Welcome to the Thailand Portal / สถานีย่อยประเทศไทย
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, and formerly known as Siam until 1939, is a country located in mainland Southeast Asia. It shares land borders with Myanmar to the west and northwest, Laos to the east and northeast, Cambodia to the southeast, and Malaysia to the south. Its maritime boundaries include the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, as well as maritime borders with Vietnam, Indonesia, and India. Thailand has a population of nearly 66 million people, covers an area of approximately 513,115 km2 (198,115 sq mi). The country's capital and largest city is Bangkok.
After the fall of Ayutthaya, King Taksin reunified the kingdom and established the Thonburi Kingdom, which lasted only 15 years before he was overthrown by Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri dynasty. King Rama I established the Rattanakosin Kingdom and moved the capital to Bangkok in 1782. During the era of Western imperialism, Siam remained the only country in Southeast Asia to avoid colonization by European powers, although it ceded territory, trade rights, and legal privileges through several unequal treaties. The governance system evolved into an absolute monarchy centralized under the rule of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). Siam adapted to international relations during the imperialist era and joined World War I on the side of the Allies, a political decision aimed at revising the effects of unequal treaties and enhancing Siam's international status.
Following the Siamese revolution of 1932 by the Khana Ratsadon (lit. 'People's Party'), Siam transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary constitutional monarchy and was officially renamed Thailand. During World War II, the country was under the military dictatorship of Plaek Phibunsongkhram and allied with the Empire of Japan as part of the Axis powers, but Thailand did not become a defeated nation due to the underground Free Thai Movement's "Declaration of Peace", which was recognized by the Allies. During the Cold War, Thailand became a key major non-NATO ally of the United States and played a major role in countering communism in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and other proxy wars. Thailand also joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Despite brief periods of liberal democracy in the 1970s and 1990s, Thailand alternated between liberal democracy and military dictatorship. (Full article...)
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Image 1The history of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, dates at least to the early 15th century, when it was under the rule of Ayutthaya. Due to its strategic location near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, the town gradually increased in importance, and after the fall of Ayutthaya King Taksin established his new capital of Thonburi there, on the river's west bank. King Phutthayotfa Chulalok, who succeeded Taksin, moved the capital to the eastern bank in 1782, to which the city dates its foundation under its current Thai name, "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon". Bangkok has since undergone tremendous changes, growing rapidly, especially in the second half of the 20th century, to become the primate city of Thailand. It was the centre of Siam's modernization in the late 19th century, subjected to Allied bombing during the Second World War, and has long been the modern nation's central political stage, with numerous uprisings and coups d'état having taken place on its streets throughout the years. ( Full article...)
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View from the Outer Court of the Grand Palace ( Thai: วัดพระแก้ว, RTGS: Wat Phra Kaeo, pronounced [wát pʰráʔ kɛ̂ːw] ⓘ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace in the historical centre of Bangkok. It houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country's palladium. Construction of the temple began in 1783 under the orders of Rama I, the first king of the Chakri dynasty. Since then, each successive king has been personally involved in adding, restoring and embellishing the temple during their reigns as a way of making religious merit and glorifying the dynasty. Many important state and royal ceremonies are held within the temple each year, presided by the king in person and attended by government officials. This makes the temple the nation's preeminent place of worship and a national shrine for the monarchy and the state. Throughout the years, each king has donated sacred and valuable objects to the temple, making it a treasury as well. ( Full article...)
