Thailand's World

Thailand is a modern democratic Nation in Central South East Asia. '' Thai '' is the Tai word for '' free ''. The '' Thai '' identity was formed in the late 13 th C at Sukhothai and is not to be confused with '' Tai '' the name of the ethnic groups of people who migrated from Yunnan in the 12th & 13th Centuries. The character of the Thai Nation today and of its people can only be appreciated by exploring its 2000 years of recorded history and the cultures of the various peoples who live here. Thailand's natural landscape includes tropical wet evergreen forests in Southern Thailand to temperate deciduous forests in North Thailand and we explore these in the Thailand National Parks. Thailand art architecture and decorative objects need to be considered with regard to the influences of religion, mythological beliefs and regional artistic styles. Thailand is so large and diverse we detail all about Thailand in separate regions, North or Northern Thailand, South or Southern Thailand, Central Thailand and North East Thailand [ I 'san ].

North Thailand Travel & Places Of Interest

The Thailand Government defines North Thailand as consisting of both [ 1 ] the 84,000 square kilometres comprising 8 provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Lampang, Lamphun, Phrae and Mae Hong Son, which area originally comprised the Lan Na principalities detailed in the North Thailand History link [ the Upper North ], and [ 2 ] the 86,000 square kilometres of the Lower North, comprising the provinces of Kamphaeng Phet, Tak, Sukhothai, Uttaradit, Uthai Thani, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit Phitsanulok and Phetchabun, which area originally comprised the Kingdoms of Sukhothai and later the northern parts of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, Thon Buri and Bangkok Kingdoms.

The Differences Between The Upper North Thailand And The Lower North Thailand

One discernable difference between the Upper and Lower North Thailand is topography. Upper North Thailand is characterised by long valleys generally running north south. The climate has three seasons, hot [ April to May ] cool and rain [ July to September ]. Approximately 72% of the area is mountainous, 21% upland and 8% lowland. The lowland is cultivated by the Tai people to produce wet rice.

Lower North Thailand has 45% of its total land mass less than 150 metres above sea level and is thus similar to Thailand's Central region. However the two mountain extensions of the Upper North, [ 1 ] Thanon Thang Chai Range to the west and, [ 2 ] Petchabun Range to the east attract an extension of swidden hill tribe communities as in the Upper North, all part of the exodus from China of these ethnic minorities over the past hundreds of years. The geographic differences in topography need to be appreciated as the ethnic, sociological and cultural differences are essentially between lowlanders and highlanders [ Hill tribes ]. These classifications and detailed explanations are discussed in North Thailand People .

About Central Thailand

Central Thailand is situated on the central plains of the Chao Phraya River and the Meklong River valley. The first substantial civilisation here was that of the Mon people and during the 6th - 9th C its Buddhist Kingdom was referred to in chinese records and on silver coins as '' Dvaravati ''. Influences from India when merged with Mon characteristics formed the basis of religion, art, architecture and public administration.

About South Thailand

South Thailand comprises the Southern Peninsula with the Andaman Sea to the West and the Gulf of Siam to the East. It is a mountainous region and the Phuket Mountain Range is the most important on the West from Chumphon to Krabi and to the East is the Nakhon Si Thammarat Mountain Range from Surat Thani to Satun. Between these ranges are the plains and limestone hills and to the South the Sannkalakhiri Mountains which divide Malaysia and Thailand.

Thailand has in excess of 138 wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks. The major locations are listed in the opposite links and we detail 20 National Parks and eco tourism locations. Thailand is home to over 15,000 species of vascular plants and 16,000 species of animals

Thailand travel and tourism to Thailand places of interest is not a matter of a few choices as is the case with many Asia destinations. Thailand is large and diverse with a large selection of travel and holiday options. In 2005 over 14 million tourists visited Thailand and their range of interests varied.

James Andrew is of the writers at Thailand's World. To know more about Thailand, you can check out http://www.thailandsworld.com for more info.

