Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia that is bordered by Malaysia to the south, Myanmar (formerly Burma) to the west and north, Laos to the north, and Cambodia to the east. It was officially known as Siam until 1939.
The central part of the country, which contains the capital, Bangkok, is a fertile flood plain through which the mighty Chao Phraya River flows. The land can support two rice crops a year, and is subject to frequent floods. The population here is mostly ethnic Thai, though there is a substantial Chinese minority. Most of the Thai dishes you know from restaurants probably come from here.
The southern part of the country is a long narrow peninsula that is home to many Muslims, who share much in common with their Malay neighbours to the south. There are some beautiful islands off the east and west coasts of this peninsula that are popular with tourists.
The northeastern part of Thailand is dry plateau, and is the poorest region of the kingdom. It's called Isarn in Thai. Many people in this area share language and diet in common with their Laotian and Cambodian neighbours, and are viewed as country bumpkins by their central neighbours. Lots of great Thai food comes from the northeast.
The northern part of the country is mountainous; the largest city there is Chiang Mai, and it is the centre of a proud regional culture. Fittingly, much culture and cuisine is shared with the neighbouring Burmese, traditional enemies of central Thailand, and the region is also home to many minority groups who have fled there from China and settled in the hills.
Below is a meta-list of things Thai on everything. Please feel free to /msg me with additions or corrections. And note that CIA World Factbook - Thailand has lots of facts about Thailand as seen through the eyes of a paranoid American government body.
Geography
- Thailand or Meuang Thai, formerly known as Siam
- The capitals, with most recent first: Bangkok, Thonburi, Ayuthaya or Ayutthaya, and Sukhothai
- Other cities/island spots noded are:
- Wat (temples):
- Khao San Road where backpackers go
- Pantip Plaza, Thailand, a place for shopping
- the Grand Palace where kings used to live
- Sanam Luang where kite fighting takes place
- Chatuchak Park where the Weekend Market is held
- the Chao Phraya (that really big river in Bangkok)
- Patpong and Soi Cowboy, where tourists go to pay for sex with Thai women
- Thai Jail, where you don't want to go
- in northeastern Thailand (aka Isarn or Essan), Thai Lao Friendship Bridge, the cities of Nong Khai and Udon Thani, and the monk Luangta Maha Boowa, who lives at the temple Wat Ba Baan Taad
- the invented and inventive porno-tropics for the European imagination
People
- Bhumibol Adulyadej, the current king
- Ananda Mahidol, the previous one
- Vajiralongkorn, the crown prince and hence the next one
- Sirindhorn, the crown princess
- Mongkut or Rama IV (the king from The King and I; Anna Leonowens is the "I")
- Chulalongkorn, Chakrabongse and Damrong Rajanubhab, three of Mongkut's many sons
- Chula Chakrabongse, son of Chakrabongse
- Chakri or Rama I, founder of the current dynasty, and his son Rama II and grandson Rama III
- Taksin, who Chakri replaced
- King Narai from the 17th century and his right-hand man Constantine Phaulkon, as well as the odd Abbé de Choisy who visited Siam and Narai
- Naresuan, an Ayuthayan king
- Ramkhamhaeng and Mangrai, northern rulers from the 13th century, and friends
- Wan Waithayakon, a 20th century diplomat
- 23rd prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
- Former prime minister Anand Panyarachun
- supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara
- Bodhiraksa, who founded the controversial Santi Asoke Buddhist sect, and the equally controversial Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
- Sulak Sivaraksa, a modern social critic
- Jim Thompson, vanished silk magnate
- The long-necked women of the Paduang tribe
- Mr. Condom
- white elephant
- The original siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker
- Siamese cat, of course!
Culture
- Theravada is the form of Buddhism practised in Thailand
- Festivals: Loy Krathong and Songkran
- Beauties in Thailand
- The haunting movie Last Life in the Universe, and the exciting one Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
- wai and khrap, Thai respectful greetings
- muay thai, Thai boxing, which involves the wai kru ritual
- wat, or Buddhist temple, where most bhikkhu (monks) live, though there are no bhikkhuni (nuns) there; also, some bhikku follow the Thai forest tradition, and are the subject of the book Forest Recollections
- The Fragile Palm Leaves Project, which seeks to preserve old Buddhist documents
- Danger in the Land of Smiles, about a large protest movement in 1973
- Whereas a Naked White Man, when I met one, always appear'd a new Object unto me, about 17th century European views of Siam
- Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana
- Legend of Nang Naak and Nai Maak
- chopsticks
- uparat or "second king"
- kathoey and tom, Thai gender crossers
- Going to the movies in Thailand
- Vampirism in Thailand, though this write-up speaks of the phenomenon in the past, when it's still very much alive
- Mekong Lights, though this may be a natural, or even supernatural, phenomenon, and not cultural
- Does Thailand need more dams?, you might wonder
- Thai Agriculture-Aquaculture Farm (that other kind of culture!)
- Thai chess
- Constitution of Thailand Preamble
- A Thai Wedding in America
- Thai Lao Relations
Language
a bit of a mixed bag, this one, but they all say something interesting about the Thai language, in spite of the sometimes unrevealing titles
Transportation
Food
sorry if the organization seems a bit wonky here
- Southeast Asian recipes, Thai food and what little I know about ingredients for Thai cuisine are good places to start, and read Dinner in Thailand for a fun and educational story
- curry has nodes ranging from curry paste to green curry, Thai vegetable green curry, and green curry paste to red curry
- green mango salad, which contains the wonderful green mango
- som tam aka green papaya salad or papaya pok pok, which utilizes green papaya and yard long green beans
- Thai Grilled Beef Salad With variations, even vegetarian ones, a great ur-recipe for that northeastern salad lahb
- soups like tom kha gai, with chicken and coconut milk, or tom yam (misleadingly discussed as galanga curry), containing nam prik phao
- satay, usually served with peanut sauce and cucumber salad
- pad thai
- khao or rice, including sticky rice and jasmine rice
- aromatics like lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal or galanga, krachai, cha om, and Thai basil (including holy basil)
- rice paper, used for wrapping fresh spring rolls which are then dipped in sweet chilli sauce or nam jim
- prik, prik kee noo, and prik thai, types of peppers
- ma-kheua or eggplant, including pea eggplant
- straw mushroom, tree ear mushrooms, shitake mushroom, oyster mushroom
- bottled sauces: the indispensable nam pla or fish sauce, and also sriracha sauce, Golden Mountain Sauce, chili garlic sauce, and rice vinegar
- fruits: rose apple, jackfruit, durian (yuck), mango, mangosteen, cherimoya or custard apple, pineapple, papaya, guava, rambutan, longan, pomelo or pummelo, tamarind, banana...
- palm sugar
- kapi or shrimp paste
- kratiem (that's garlic to us farang)
- koong krob
- Thai pepper coriander paste
- Thai pepper garlic chicken
- Thai iced tea