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Image 5Luang Por Dattajivo ( Thai: ทตฺตชีโว, RTGS: Thattachiwo; Pali: Dattajīvo; born 21 December 1940), also known by his birth name Phadet Phongsawat ( Thai: เผด็จ ผ่องสวัสดิ์) and former ecclesiastical title Phrarajbhavanajahn ( Thai: พระราชภาวนาจารย์, RTGS: Phra Rat Phawanachan), is a Thai Buddhist monk. He is the former deputy-abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and the vice-president of the Dhammakaya Foundation, and was the observing abbot of the temple from 1999 until 2006, and again from 2011 until 2016. As of December 2016, he was still widely considered the de facto abbot. He met Mae chi (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong and Luang Por Dhammajayo in his student years, and they have been his teachers throughout his life. Luang Por Dattajivo was ordained in 1971, and quickly became a prolific author. He also took on a significant role in managing Wat Phra Dhammakaya. It was for this position that he was charged by the Thai military junta in 2017, when he refused to deliver Luang Por Dhammajayo to the authorities. This happened during the lockdown by the Thai junta, when abbot Luang Por Dhammajayo was sought for charges of receiving ill-gotten gains, charges which have been widely described as politically motivated. ( Full article...)
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Image 8Nakhon Nayok ( Thai: นครนายก, pronounced [ná(ʔ).kʰɔ̄ːn nāː.jók]) is one of the central provinces ( changwat) of Thailand, established by the Act Establishing Changwat Samut Prakan, Changwat Nonthaburi, Changwat Samut Sakhon, and Changwat Nakhon Nayok, Buddhist Era 2489 (1946), which came into force on 9 May 1946. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, Chachoengsao, and Pathum Thani. Nakhon Nayok is known for waterfalls and fruit varieties. ( Full article...)
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Green papaya salad with yardlong beans, chili, pla ra, brined crab, hog plum and lime is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya. Originating in Laos, it is a national dish and a cornerstone of Lao cuisine, known locally as tam som or tam mak hoong. The dish exemplifies bold, vibrant flavors, blending sour, spicy, salty, and sweet elements, and holds deep cultural significance in Laos. Green papaya salad is also widely popular in Thailand, particularly in the Isan region, which shares close ethnic and cultural ties with Laos due to its predominantly ethnic Lao population. Introduced to Thailand via Isan, the dish—called som tam in Thai—became a staple of Thai cuisine and spread nationwide. Beyond Laos and Thailand, green papaya salad has also gained regional prominence across continental Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. ( Full article...)
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Image 10The Cambodia–Thailand border dispute is a territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over certain areas of their border. It began in the 1950s, shortly after Cambodia's independence from France, and first centred on ownership of the Preah Vihear temple. The case was brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), who decided in 1962 in favour of Cambodia. The issue became dormant over the following decades as Cambodia fell into civil war, but remained unresolved as sections of the countries' borders were never jointly demarcated. The dispute erupted into open conflict in 2008, following Cambodia's nomination of the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Thai protesters pushing their government over the issue. The clashes led to a request for interpretation from the ICJ to clarify the 1962 ruling, which was decided in 2013. During this round of conflict, disputes also arose over other overlapping border areas, including those around the ancient Khmer temples of Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Prasat Ta Krabey. The conflict subsided for over a decade until it erupted again in 2025, with the worst fighting since the dispute began. The dispute mostly stems from the Franco-Siamese treaties of 1904 and 1907, which defined the final boundary between Siam (as Thailand was then known) and French Indochina, the borders of which were inherited by Cambodia. While the treaty defined the relevant segment of the boundary along the watershed line of the Dangrek Mountains, demarcation of the border by French surveyors produced maps that deviated from the line in the now-disputed areas, including around the Preah Vihear temple. While Thailand argued at the ICJ that it never approved the maps and that the temple's location on a cliff, more accessible from the Thai side, indicated that it was on Thai territory, the ICJ decided in favour of Cambodia largely based on the fact that Siam never officially protested the map or claimed ownership of the temple while it was under French control. Cambodia also views itself as having rightful claims to the temples due to closer cultural affinity as successor to the Khmer Empire. ( Full article...)
The following are images from various Thailand-related articles on Wikipedia.
