Thailand Travel Guide

The Kingdom of Thailand is located in southeast asia, and borders Burma (Myanmar) to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Cambodia to the southeast and Malaysia to the south. Having extensive coastlines to the Andaman Sea in the west and the Gulf of Thailand in the south and east, Thailand is the worlds 50th largest country by area and 21st most populous.

The country is divided into 5 regions. The largely mountainous North region is home to the hill tribes and the regional capital is Chiang Mai. To the northeast, the largely underdeveloped region of Isaan occupies a large, slightly elevated plateau and hosts the region’s capital city of Khorat. The Central low-lying region contains the Thai capital Bangkok and the Eastern region with its islands and beaches lies within easy reach of Bangkok. The Southern region has extensive coastlines to both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea with many fine beaches and hundreds of islands.

With the earliest Thai kingdom established in 1238, Siam (is it was then called) became a constitutional monarchy in 1932 and became Thailand in 1938. Since the 1930’s the country has seen numerous charters and constitutions leading to “the peoples” constitution” of 1997 which saw the first directly elected legislature and a more open promotion and approach to human rights. The Thai monarchy has been largely unaffected by the various political upheavals over the years and is greatly revered by the Thai people.

With such a large variance in both regional cultures and geography, along with very low prices and cost of living, it’s not hard to see why Thailand is south east Asia’s top tourist destination. From trekking and touring through the villages and stunning scenery of the North, Lazing on tropical beaches on the south, to exploring the historical treasures of temples and ancient ruins to the bustling centres of the Central region, Thailand holds something extraordinary for everyone.