Country Information : Thailand

Little or nothing is known about the history of the early Thai peoples. Detailed records have only been available since the Sukhothai Empire (1238-1438). Sukhothai is considered the cradle of today's Thailand. In 1238, King Rama Khamhaeng founded the Siam Empire with the capital Sukhothai. He also declared Buddhism the state religion and introduced the Thai alphabet.

In 1350, without much bloodshed, U Thong took over the kingdom and began the Ayutthaya period. The Ayutthaya Empire lasted over 400 years. Through trade agreements with western diplomats and colonial powers, the kings of the time largely managed to protect Siam from the attacks from colonial states. As the only country in Southeast Asia, Thailand has always been able to maintain its independence from western countries.

The next period in Thailand's history is the Chakri Dynasty. In 1767 the city of Ayutthaya was destroyed, whereupon General Chakri formed the Chakri dynasty that still ruled today and moved the capital to Bangkok. The kings of this dynasty opened Siam to the West, abolished slavery and introduced compulsory education.

In 1932, rulers of dissatisfied officers abolished royal rule and a few years later (1939) Siam was renamed Thailand. However, Thailand still has a king, but today it fulfills rather representative duties.

The climate in Thailand is tropical. It can be divided into two zones: Northern Thailand and Southern Thailand. Northern Thailand has three seasons: a dry season between November and February, a very hot season from March to May with temperatures above 35 ° C and a rainy season from June to October. Southern Thailand has a tropical monsoon climate all year round. Here the seasons are less pronounced and there is rainfall all year round. In the extreme south of Thailand, there are regions where the tropical rainforest climate is always humid.

The ideal travel time for large parts of Thailand is therefore the months of November to March.