Come to Thailand
Jerry G. 2nd period Masengill
Come to Thailand!
Bangkok, Thailand's capital
Bangkok, our capital is the city with the most people in Thailand. Bangkok has Thailand's biggest and busiest ports, that also contains Thailand's biggest airport. Many people search for job opportunities here.
Thai buddhism and monks
Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand. Many people in Thailand become monks, like me. Many cities have Buddhist monasteries that are social and religious centers.
Thailand's national flag
This is our nation's flag. The white stands for being pure and also stands for Buddhism, our main religion. Blue is Thailand's main color and stands for the monarchy. Red stands for the blood that was used to maintain our country.
Slogan- If you come to Thailand, then you will "bloom into a flower!"
Geography/Climate of Thailand
Thailand has a very nice tropical climate. We have warm and dry seasons from March to about May, a warm but wet season from June to October, and a cool and dry season from October to February. We also have monsoons that gives us lots of rains so droughts do not occur too much.
Thailand's 4 regions
These are the 4 regions. There is the northern region, the Khorat Plateau (north-east), the central plains, and the Southern Peninsula.
Thailand's monsoons
You can see a normal day in Thailand on the right. On the left, you can see the monsoon rains affecting the city with lots of rain.
Thailand's rice in the central region
These are farmers that are in the central region that are growing lots of rice because of fertile soil and lots of rain.
People & Culture
Many people have immigrated here and had skills that enhanced our culture. Right now, there are about 65.4 million people living in Thailand. Many of these people are helping the growth of our nation's capital, Bangkok. Today, there are many minorities such as the Thai, Malays, and the Laotians. Many Chinese people immigrated here and they married Thai women and took Thai names, and brought over Buddhism. The main language that is spoken in Thailand is Thai. There are 4 different dialects that are the Central Thai, Northeastern Thai (Thai-Lao), Northern Thai and Southern Thai dialects. Today there are many different ethnic groups such as the Mon, Khmer, Tai, Chinese, Malay, and Laotian groups. All of these groups make Thailand a very diverse country.
If you were to come to this wonderful country, then you would have to follow some cultural rules. In Thailand, you have to smile. Not just to be happy but sometimes a smile is a good greeting or its like saying hello or thank you. You MUST show respect to our king. The national anthem plays twice a day and every time before you watch a movie. You must stand during this, and you cannot say any harsh words about the king. You must respect the religion of Buddhism and Buddhist monks. Before entering, you must not wear any tank tops or shorts, and you must take off your shoes. Women may not touch monks either. You must not touch any one in the head. The head is considered a very sacred body part that should be guarded. You can't point your feet at anyone or anything. In America this is difficult because many people use their feet to close doors and such, but try your best not to use your feet besides when you are talking.
Food is so important in Thailand that it gets its own paragraph. In Thailand, people eat differently than people in America, and eat different delicious foods. In Thailand, there isn't an appetizer, and it's not like each person gets their own dish. Over here, we are more friendly and share our dishes and get as many dishes as there are people. In Thailand, our food is delicious and have 4 seasonings. We have spicy, salty, sweet, and sour seasonings in our food and our food isn't considered exquisite unless we have all 4. In Thailand there are snacks called "snackers" and you can buy a quick and savory snack for just pennies on the road. Thai food is very delicious and is spreading throughout the world.
Street snack
This is a chef making a snack that people would buy on the streets for just pennies.
Meal
This is what a typical dish might look like. These dishes have the 4 seasonings that make the flavorful.
Buddhism
Buddhism is Thailand's most popular religion. This is a statue of Buddha found in Thailand.
Thai Ethnic Group
These are people that are from the Thai ethnic group. The Thai ethnic group has the largest population in Thailand.
Smiling
Many people smile in Thailand. Smiling can mean hello or thank you.
A Buddhist Monk
Many people in Thailand are Buddhist monks. Buddhist monks are very wise and sacred.
The Government and Citizenship
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. Our constitution was formed in 2007 and made the king the head of state. The prime minister is the head of the government is elected by the House of Representatives, and can't serve for more than 8 years straight. The National Assembly is formed of the Senate who has 150 members that have 6-year terms, and the House of Representatives who has 500 members that serve 4 years. The senators are chosen by judges or independent national oversight bodies. The representatives are chosen by about 76 constituencies which are electoral districts.
Thailand has many citizen rights for people like you! In Thailand, education is free and is provided by the government. Thailand is a very peaceful country and there is no discrimination for any race. In Thailand, the people are given freedom to follow any religion that they would like. Like America, Thailand has the freedom of press and speech, so people may say anything or write anything and not get in trouble for it. Children, the elderly, and any gender have equal and protected rights, so no gender gets discriminated.
Senate Building
This is where the senate have meetings and important occasions.
House of Representative
This is where the House of Representatives have meetings. As you can see, there are lots of numbers.
Constitution
This is part of the constitution. The constitution gives citizens rights and freedoms.
Economy
Our nation has a well-developed free-enterprise system, that has fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Our nation was one of the best countries economically from 2002-04. Our economy has grown 6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004, and our economy is continuing to grow, while others may be slow in growth. Bangkok has made many trade partners and is trying to boost exports and keep the high growth its been getting already.
Thailand has an agricultural economy as well as an industrial economy mainly in Bangkok. Farmers grow crops such as rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, and soy beans. Our industries create tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, and automobiles and automotive parts.
Exports-textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
Imports-machinery and parts, petroleum, iron and steel, chemicals, vehicles and parts, jewelry, fish preparations, electrical appliances, fertilizers and pesticides
Rice
Rice is a lead export and is grown widely in Thailand and is also eaten often.
Automobiles
Thailand's industry's build many automobiles. This is one industry in Bangkok.
Rubber
Rubber is widely grown in Thailand. Rubber is also a lead export in Thailand.