Thailand

Thailand: capital Bangkok, population 71.6M, area 513,120 km². The 20th most populous country, in Asia. Facts, map, neighbours and more.

Thailand is organised around the Chao Phraya basin, northern highlands and two tropical coasts. Sukhothai inscriptions, Ayutthaya ruins and Bangkok's palace record successive centres of rule and trade. Khon dance, nang yai shadows, Nuad Thai bodywork and Songkran water rites turn court, village and temple traditions into public performance.

• The Ram Khamhaeng stone inscription, discovered in 1833 and dated to 1292, records an early form of Thai script; UNESCO registered it in 2003.
• Ayutthaya served as a capital from 1351 until 1767, a 417-year span in which Persian, Chinese, Japanese and European merchants entered its river port.
• Rama I established Bangkok as the Rattanakosin capital in 1782 and ordered construction of the Grand Palace on 6 May that year.
• The Bowring Treaty signed on 18 April 1855 capped most British imports at a three-percent duty and introduced British consular jurisdiction in Siam.

• Sunthorn Phu spent more than 20 years composing Phra Aphai Mani, an epic of roughly 48,700 lines featuring a flute-playing prince, mermaids and sea giants.
• Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives won the 2010 Palme d'Or, the first Thai film to receive Cannes's top prize.
• Ratchanok Intanon won three consecutive world junior badminton titles from 2009 to 2011, then became the youngest women's singles world champion at age 18 in 2013.
• Buakaw Banchamek won Japan's K-1 World MAX kickboxing tournament in 2004 and again in 2006, becoming its first two-time champion.

• Bangkok's Grand Palace occupies 218,400 square metres behind four walls and has accumulated halls, courtyards and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha since 1782.
• Wat Arun's central prang was rebuilt under Rama II and Rama III in the early nineteenth century, its surface set with floral mosaics of Chinese porcelain and seashells.
• Ayutthaya Historical Park preserves temple towers and monasteries around the former capital, founded in 1351 and entered on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1991.
• Doi Inthanon reaches 2,565 metres; the mountain was renamed for Chiang Mai's Prince Inthawichayanon, whose ashes were placed near its summit.

• Songkran marks the traditional New Year from 13 to 15 April; pouring scented water began as a cleansing blessing before expanding into public water play.
• Khon performers enact the Ramakien in masks while offstage narrators speak their lines and a piphat ensemble supplies rhythm; UNESCO inscribed the dance drama in 2018.
• Nuad Thai combines thumb pressure, compression and assisted stretches along energy lines; UNESCO added this temple-linked bodywork tradition to its Representative List in 2019.
• Nang yai uses perforated buffalo-hide figures weighing up to 7 kilograms against a screen about 16 metres wide; Thai records mention the shadow theatre in 1458.

What is the capital of Thailand?

The capital of Thailand is Bangkok.

What is the population of Thailand?

Thailand has about 71.6M people — the 20th most populous country in the world.

How big is Thailand?

Thailand covers 513,120 km², making it the 50th largest country by area.

Which region is Thailand in?

Thailand is in South-Eastern Asia, Asia.