Thailand

Home › Destinations › South East Asia › Thailand › Fact File

Fact File for Thailand

Thailand attracts more visitors than any other southeast Asian country with its alluring combination of spectacular natural beauty, inspiring temples, celebrated hospitality, exotic cuisine and remains of amazing ancient kingdoms.

COORDINATES: 15.8700° N, 100.9925° E

LANGUAGE: Thai

CAPITAL: Bangkok

WEATHER:   There are two main seasons is Thailand. The dry or NE monsoon season from November to April has stable wind speeds of force 2 to 4 from the NE, sunshine and temperatures of about 30 deg C. This is the only season in which you can visit the Similan Islands. The wet season or SW monsoon runs from May to October  and is characterised by winds force 2 to 6. While there are periods of rain at this time of year, sometimes  prolonged, normally they last for only 1 to 2 hours and are late in the day / early evening.   

BEST TIME TO CHARTER: You can charter in Thailand all year round although from November to April is the most agreeable

AIRPORTS: Thailand has a number of international airports including Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok, as well as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Hat Yai, Udon Thani, and Krabi with a large number of international airlines servicing them. There is also a large network of domestic airports allowing easy access for tourists to many areas of Thailand.

TIME: UTC+7 

CURRENCY: Thai baht (THB); American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted and ATMs are widespread.

ELECTRICITY: 220 V, 50 Hz

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
1 Jan - New Year's Day
Full moon in February - Magha Puja
6 April - Chakri Memorial Day
13 - 15 April - Songkran Festival
May, arbitrary date - Royal Ploughing Ceremony and Farmer's Day
Full moon in May - Vesak
28 July - King Maha Vajiralongkorn's Birthday
Full moon in July - Asalha Puja
First waning moon in July - Beginning of Vassa
12 Aug - The Queen Sirikit's Birthday
13 Oct  - Anniversary for the Death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
23 Oct - King Chulalongkorn Day
5 Dec - King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Birthday Anniversary
10 Dec - Constitution Day
31 Dec - New Year's Eve

MAIN MARINAS: There are a number of marinas in the Phuket /Krabi area including  Phuket Yacht Haven, Boat Lagoon Marina and the Krabi Boat Lagoon Co. Thailand also offers many secluded bays and coves to discover on a yachting vacation.

CULTURAL: The people of Thailand are world-famous for their friendliness. It really is the "Land of Smiles" and they particularly like it if you smile first. They are gentle people with an innocent giggly laugh and a slightly slapstick sense of humour. Almost everyone in the tourist areas will speak English but much less so out of them. Being able to say hello (Men say sah-wah-dee-khrab while women sah-wah-dee-kha) and thank you (Men say kob-khun-khrab while women kob-khun-kha) is always appreciated.