by Astrid Gruen Barber

Thailand is a country full of information and today I am going to show you some of that information.

Language
In Thailand the people speak Thai formerly known as Siamese which is spoken by 40% of the population. The rest of the population speak up to 60 different languages.

fOOD
Thai people love to mix Sour, Sweet, Salty and Bitter into the same meal . When they are mixed right its a taste sensation. Some dishes they make are Green curry and roust duck in red curry.

roust duck in red curry and green curry

Religion

The main religion in Thailand is Buddhism. Over 90% of the people follow this religion. There is no official religion of Thailand but the king by law has to be a Buddhist. The most sacred temple in Thailand is called Wat Phra Kaew and it is the temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Economy
The currency of Thailand is the Baht and is the 2nd largest economy in south East Asia after Indonesia. It is a heavily export dependant country that makes up two 3rds of the economy. The main exports of Thailand are electronics, computers, cars, rice, fuel and lubricants. All these things make over 105 billion dollars for the country each year. Thailand is also a very popular place for tourists to visit and is very important to the country because it means lots of people have jobs.

Culture
Thailands culture is a mixture of ancient traditional beliefs and also from other cultures such as India, China and Cambodia. A very popular custom in Thailand is a greeting and farewell known as Wai. Thai people will place their hands together and bow slightly to, either say hello or goodbye. Respect for hierarchy is very important in Thai culture. Being respectful to parents, teachers, doctors, police and religious people is something Thai people take very seriously.

It is considered rude to stand on a Thai coin because a picture of the Kings head appears on the coin.

Politics
Thailand is a democracy which means the people of Thailand vote for who they want to be the leader of the country. The leader of Thailand is a Prime Minister. Thailand has only been a democracy since 1932 when there was a democratic revolution. Before the Democratic revolution the country was ruled by Kings. There is still a king in Thailand but he is now only the head of state. The king does not have much power anymore but is a figure of national identity and unity and the people like the king a lot.

SPORT
Thailands national sport is Muay Thai which is a type of kick boxing. Its a tough sport and the people love it. Sepak Takraw is another popular sport in Thailand. It was invented in Thailand and its a game where the players hit a ball over made of twine like material over a net the court that is similar to a badminton court. There a three players on each team. Thailand is also known as the golf capital of Asia. Golfers from around the world come to Thailand to play on the beautiful courses and enjoy the great scenery. Thailand has over 200 hundred golf courses.

Bibliography
Wikipedia Google Encarta student