FACTS

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma

Area (only Total) total: 514,000 sq km

Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid

Terrain: central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere

Population: 65,493,298

Main Language (only first): Thai

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital (Name): Bangkok

Capital (Time Difference): UTC+7

Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

National holiday: Birthday of King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL), 5 December (1927)

HOLIDAYS

January 1-2 New Year's Day

February 7 Chinese New Year (Unofficial, Chinese community only)

April 6 Chakri Day

April 13 - 15 Maha Songkran (Thai New Year)

May 1 National Labour Day

May 1 Mid Year Day (Banks only)

May 5 Coronation Day

May 8 Royal Ploughing Ceremony

May 20 Vesak Day

July 17 Asanha Bucha Day

August 9 Siri National Day

August 12 H.M. the Queen's Birthday

October 23 Chulalongkorn Day

December 5 H.M. the King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 31 New Year's Eve

You Should know:

Holidays falling on a Saturday or Sunday are observed on the Monday following by banks, but not by the Government. This includes the moveable holidays below. Apparently many offices also follow the same rule as banks.

The solilunar calendar in use is not completely understood. There is an intercalary 8th month every few years but how it is predicted is not known. It is therefore at present impossible to make projections. Most years, Vaisakh Buddha in Thailand falls 2 days before the Indian Buddha Purnima but in 1996, it fell a full lunar month later. This implies a different set of rules for observing or predicting the lunisolar New Year.

Weekend - Saturday, Sunday