Thailand, former Kingdom of Siam, has blown the imagination of millions of people who enjoyed with countless films shot in the country. It is a tourist destination in Asia of the first magnitude that is worth visiting, both to know its culture and to contemplate the magnificent natural scenes throughout the country. Join us to know 50 Curiosities of Thailand , the ancient and enigmatic Kingdom of Siam .
Thailand, in Southeast Asia, is a constitutional monarchy under a military dictatorship that has its capital in the city of Bangkok. In the country live more than 65 million people and ranks number 20 among the most populated in the world.
Curiosities of Thailand
1. Thai It was formerly known as Siam. In 1939 it took the name of Prathet Thai which translated means "free country" or "country of freedom". Thai is the name of the majority ethnic group in Thailand. Prathet Thai passed to English as Thailand, "land of thai" and to Spanish as Thailand.
2. The maximum height of Thailand is the Doi Inthanon in the Thanon Thong Chai mountain range and it is 2,565 meters above sea level.
3. Thailand has nothing more and nothing less than ... 1,430 islands !.
4. One of the most famous islands in Thailand is Koh Phi Phi Lee that became known worldwide for Danny Boyle's film "The Beach", whose protagonist as you will remember was Leonardo DiCaprio
5. Following in the film world, in Thailand you can visit Kanchanburi where is the famous "Bridge over the River Kwai". More than 80,000 people died in its construction.
6. Among the curiosities of Thailand that make it different from other countries in the area is that it was never colonized by the European powers.
7. Thailand is the world's leading exporter of orchids and you can find more than 1,500 varieties of this flower.
8. Thailand is the homeland of the largest snake in the world: the reticulated python.
9. In Thailand live the smallest mammal, the bumblebee bat, and also the largest fish: the whale shark.
10. The Siamese cats They are originally from Thailand and were preferred by the monarchy of the country.
11. In Thailand there are several places declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Among them Ayutthaya, Sukhothai or the archaeological site of Ban Chiang.
12. The illegal breaking or stepping on the currency of the country and it is not for its value, but because it carries the image of the king.
13. The currency of Thailand is the Thai Baht.
14. The figure known as Garuda, half man and half eagle that comes from the Indian epic Ramayana, is the national symbol of Thailand.
15. Another of the curiosities of Thailand that maybe you did not know: it is the cradle of the popular drink Red Bull
16. The term Siamese twins comes from the brothers Chang and Eng, natives of Thailand and who were born stuck, being exhibited all over the world.
17. In Thailand you can find public restrooms for transgender males along with those of conventional men and women. They are known as pink baths.
18. In the streets of the cities you will find many positions of Thai food . In addition to typical Thai recipes You can find barbecued pork skewers, fried crickets, ice cream sandwiches or banana pancakes among other delicacies.
19. It is considered that Thai food It is one of the tastiest in the world. Although for some the mixture of sweet, acid and spicy present in the Thailand food It can be "surprising".
20. One of the fruits consumed in Thailand is the durian. Its smell is stinky and very similar to sulfur, but its flavor is soft and creamy. It is forbidden to consume it on public transport.
21. Between customs of Thailand what is most surprising is the celebration of the new year between April 12 and 15 at a large party called Songkran.
22. The Thai culture , religious and superstitious at the same time has many rituals for these dates among which the "water party" . Starting from the Buddhist ritual of the annual blessing of water, a ritual of good luck that eliminates the sins of the previous year, a great and playful battle of water takes place.
23. The Thai culture It is deeply rooted in Buddhism. That's why it's not surprising that one of the customs of Thailand be that the children spend some time, which can be from a few weeks to years, as novice monks in some temple.
24. 95% of Thais declare themselves Buddhists.
25. The world's largest golden buddha is found in this country. It is in Bangkok and it is a solid piece of 5'5 tons and 3 meters high.
26. In front of many Thai buildings you will see some small buildings. They are the "phi" or houses of the spirits. In them offerings are made and gifts are left to keep the spirits happy and not to disturb those who live nearby.
27. The monarchy is deeply respected in the Thai culture . However, they have modernized their customs and the taboos that surrounded them and that led to the tragic events that we relate in the post: The absurd taboo that killed Queen Sunanda of Thailand.
One of the curiosities of Thailand that most impresses visitors is the town of giraffe women . Here you have some curiosities about them.
