Sonthi Bunyaratkalin). On 1 October 2006, the junta named Surayud Chulanont (RTGS: Surayut Chulanon) as the prime minister of the interim government.

September 2006 coup d'état
On September 19, 2006, the Royal Thai Army led by Army Commander General Sonthi Boonyaratglin seized control of key government buildings and television stations in Bangkok. At the time, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (RTGS: Thaksin Chinawat) was in New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. At least 50 soldiers entered the Government House building. Television stations were ordered to broadcast music written by King Bhumibol Adulyadej (RTGS: Phumiphon Adunyadet) and displayed images of the royal family. Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in an effort to counter-act the coup, declared from New York that Bangkok was in a "severe state of emergency", and vowed to return to the country as soon as possible. He also removed the Army Commander from his position, and ordered military forces not to "move illegally." His broadcast was abruptly shut off.

Later, the Thai armed forces and police force declared the creation of the Council for Democratic Reform of the Constitutional Monarchy, and announced that it had taken control of Bangkok. The military declared martial law, abrogated the Thai Constitution, and suspended Parliament. Extralegal arrests were made and the wide spread censorship of media was authorised. A ban of civil rights was put into action and the abandonment of supreme law was almost instant. The world media have adopted a view that this coup was merely a "slip in, slip out" operation (BBC Correspondent). However, the evidence above would suggest otherwise.

Although the Constitutional court has been suspended, the Royal Thai Army and Thai consulates around the world have denied any functional loss. The Royal Thai Consulate General in Hong Kong stated; "The courts...function as normal, with the exception of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court has been suspended in the absence of the 1997 Constitution." In an attached statement, the consulate added that the coup group had promised to "uphold the principles of the UN and other international organisations under international treaties and agreements."

Meanwhile, Army forces took strategic positions around the capital, occupying key intersections. Additionally, all unauthorized military movements were banned, and all soldiers were ordered to report to their duty stations. Military forces wore yellow ribbons, both on their uniforms and weapons, to identify themselves and communicate loyalty to the King. The CDRM has since revised its English name to avoid the appearance that the coup was sanctioned by the King. It is now known as the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR).

While reactions in Bangkok generally supported the results of the coup if not the methods, no one knows the reaction of people outside of Bangkok due to the tight media restrictions, although it is generally accepted that people in rural areas oppose the coup. In order to suppress any opposition, a complete ban on political activities and political gatherings of more than 5 people has been ordered, under penalty of up to 6 months in prison. Several protestors were arrested. In addition the media has been banned from expressing any opinion that is contrary to, or critical of the new junta, shut down hundreds of community radio stations, and shut down at least one website. The Thai public, however, appear to be largely unaffected by this reform, as the change is constitutional, not physical.

A coup of any sort is essentially against the law. The junta had no real authority to launch a coup. The junta themselves have expressed an understanding of the fact that their movement has broken the law. During an interview with the UK newspaper: 'The Times' – Major General Thawup Netnyam said: "[the coup] is against the law...But sometimes, to break the deadlock, someone has to do something."

Even though the junta themselves have questioned the legality of the coup, they have addressed this by granting the leaders a blanket amnesty in the interim constitution. This is something which the UN have recently made clear is against international law.

The junta have also appointed their own appointees to advisory panels, who have only been informed of the decision when they have seen it announced on their TV screens. Not only are the junta appointing who they like to advisory panels, but yet again, breaking the 1997 constitution by appointing constitutional court judges themselves. In no way is the public allowed to have a say.

The EU, the USA, and many other nations initially condemned the coup as unnecessary and contrary to democracy, but have resisted calling for the immediate restoration of the elected government. Human Rights groups (see AHRC) also expressed concerns regarding the right to free speech, and the right to protest and engage in political activities, all of which were curtailed by the military coup leaders.

A new Prime Minister was sworn in on 1 October 2006, and Thailand's king swore in a post-coup cabinet, chosen by new Prime Minister Gen Surayud Chulanont on 9 October 2006.

Politics
The King has little direct power under the constitution; however, as a king, he is a sign of national identity and is the chosen protector of Buddhism in Thailand. The present monarch enjoys a great deal of popular respect and moral authority, which has on occasion been used to resolve political crises. It is considered a crime to mock or criticize the King and in doing, one can expect charges of lese majesty.

The head of government is the Prime Minister, and is appointed by the King from among the members of the lower house of parliament, usually the leader of the party that can organise a majority coalition government. The Prime Minister usually appoints a Cabinet.

The parliament is called the National Assembly (รัฐสภา, rathasapha) and is bicameral: it consists of a House of Representatives (สภาผู้แทนราษฎร, sapha phuthaen ratsadon) of 500 seats and a Senate (วุฒิสภา, wuthisapha) of 200 seats. Members of both houses are elected by popular vote. The House of Representatives is elected by the first-past-the-post system, where only one candidate with a simple majority will be elected in one constituency. The Senate is elected based on the province system, where one province can return more than one Senator depending on its population size. Members of House of Representatives serve four-year terms, while Senators serve six-year terms. The court system (ศาล, saan) has three layers, the highest judiciary body being the Supreme Court (ศาลฎีกา, sandika).

Thailand is an active member of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Administrative Divisions
Thailand is divided into 76 provinces (จังหวัด, changwat), which are gathered into 5 groups of provinces by location. There are also 2 special governed districts: the capital Bangkok (Krung Thep Maha Nakhon in Thai) and Pattaya, of which Bangkok is also at a provincial level, while Pattaya is part of Chon Buri Province. Some Thai people still count Bangkok as a province, making Thailand a 76-province country.

Each province is divided into smaller districts. As of 2000 there are 796 districts (อำเภอ, amphoe), 81 minor districts (กิ่งอำเภอ, king amphoe) and the 50 districts of Bangkok (เขต, khet). Some parts of the provinces bordering Bangkok are also referred to as Greater Bangkok (ปริมณฑล, pari monthon). These provinces include Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon. The name of each province's capital city (เมือง, mueang) is the same as that of the province: for example, the capital of Chiang Mai province (changwat Chiang Mai) is Mueang Chiang Mai. The 76 provinces are as follows:

Central Thailand
Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Special Governed District of Bangkok (Krung Thep Maha Nakhon), Chai Nat, Kanchanaburi, Lop Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ratchaburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Saraburi, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri

Eastern Thailand
Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, Chon Buri, Prachin Buri, Rayong, Sa Kaeo, Trat

Northern Thailand
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Kamphaeng Phet, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nakhon Sawan, Nan, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit

Northeast Thailand
Amnat Charoen, Buri Ram, Chaiyaphum, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Loei, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Yasothon

Southern Thailand
Chumphon, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Pattani, Phang Nga, Phatthalung, Phuket, Ranong, Satun, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Trang, Yala

Extracted from Wikipedia: Thailand