Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Thailand Part 3 - facts and figures

The Thailand flag (shown above) was officially adopted on September 28, 1917. Red is said to symbolize the blood of life, white the purity of the Buddhist faith, and blue the monarchy. The blue and white stripes were added to the flag during World War I.

Population - 65,444,371

Capital City - Bangkok - Population 6.8 million (metro area 9.2 million)

Currency - Thai Baht (THB)

Languages - Thai, English and local dialects

National Day - December 5th

Religions - Buddhist (95%) Muslim (4.5%) Others (0.5%)

Location - Thailand is in both the eastern and northern hemispheres. It's positioned in Southeast Asia. The country is bordered by the Andaman Sea, Gulf of Thailand, Indian Ocean and the countries of Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia.

Coastline - 2,000 miles

Weather - Thailand's monsoon season arrives in June/July and the rains last well into October. Every area of the country receives adequate rainfall, but the amount of rain varies substantially with altitude. The cooler months of November and December mark the arrival of the short dry season, where temperatures slowly begin to climb into the summer scorcher highs. The dry season is a bit longer in the northeast and shorter in the south because of its proximity to the sea. Thailand temperatures (March - May) range from an average high of 95° F to lows near 70° F. Temperatures (November - January) moderate rather dramatically with daily highs averaging in the mid 70s.

We tend to go in January and the weather is usually just perfect for us.

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