The People of Thailand

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy ruled today by the Chakri Dynasty which was established in the 18th Century by King Rama I and is today overseen by King Rama IX. The King is revered as a God and his wife, the Queen and their family hold a special place in the hearts and everyday lives of Thai people.

The majority of the 62 million Thais are devoutly Buddhist in their religion and, if you are interested in this aspect of Asian life, you will be welcomed to Buddhist Temples all over the country, from the most elaborate and ornate to the most simple places of worship. There is also a large community of Muslim people who mostly live in the southern provinces of Thailand bordering Malaysia.

The Thai language is quite difficult to learn because it is a tonal language, which means that the same word can mean many different things, depending upon the tone you use to say it. The language is complicated more so because it has its own, unique alphabet. However, you will find that most Thais who live in the major centres where there are expatriate communities and many tourists, all speak a smattering of English. They will be pleased if you make an effort to learn just a couple of words in their language such as “hello” (sawadee) and “thank you” (kop khun). Follow these words with the sound “ka” if you are female or “kap” if you are a man.

The free, 2007 Editions of the on-line Cambodia and Vietnam Travel Guides are now available in English. Other Travel Guides will be available in the near future.

In addition, Arikah now also features free, online encyclopedias in Dutch, English, German, French, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.