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Image 2Map of the Kingdom of Siam with Tributary States, 1869 (from History of Thailand)
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Image 3Buakaw Banchamek, a famous Muay Thai fighter (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 4Wat Arun, the most prominent temple of the Thonburi period, derives its name from the Hindu god Aruṇa. Its main prang was constructed later in the Rattanakosin period. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 5The ruins of Ayutthaya city was completely buried beneath a mass of jungle vegetation in 1930. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 7A wedding ceremony in Thailand. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 9Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, 2001–2006. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 10A group of Kalae houses, traditional northern Thai house located at Thawan Duchanee's house in Chiang Rai. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 11People floating krathong rafts during the Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 12Mural painting of the epic Ramakien depicts the Hanuman enlarging his body to rescue Phra Ram. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 16Indochina political map, 960 AD (from History of Thailand)
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Image 17Yi Peng, floating lantern festival in Northern Thailand, observed around the same time as Loy Krathong. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 19Mural painting at Phra Thi Nang Phutthaisawan dates back to the early Rattanakosin period. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 20Phibun welcomes students of Chulalongkorn University, at Bangkok's Grand Palace – 8 October 1940. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 21Traditional Thai desserts (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 22Siamese in Laos, canoe racing, 1866 (from History of Thailand)
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Image 23Schoolgirls and boys playing khrueang sai in front of a temple (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 28Thai greeting, the smile is an important symbol of refinement in Thai culture. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 29King Vajiralongkorn, the current monarch of Thailand (from History of Thailand)
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Image 30General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the coup leader (from History of Thailand)
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Image 31Map showing linguistic family tree overlaid on a geographic distribution map of Tai-Kadai family. This map only shows general pattern of the migration of Tai-speaking tribes, not specific routes, which would have snaked along the rivers and over the lower passes. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 3317th-19th century Benjarong style ceramics from Ayutthaya. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 38King Chulalongkorn (from History of Thailand)
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Image 39A 14-year-old Vietnamese contaminated with Agent Orange. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 451238-1351 (from History of Thailand)
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Image 46The Khmer temple of Wat Phra Prang Sam Yod, Lopburi. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 47Display of respect of the younger towards the elder is a cornerstone value in Thailand. A family during the Buddhist ceremony for young men who are to be ordained as monks. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 49The roads along the old moat of Chiang Mai are full of vehicles during the Songkran water splashing festival. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 52Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, the royal reception hall built in European architectural style. Construction was started by Rama V, but was completed in 1915. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 54Protesters mobilising, 1 December 2013 (from History of Thailand)
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Image 55The Democracy Monument in Bangkok, built in 1940 to commemorate the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, was the scene of massive demonstrations in 1973, 1976, 1992 and 2010. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 57A Buddha from Wat Kukkut, Lamphun (from History of Thailand)
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Image 59Funeral pyre of Chan Kusalo, the patriarch-abbot of northern Thailand. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 61Thai women wearing Isan modified sinh dress for Boon Bang Fai festival in Roi Et (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 66Mural painting in Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram showing the royal cremation ceremony (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 67The image depicts Khon, a traditional dance drama that has been recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2018. (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 68Siamese Expeditionary Forces in Paris Victory Parade, 1919. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 69Gurkhas guide disarmed Japanese soldiers from Bangkok to prisoner of war camps outside the city, September 1945 (from History of Thailand)
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Image 7015th-16th century Sawankhalok stoneware with brown underglaze and pale blue glaze (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 7215th-century Kalong ware glazed stoneware dish (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 74Five states of Siam that emerged from the dissolution of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767 (from History of Thailand)
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Image 77Siam in 1900 (from History of Thailand)
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Image 78Muay Thai match in Bangkok, Thailand (from Culture of Thailand)
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Image 79Thai soldiers at the Chang Phueak Gate in Chiang Mai. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 80King Bhumibol in his birthday ceremony in 2007, celebrating his longest-reigning in Thai history. (from History of Thailand)
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Image 82A traditional wedding in Thailand. (from Culture of Thailand)
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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.
The Grand Palace (Thai: พระบรมมหาราชวัง, RTGS: Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang lit. 'The Supreme Grand Palace') is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), resided at the Chitralada Royal Villa and his successor King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) resides at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, both in the Dusit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand, with over eight million people visiting each year.
Construction of the palace began on 6 May 1782, at the order of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri dynasty, when he moved the capital city from Thonburi to Bangkok. (Full article...)
