The kingdom of Thailand is located between latitudes 6 and 21 north and longitudes 98 and 102. It has a land mass of 513,115 square kilometers and a population of approximately 60 million. The country is divided into four regions-the Central Plains, home to Bangkok; the North, with Chiang Mai as the region’s center, the South, featuring the resort town of Phuket and the predominantly agricultural Northeast region known as Isan. Additionally, the Eastern Seaboardhas recently experienced extensive development, especially around the coastal communities of Pattaya and Rayong and the deep-sea port of Laem Chabang.

            In addition, to exotic cuisine and splendid scenery, Thailand is widely known for the warm hospitality of its people who make Thailand the “Land of Smiles”. Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and is also known as the City of Angels. The major religion is Buddhism, practiced by more than 90 percent of the population. The other 10 percent are Muslim, Christian, Hindu and others. The government is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament that in turn elects the Prime Minister.

            The present King of Thailand is His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), the Ninth Monarch of the Chakri Dynasty and the longest-reigning King in the world today. On 5 December 2007, all of Thailand celebrated His Majesty’s 80th anniversary, which then became one of the great events in Thai history.

            Culture

            The people of Thailand believe the head to be the most sacred part of the body and the feet to be the lowest part. Please avoid touching people on the head or pointing with your feet. When visiting a temple, dress appropriately (cover legs, shoulders and remove your shoes).

            The traditional Thai greeting is called a Wai, where the hands are brought together in front of the chest. The younger or lower ranking person would Wai first.

            Currency and credit cards

            The local currency is Thai Baht. 100 Thai Baht is 2.97265 USD (1USD is 32.99 Thai Baht). 100 Thai Baht is 2.02552 EUR (1EUR is 48.34375). January 2008.

            Most major credit cards are accepted as well as traveler’s checks in the principle currencies. Traveler’s check and foreign currency notes of all major currencies may be exchanged at any commercial banks. Most hotels have exchange facilities available for guests.

            Taxation and VAT

            There is a 7% Government Value Added Tax (VAT) applied to goods and services sold in Thailand. In addition, a minimum of 10% service charge is normally added to bills in major hotels and restaurants.

            Electricity

            The electricity in Thailand (Bangkok) is 220 volts,50 cycles/sec. They accommodate both flat prongs (like in the USA and Japan) and round prongs (like much of Europe and Asia). Actually, most sockets in Thailand are two prongs, missing the third grounding/earthing prong at the bottom. However, the newest office and condominium dwellings usually offer the third prong due to increased awareness of the importance of grounding for both safety and equipment damage reasons. Appliances designed to operate on 110/120 V need a voltage converter and a plug adapter for two-prong, round-prong plugs with side grounding contacts.