There is more visible historical evidence of past eras in Thailand than in any other South-East Asian country, so if you re interested in ruins, temples and deserted cities, this is the place to go. For pure holiday-making magic, Thailand’s islands and beaches are working definitions of heaven (once you get out of the shadows of the evil multinational hotels).

Thailand is an easy country to travel in, with efficient transport, cheap accommodation and a delicious national cuisine. The Thais are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality to strangers. Although they re often depicted as fun-loving, happy-go-lucky folk (which they often are), they are also very strong-minded and have struggled for centuries to preserve their spirit of independence.

Full country name: Kingdom of Thailand
Capital: Bangkok
Area: 514,000 sq Km
Population: 64,632,000
Inflation: 5,1%
GDP Per capital: US$9100
Religion: 95% Buddhist
Literacy: 92,6%
Border country: Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma)
Original name: Siam
Number of coups d’etat since 1932: 18
Number  of  7-elevents currently: 3800
Highest point: 2565 m
Rice exports: 7.4 million tones in 2006 (number one of Rice exporter in the world)
Major industries: computer, Garments, Integrated circuits, gems, jewellery
Major trading international:  ASEAN, USA, EUROPEAN UNION
Languages: Thai is the official language although English is widely spoken in tourist