Theme Week Thailand

Monday, 24 February 2020 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, Theme Weeks
Reading Time:  7 minutes

Yaowarat Road, the centre of Bangkok's Chinatown © flickr.com - Ninara/cc-by-2.0

Yaowarat Road, the centre of Bangkok’s Chinatown © flickr.com – Ninara/cc-by-2.0

Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam, is a country at the centre of the Southeast Asian Indochinese Peninsula composed of 76 provinces. At 513,120 km² (198,120 sq mi) and over 68 million people, Thailand is the world’s 50th-largest country by total area and the 22nd-most-populous country. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, a special administrative area. Thailand is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Myanmar. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest. It is a unitary state. Although nominally the country is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, the most recent coup, in 2014, established a de facto military dictatorship under a junta. Thailand is an emerging economy and is considered a newly industrialised country. Thailand functions as an anchor economy for the neighbouring developing economies of Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

Architecture (Architecture of Thailand) is the preeminent medium of the country’s cultural legacy and reflects both the challenges of living in Thailand’s sometimes extreme climate as well as, historically, the importance of architecture to the Thai people’s sense of community and religious beliefs. Influenced by the architectural traditions of many of Thailand’s neighbors, it has also developed significant regional variation within its vernacular and religious buildings. The Ayutthaya Kingdom movement, which went from approximately 1350 to 1767, was one of the most fruitful and creative periods in Thai architecture The identity of architecture in Ayutthaya period is designed to display might and riches so it has great size and appearance. The temples in Ayutthaya seldom built eaves stretching from the masterhead. The dominant feature of this style is sunlight shining into buildings. During the latter part of the Ayutthaya period, architecture was regarded as a peak achievement that responded to the requirements of people and expressed the gracefulness of Thainess. Buddhist temples in Thailand are known as “wats“, from the Pāḷi vāṭa, meaning an enclosure. A temple has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world. Wat architecture has seen many changes in Thailand in the course of history. Although there are many differences in layout and style, they all adhere to the same principles.

Asian tourists primarily visit Thailand for Bangkok and the historical, natural, and cultural sights in its vicinity. Western tourists not only visit Bangkok and surroundings, but in addition many travel to the southern beaches and islands. The north is the chief destination for trekking and adventure travel with its diverse ethnic minority groups and forested mountains. The region hosting the fewest tourists is Isan in the northeast. To accommodate foreign visitors, the Thai government established a separate tourism police with offices in the major tourist areas and its own central emergency telephone number.

A typical limestone island © flickr.com - McKay Savage/cc-by-2.0 Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok © Boyfoto/cc-by-sa-4.0 Ayutthaya Historical Park © Sabyk2001/cc-by-sa-4.0 Bang Bao © Claudio Bentz/cc-by-sa-3.0 Dramatic karst formations in Phang Nga Bay © Vyacheslav Argenberg/cc-by-sa-4.0 Iconsiam, one of the most luxurious shopping centre in Bangkok © Supanut Arunoprayote/cc-by-4.0 Longtail boats at Maya Beach © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-3.0 Ko Tapu (James Bond) Island in Phang Nga Bay © Vyacheslav Argenberg/cc-by-sa-4.0 Lumphini Park in Bangkok © Terence Ong/cc-by-2.5 Lush green foliage over tropical forest and karst hills in Surat Thani © Vyacheslav Argenberg/cc-by-sa-4.0 Phi Phi Islands © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-3.0 Sukhumvit area of Bangkok © flickr.com - David McKelvey/cc-by-2.0 Yaowarat Road, the centre of Bangkok's Chinatown © flickr.com - Ninara/cc-by-2.0
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Lush green foliage over tropical forest and karst hills in Surat Thani © Vyacheslav Argenberg/cc-by-sa-4.0
Thailand’s attractions include diving, sandy beaches, hundreds of tropical islands, nightlife, archaeological sites, museums, hill tribes, flora and bird life, palaces, Buddhist temples and several World Heritage sites. Many tourists follow courses during their stay in Thailand. Popular are classes in Thai cooking, Buddhism and traditional Thai massage. Thai national festivals range from Thai New Year Songkran to Loi Krathong. Many localities in Thailand also have their own festivals. Among the best-known are the “Elephant Round-up” in Surin, the “Rocket Festival” in Yasothon, Suwannaphum District, Phanom Phrai District both district are located in Roi Et Province and the “Phi Ta Khon” festival in Dan Sai. Thai cuisine has become famous worldwide with its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices.

Bangkok shopping malls offer a variety of international and local brands. Towards the north of the city, and easily reached by skytrain or underground, is the Chatuchak Weekend Market. It is possibly the largest market in the world, selling everything from household items to live, and sometimes endangered, animals. The “Pratunam Market” specialises in fabrics and clothing. The night markets in the Silom area and on Khaosan Road are mainly tourist-oriented, selling items such as T-shirts, handicrafts, counterfeit watches and sunglasses. In the vicinity of Bangkok one can find several floating markets such as the one in Damnoen Saduak. The “Sunday Evening Walking Street Market”, held on Rachadamnoen Road inside the old city, is a shopping highlight of a visit to Chiang Mai up in northern Thailand. It attracts many locals as well as foreigners. The “Night Bazaar” is Chiang Mai’s more tourist-oriented market, sprawling over several city blocks just east of the old city walls towards the river.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on Royal Thai Government, TourismThailand.org, LonelyPlanet.com – Thailand, History of Thailand, Geography of Thailand, Provinces of Thailand, Foreign relations of Thailand, Economy of Thailand, Tourism in Thailand, Culture of Thailand, Music of Thailand, Isan, Cinema of Thailand, Cuisine of Thailand, Architecture of Thailand, List of World Heritage Sites in Thailand, Wikitravel Thailand, Wikivoyage Thailand and Wikipedia Thailand. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Johns Hopkins University & Medicine - Coronavirus Resource Center - Global Passport Power Rank - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.








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