Chim chum (Thai: จิ้มจุ่ม, pronounced [tɕîm tɕùm]; Northeastern Thai: แจ่วฮ้อน, pronounced [tɕɛ́w hɔ̂ːn]) is a Southeast Asian street food, popular especially in Thailand. It is traditionally made with chicken or pork and fresh herbs such as galangal, sweet basil, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, cooked in a small clay pot on a charcoal stove. It is often served with nam chim. (Full article...)
Photograph credit: BerryJ Wat Arun is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple derives its name from the Hindu god Aruna. This photograph shows the sculptures of two mythical giant demons, Thotsakan (green-skinned) and Sahatsadecha (white-skinned), guarding the eastern gate of the temple's ordination hall, a building designated for the performance of upasampadā, the Buddhist ordination ritual, and other ritual ceremonies. The entrance of the ordination hall has a roof with a central spire, decorated in coloured ceramic and stucco and sheathed in coloured china.
Thailand topics
| History:
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Ayutthaya Kingdom, Chakri dynasty, Constitution of Thailand, Early history of Thailand, Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Thailand, Hariphunchai, History of Thailand (1768–1932), History of Thailand (1932–1973), History of Thailand (1973-2001), History of Thailand since 2001, Lan Na, Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom, Pattani Kingdom, Plaek Pibulsonggram, Pridi Phanomyong, Sarit Dhanarajata, Siamese coup d'état of 1932, South Thailand insurgency, Srivijaya
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| Politics:
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1997 Constitution of Thailand, 2006 interim constitution of Thailand, Administrative divisions of Thailand, Cabinet of Thailand, Constitution of Thailand, Constitutional Court of Thailand, Foreign relations of Thailand, Government of Thailand, National Assembly of Thailand, People's Alliance for Democracy, Sonthi Boonyaratglin, South Thailand insurgency, Pridiyathorn Devakula, Prem Tinsulanonda, Surayud Chulanont, 2006 Thai coup d'état, Thai 2006 interim civilian government, Thai Rak Thai, Thaksin Shinawatra, Samak Sundaravej
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| Economy:
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Agriculture in Thailand, Baht, Bank of Thailand, List of banks in Thailand Bureau of the Crown Property, Stock Exchange of Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thai Airways, Thaksinomics, Tourism in Thailand, Transport in Thailand, US-Thailand Free Trade Agreement, Rail transport in Thailand, Thai motorway network
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| Geography:
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Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Chao Phraya River, Demographics of Thailand, Doi Inthanon, Gulf of Thailand, Khao Lak, Khao Yai National Park, Khorat Plateau, Ko Chang, Ko Samet, Ko Samui, Kra Isthmus, Kwai river, Mekong, Patong Beach, Phi Phi Islands, Three Pagodas Pass
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| Provinces:
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Bangkok, Chiang Mai Province, Chiang Rai Province, Chonburi Province, Kanchanaburi Province, Khon Kaen Province, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Narathiwat Province, Pattani Province, Phuket Province, Songkhla Province, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Udon Thani Province, Yala Province
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| Culture:
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Thai art, Buddhism in Thailand, Buddhist temples in Thailand, Cinema of Thailand, Cuisine of Thailand, Dance in Thailand, Education in Thailand, Farang, Flag of Thailand, Kathoey, Lakorn, Literature in Thailand, Thai language, Loi Krathong, Media of Thailand, Muay Thai, Music of Thailand, List of television stations in Thailand, Thai names, National Museum, Thai New Year, Public holidays in Thailand, Ramakien, Royal Flags of Thailand, Royal Flora Ratchaphruek, Thai greeting, Thai-style dresses, Traditional Thai musical instruments
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| Others:
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Pridi Banomyong, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Communications in Thailand, Elephant Nature Park, Environmental issues in Thailand, Grand Palace, Bangkok, Prostitution in Thailand, Queen Sirikit, Military of Thailand, Thai royal and noble titles, List of shopping malls in Thailand, Thai studies
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Southeast Asia
Other countries
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