The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to the west. The country's official name was Siam, until May 11, 1949. The word Thai means "freedom" in the Thai language and is also the name of the majority ethnic group.
According to archeological evidence various indigenous cultures have existed in Thailand from the time of the Ban Chiang culture (4420 BC-3400 BC) onwards, but due to its geological location, Thai culture has always been greatly influenced by China and India.
The first Siamese/Thai state is traditionally considered the Buddhist kingdom Sukhothai founded in 1238, following the decline and fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th - 15th century. |