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Thailand is a nation in South-East Asia with coasts on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It surrounds Myanmar (Burma) to the north-west, Laos to the north-east, Cambodia to the south-east and Malaysia to the south. With immense food, a humid climate, charming culture and grand beaches, Thailand is a attraction for travelers the world over. By the marine border, the country is enclosed to the southeast by Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand, to the southwest by Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea. The capital and biggest city of Thailand is Bangkok. It is also the country's centre of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities. Weather: Thailand is basically tropical, so it's hot and humid all year around with temperatures in the 28-35°C range (82-95°F), a degree of relief provided only in the mountains in the extreme north of Thailand. In particular, the south-east coast of Thailand has the rains reversed, with the peak season being May-October and the rainy off season in November-February.

Religion & Culture: Thailand's people are mostly Thais, although there are important minorities of Chinese and assimilated Thai-Chinese all over the country, Muslims in the south near the Malaysian boundary and hill tribes such as the Karen and the Hmong in the north of the country. The awesomely prevailing religion (95%) is Theravada Buddhism, while Confucianism, Islam, Christianity and animist faiths also jostle for position. Mainland Thai culture is deeply inclined by Buddhism. On the other hand, the Buddhist nations of East Asia, Thailand's Buddhists follow the Therevada School, which is debatably closer to its Indian roots and places a heavier prominence on monasticism. Thai temples known as wats, magnificent with gold and easily express thanks to their ornate, multicolored, pointy roofs are omnipresent and becoming an orange-robed monk for a short period, normally the three-month rainy season, is a common rite of passage for young Thai boys and men. In addition to the mainland Thai culture, there are many other cultures in Thailand including those of the "hill tribes" in the northern mountainous provinces of Thailand, the southern Muslims, and native island peoples of the Andaman Sea.

Talk: The authorized language of Thailand is Thai. There are dozens of small language groups in the tribal regions of the north, and a little number of places where Thai speakers are few and far between. Thai is a tonal language which can make it difficult for Westerners to learn fast, but in spite of this, everybody will welcome any attempt you do make so pick up a slogan book and give it a go. In the Muslim-dominated south, dialects of Malay that may be somewhat unintelligible to speakers of standard Malay or Bahasa Indonesia are spoken. Public signage is usually bilingual, written in both Thai and English. There is also some occurrence of Japanese and Chinese signs. Where there is English, it is typically be quite phonetic.