28. Currently the number of Giraffe women it barely exceeds a hundred.
29. Golden copper rings are a symbol of wealth and distinction and can weigh more than 10 kilos.
30. The hoops worn by Giraffe women They do not lengthen the neck but push it down to the clavicle and the cavity of the ribs, which gives the impression that the neck has been stretched.
31. One of the curiosities of Thailand It's your climate. Actually they have 3 stations: the rainy, the cold and the hot. For 6 months the weather is rainy, for 3 more months they enjoy cold and dry temperatures and the other 3 are very hot.
32. If you visit this country they will surely alert you about the insecurity of the tap. Better not drink it. However, local beer is safe and this is because its high ranking kills germs. It is a very popular drink because it costs the same price as bottled water.
33. The second exporting country in the rice world is Thailand. It also has an autochthonous variety: jasmine rice.
34. The largest of the cities of Thailand It is your capital: Bangkok . In it live 8.5 million people. The rest of the cities of Thailand , except for the City of Nonthaburi, they do not reach 200,000 inhabitants.
35. Bangkok is not the full name of the capital which is the longest place-name in the world: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.
36. That long name means: "City of Angels, Great City of the Immortals, Magnificent City of the Nine Gems, Seat of the King, City of the Royal Palaces, House of the Incarnate Gods, erected by Visvakarman in the mandate of Indra " Awesome!
37. In Bangkok you can visit the Grand Palace. This is one of the main tourist attractions in the world and every year more than 8 million people visit it.
38. You can now find a small three-wheeled vehicle called Tuk Tuk in several tourist cities of the world. This transport originated in Thailand and is the most common in Bangkok.
39. In most of the cities of Thailand You will also find Thai food stalls, fresh fruit vendors ... prices in Thailand of the fruit are very economical.
40. Bangkok is such a polluted city that traffic police often wear masks to protect themselves from pollution.
41. Floating markets were a tradition in Bangkok, the capital of the country, but today, with the construction of roads, they have remained as something anecdotal relegated to the outskirts of the city.
42. Another of the curiosities of Thailand is that there are about 35,000 temples and as we said earlier, many Thai men are usually monks for a short period of time before they turn 20.
43. Bangkok is not only the most visited of the cities of Thailand , but it is ... the city in the world that receives the most visitors !, above London or Paris.
44. The language of Thailand It's Thai It is a very curious language since it has 44 consonants and 32 vowels. But the most important thing about the Thai language is the "tone". There are 6 different tones that are critical for its pronunciation.
45. For example in the thailand language the word "mai" can mean "no", "wood", "new", "burn" or "silk" depending on the intonation we give you.
46. The typical greeting of the country is not to shake hands, but the "Wai". To do this, they join hands and rise towards the face while tilting the head forming a small bow.
47. Because almost two-thirds of the forests that existed in the country have disappeared, logging is currently prohibited.
48. The elephant is the national animal of Thailand. Although currently it is believed that there are little more than 5,000 copies.
49. In addition to strenuous labor camps for elephants on the border with Myanmar (Burma), there are many places for tourists in which elephants in Thailand They live in terrible conditions. However there are several organizations that are creating sanctuaries for these intelligent animals.
50. The last of the curiosities of Thailand It has to do with elephants and sports: Thailand and India are the only places in the world where polo is played with elephants.
Other Curiosities of Asia | By Countries
Have you been surprised by these curiosities of Thailand, a country that has more than 1,400 islands ? If you're fascinated by Asian countries, you can not miss the following curiosities of Asia in general, distributed by countries. Surely you will be interested and surprised as much as the previous ones! Discover them!
- Curiosities of the Philippines
- Curiosities of Georgia
- Curiosities of Jordan
- Curiosities of Turkey
- Curiosities of China
- Curiosities of Japan
- Curiosities of North Korea
- Curiosities of South Korea
- Curiosities of Russia
- Curiosities of Mongolia
- Curiosities of India
- Curiosities of Nepal
Did you know these curiosities of Thailand ? Have you been surprised to learn that it is a country in which 94% of the population declares itself Buddhist and in which it is forbidden to step on the coins because they have the face of the king? We really want to visit the country! If you know some curious data from Thailand that we have not mentioned, share it with us and we can expand the list!
Image: Golden buddha