Thailand
Discover Thailand
Introduction
Thailand occupies the centre of mainland Southeast Asia, and it is the only country in the region never colonised by a European power — a continuity that shows in its institutions, its monarchy and the fact that its temple architecture developed without interruption.
The country divides into four travel propositions that have little to do with each other. Bangkok is a dense, hot, fast capital on the Chao Phraya. The north around Chiang Mai is cooler, hilly and built on the older Lanna kingdom. The northeast, Isan, is the largest and least visited region. And the south runs down a narrow isthmus with a coast on either side.
Those two coasts are the thing most visitors get wrong. The Andaman side and the Gulf side have opposite wet seasons, so the right island depends entirely on the month.
Roughly 93% of Thais are Theravada Buddhist, and the temple is still the organising institution of most towns.