27 Amazing Facts About Thailand

Thailand is a southern Asian country known for its beautiful beaches, friendly people, elephants, and the yoga-like Thai massage. Thailand is also known for its delicious food, such as pad thai, som tum, and mango sticky rice, as well as temples, tuk-tuks, floating markets, and full moon parties. Thailand’s culture has evolved significantly over time, from its relative isolation during the Sukhothai era to its more recent Ayutthaya era, which absorbed influences from all over Asia.

1. Thailand is bordered by Myanmar to the north, Laos, and Cambodia to the east, Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, Southern extremity of Myanmar, and the Andaman Sea to the west.
2. The name Thailand in Prathet Thai means the land of free, which very well suits to the country as no European country has ever invaded this land.
3. The country is home to one of the world’s smallest living mammals which are the bumblebee bats.
4. Before June 23rd, 1938, the country was use to be called siam before a forceful nationalist and dictator changed the country’s name to Thailand.
5. The country is home to more than 10% of the world’s animal species. There are more than 285 mammal species in Thailand that include tigers, leopards, Malaysian sun bears, sambars, deer, and as well as a variety of primate species like monkeys, gibbons, and macaques.
6. The Asian elephant is the biggest and heaviest land creature found in Thailand and is pretty much famous among locals and foreigners.
7. Thai Men ordain as Monks in their young life or before getting married. In recent history, it was compulsory for all Thai men, including that of the royal family, to become monks before they reach the age of 20.
8. The capital city’s name Bangkok is derived from the word Bang Makok which means Place of olive Plums. However, earlier, the city’s name used to have one of the biggest names among all places. The city name was ‘Krungthep mahanakhon amon rattanakosin mahintara ayuthaya mahadilok popnopparat ratchathani burirom udomratchaniwet mahasathan amonpiman avatansathit sakkathattiya visnukamprasit’.
9. The natural vegetation of the country is highly diverse. Around 37.1% or 18,972,000 hectares of land is covered in forests.
10. In Thailand, it is illegal to insult, defame or threaten the king, queen, heir-apparent, heir-presumptive, or regent, and the person who commits this crime could be imprisoned for treason.
11. The country is known for its temples and has about 41,205 Buddhist temples, out of which 33,902 are in current use.
12. Thailand is the largest world exporter of tropical orchids and is also the national flower of the country. About 1300 types of orchids are grown and exported in the country.
13. In the early 1900s, it has been estimated that there were about 100,000 elephants domesticated in Thailand, which is now being decreased to 3000-4000.
14. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the capital city Bangkok is the hottest city on the globe. It is not because of any particular peak temperatures, but because it is consistently hot all year round the clock.
15. The country is home to some most venomous snakes. About 230 species of snakes are found here, out of which the most venomous is the Malayan Pit Viper.
16. The country loves tourists and ranks 31st WEF tourism competitiveness index. In the year 2019, about 39 million tourists visited the country.
17. The country has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and is home to around 1430 islands.
18. Red Bull is the highest-selling energy drink in the world, with about 7.5 billion cans sold every year. The Austrian entrepreneur who owns the brand was inspired by an existing energy drink named krating Daeng, which was first introduced in Thailand.
19. There is a railway line between Thailand and Myanmar (Siam-Burma) which is known as the death railway. It got its name because about 90,000 laborers and about 16,000 Allied prisoners died in constructing this railway line.
20. There is a festival celebrated in a Lobburi village of Thailand known as the Monkey buffet festival. At this festival, the local monkeys are offered a buffet with fruits, vegetables, and tons of meat. The buffet is offered to thank monkeys because of whom the tourists visit their village.
21. Thailand is the second-largest exporter of rice in the world and contributes 19.2% of the total world production valuing $4.2 billion.
22. Thailand is number 28th most complex economy on the planet according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).
23. The top 5 exports of Thailand in the year 2018 were Office Machine Parts ($18.6 Billion), Cars ($10.9 Billion), Integrated Circuits ($9.54 Billion), Delivery Trucks ($9.21 Billion ), and Vehicle Parts ($8.23 Billion).
24. The top 5 imports of Thailand were Crude Petroleum ($23.7 Billion), Integrated Circuits ($9.57 Billion), Gold ($7.94 Billion), Petroleum Gas ($6.96 Billion), and Vehicle Parts ($6.58 Billion).
25. A fish found in the country can walk on the land and is known as the waterfall climbing cave fish or the cave angelfish.
26. In Thailand, it is considered disrespectful if you touch the head of a person, child, or even a statue.
27. The Songkran festival of Thailand is the world’s biggest water fight in the world.