Thailand is often referred to as 'the Land of Smiles', Thailand is renowned for the

welcoming and warm disposition of its culture and people.

Thailand is a country located in Southeastern Asia bordering the Andaman Sea and the
Gulf of Thailand. Neighboring countries include Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia.
Bangkok is the Capital of Thailand.

The land area of Thailand amounts to approximately 514,000 sq. km. The maritime
economic zones cover 72,200 sq. km. in the Andaman Sea and 140,000 sq. km. in the
Gulf of Thailand, totaling 212,200 sq. km.

The current population of Thailand is 69,998,276 as of Friday, August 20, 2021, based
on World meter elaboration of the latest United Nations data. 10.5 percent of Thailand's
population is living below the poverty line.

Thailand's flag stands for nation-religion-king, a kind of unofficial motto that Thai
people live by. The red stripes represent Thailand's blood spilt in its bid to maintain
independence; the white stands for purity and Buddhism (the country's primary
religion), and blue symbolizes the Thai monarchy. Thai baht is the name of Thailand
money.

Thailand is a Kingdom. Official power rests with the government. The Prime Minister is
the Head of Government and holds all the executive powers including implementation
of the law in the country and running the day-to-day affairs. Under the new
Constitution approved in April 2017, individuals outside of parliament can serve as
Prime Minister. The cabinet is appointed by the King on recommendation of the Prime
Minister. Thailand’s 77 provinces each administered by an appointed Governor are
divided into districts, sub-districts (tambons) and villages.

Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Thailand. 94.6 percent are estimated to
be Buddhist; 4.3 percent Muslim; 1 percent Christian; and 0.1 percent other or have no
religion. The Theravada tradition of Buddhism came to Thailand from Sri Lanka and is
shared by peoples in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and parts of southern China and
southern Vietnam.

TRADITIONS
 TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF - In Thailand, people’s feet are considered the most
disrespectful part of the body. This is why visitors will notice that at many
establishments, from restaurants to massage parlors and especially homes, Thai
people remove their shoes before entering.
 DIFFERENT DAY, DIFFERENT COLOR - In Thailand, green is actually worn on
Wednesdays. Visitors to the Kingdom may notice that Thai people seem to wear
a sea of similar colors. This is because each day of the week is assigned a
particular color. Monday is for yellow. Tuesday is for pink. Wednesday is for
 green, and so on. Not all Thais follow this dress code, but some of them do,
especially those who work for the government. Monday is the most important
day, as yellow is a lucky color. Yellow also represents the late King Bhumibol,
who was born on a Monday.
 SNACKING ON INSECTS - From grasshoppers to silk worms, many Thai people
love snacking on creepy crawlies. These edible bugs can be found on many sois
(streets) of Thailand in addition to convenience stores. They are especially
popular at markets. While many tourists try them for the shock value, snacking
on insects is perfectly normal for many living in the Land of Smiles.
 COMMUNAL DINING - The thought of sharing a dish is unfathomable, and
anyone who tries to put their hands on someone else’s meal will pay the price.
 ALWAYS END IN “KA” OR “KRUB” - When conversing with anyone, it is important
to remember these two endings. It may sound incredibly redundant and
repetitive to those who do not speak Thai, but after every sentence, it is
customary for whoever is speaking to end their sentence with either “ka” or
“krub.” “Ka” is said by women and “krub” is used by men.
 DON'T TOUCH SOMEONE'S HEAD - While the feet are considered the lowest and
dirtiest parts of the body, the head is revered as the most sacred. Never touch
someone's head or hair - this includes playfully ruffling a child's hair.
 USE YOUR RIGHT HAND - The left hand is considered dirty, as it is sometimes
used for "toilet functions." Always use your right hand to pass objects to
someone and when paying.
 GET IN A TAXI OR TUK TUK BEFORE NEGOTIATING YOUR FARE - The tuk tuk
drivers know this, so they name their price. Your best bet in Bangkok is to take a
taxi and insist that they use their meter.

Education in Thailand mandates nine years of "basic education" (six years of

elementary school and three years of lower secondary school). Education at public
schools is free until grade 9. The Thai school year is from May to March for primary and
middle school, while secondary schools begin one month later. Homeschooling is legal
in Thailand. Thailand's has a universal access to education and Thailand has a 96.7
percent literacy rate. Thailand’s education market is still centered on improving English
proficiency and enhancing the digital and IT skills of students, teachers, and employees
as a way to grow the number of highly skilled workers and increase competitiveness in
key industry sectors, including robotics, aviation and logistics, biofuels, and
biochemicals, digital industries, and healthcare. In September 2020, the Thailand
Ministry of Education announced a major focus on English learning to hire at least
10,000 foreign English teachers to upgrade the Thai educational system’s language
schools, focusing on early childhood and vocational education.

It’s three main economic sectors are Agriculture in Thailand is highly competitive,
diversified and specialized and its exports are very successful internationally. Rice is the
country's most important crop, with some 60 percent of Thailand's 13 million farmers
growing it on fully half of Thailand's cultivated land. Thailand’s manufacturing sector
from both foreign and domestic sources, resulting in one of the strongest
manufacturing bases in the ASEAN region and the second-largest economy within the
trade block. Thailand, it turns out, is now the ute “utility vehicle” capital of the world,
and thus increasingly the country where most of the cars on our roads are built. The
manufacturing sector constitutes Thailand's main industry, producing a wide variety of
goods such as textiles and garments, plastics, footwear, electronics, integrated circuits,
computers and components, automobiles and parts, and cement. The top ten export
items were machinery including computers (17.2%), electrical equipment (14%),
vehicles (12.2%), rubber (6.2%), plastics (5.8%), gems (4.8%), mineral fuels, (4.2%),
meat/seafood preparations (2.6%), organic chemicals (2.5%), and cereals (2.3%). The
top imports of Thailand are Crude Petroleum ($18.3B), Integrated Circuits ($8.5B),
Petroleum Gas ($7.09B), Vehicle Parts ($6.15B), and Gold ($5.12B). Services
account for 17 million jobs in Thailand, or approximately 40 percent of the Thai labor
force. 

The country is largest producer of natural rubber in the world and one of the leading
producers and exporters of rice; it also possesses sugar, corn, jute, cotton and tobacco
among its major crops. Fishing constitutes an important activity as Thailand is a major
exporter of farmed shrimp.

Thailand rank 25 as the highest GDP per capita in the world. While Philippines is
number 39.

Thailand has a mixed economy with the major economic sectors being agriculture,
manufacturing, tourism, service and natural resource.

• You will likely encounter a language barrier when you first arrive. Most expats
find that they need to hire an interpreter right away when they make the decision to
start living in Thailand.

• Thai law allows for the death penalty for anyone who transports, carries, or uses
8drugs. If you carry more drugs that you can consume in a single setting, then Thailand
has the right to give you a death sentence. Thailand retains the death penalty, but
carries it out only sporadically. Since 1935, Thailand has executed 326 people, 319 by
shooting (the latest on 11 December 2003), and 7 by lethal injection (the latest on 18
June 2018).

• Prostitution is a serious problem in Thailand.

Singapore and Thailand share a bilateral network known as the Singapore-Thailand

Enhanced Economic Relationship. This is a platform for government agencies and
private sectors to promote closer economic cooperation and deepen the level of contact
and consultative process between the two countries.