Thailand's Ancient Capital of Ayutthaya

Bangkok nowadays has grown to such a size that visitors may be forgiven for thinking that it has always been the capitol of Thailand. But this is not the case. In fact, since the 13th century it is the third such, the other two capitols being in the north at Sukhothai (1238-1351 AD) and Ayutthaya. Bangkok has only been the center of government since 1782 and the present Grand Palace that just about everyone visits here was actually modeled on the style of the old palace in Ayutthaya. For more than 400 years, 1351-1767, Thailand was governed from Ayutthaya in an era known by historians as Thailand's "Golden Age."

At its height, the ancient city of Ayutthaya was a truly thriving center of a nation that was the most powerful in Southeast Asia for several centuries until its sacking and plundering by the Burmese in 1767. In their lust to take over the commercial center that Ayutthaya had become because of its control over lucrative trade routes, the Burmese destroyed many of the Angkor style temples and took unlimited amounts of wealth in the form of artefacts and jewels back to Burma. Although they were driven out less than six months later, the Burmese had ended Ayutthaya's reign as a capitol city due to the thoroughness of their destruction of what had been the "jewel of the East."

However, perhaps because of the proximity of Bangkok to Ayutthaya (86 km) it is once more a thriving town of more than half a million people and the ruins of the Ayutthaya civilization attract many visitors in their own right. As do the colorful markets, fine floating restaurants and pleasant quietude you are surrounded by compared to boisterous Bangkok.

In order to best protect their home, the ancient rulers of Ayutthaya utilized three nearby rivers which they connected by man-made canals to surround their stunning city, making a mostly natural moat around the city that served to ward off invaders. They were courted during those times by savvy Japanese merchants who built their own settlement just outside the city, on the other side of the moat, and were soon joined by other settlements constructed by English, French and Portuguese traders from Europe.

The Kings who ruled Ayutthaya constructed walls and fortresses as well as the moat that surrounded them, the remnants of which can still be glimpsed at certain points in the old part of the city. And of the hundreds of temples that were built, there is enough remaining of them today to enable you to imagine yourself back in Thailand's golden era of prosperity. If you close your eyes for a moment in the proximity of an ancient ruin it is not difficult to picture throngs of silken clad Thais in their national dress of baggy trousers cut off at the calf going about their business of the day. The city today is still surrounded by the three rivers (the Chao Phraya, Lop Buri and Pa Sak) and a good way to visit the city is to take the three and a half hour boat trip up the Chao Phraya from Bangkok, returning by road or train which is about an hour and a half trip.

When visiting Ayutthaya, in order to get a taste of the city, a good idea is to travel by boat again, taking a circumnavigatory tour of the island. Boats leave from the pier by the market and the trip lasts about an hour. You will pass by Wang Luang (the remains of the old wooden palace buildings), Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phra Ram, Wat Ratchaburana, the Ayutthaya Study Center and two museums - the Chao Sam Phraya and Chandra Kasem.

Your short boat trip around the island will set you up for further exploration by giving you some ideas of where you would like to explore. One temple that you might find particularly interesting is the aforementioned Wat Phra Ram, which was founded in 1369. It is set in a delightfully laid out garden with lotus blooms floating in a pond surrounded by the enigmatic ruins of the temple. The sight begs the question of how the people in those times could have designed and decorated such complex and and artistic structures with the technology they possessed.

Another ancient temple worth visiting, that is still in good repair, is Wat Phra Si Sanphet which was founded in approximately 1448. Its three bell-shaped chedis (monuments enshrining holy Buddhist relics) are flanked by two columns of viharas (assembly halls and chapels) and surrounded by sandstone images of Lord Buddha.

Before leaving Ayutthaya, a must, if you want to go home with long-lasting memories, is a visit to the Chao Sam Phraya Museum. There you'll see how Siam was influenced by the Mon and Khmer civilizations. You will see well-preserved remains of Buddha images and mythological images from Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. And you will also have the chance to see some fabulous glittering treasures of gold and jewelry in the museum's east room that were found in Wat Ratchaburana, luckily one of the only ones not looted by the scavenging Burmese. The regalia of gold on display, the filigreed headdresses, the ornamented war-elephant complete with howdah, a sword with a crystal handle and a scabbard inlaid with precious stones, all of these artifacts and more give a hint as to how fabulous a city Ayutthaya must once have been.

Tom Aikins is a Bangkok-based journalist who runs an Online Marketing Excellence business at http://www.marketingbangkok.com and does IT consulting at http://www.itready.co.th