1. By: B. Studious and D. O. Yerwork

2. Thai established a kingdom at Sukhothai Sukhothai was conquered by the kingdom of Ayutthaya Ayutthaya was overthrown by the Burmese Burmese reestablished control over the Thai Rama I founded the Chakri dynasty Rama I established Bangkok as the capital Military leaders forced the government to become a constitutional monarchy Government changed the nation’s name from Siam to Thailand, to promote a stronger sense of Thai identity

3. Japan occupied Thailand for a short time, and Thai leaders allied with Japan Thailand allied with the United States and became an important base for U.S. military and intelligence activities in the region King Rama IX became the nation’s longest- living ruler, surpassing Rama I A coup led to riots, a violent military response, and then royal intervention Political instability plagued Thailand for several years, even after elections brought General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to office as prime minister A severe financial crisis and other issues in forced Chavalit to resign after a new constitution had been approved Billionaire businessman Thaksin Shinawatra became prime minister when his party, Thai Rak Thai, won parliamentary elections

4. Thai Rak Thai overwhelmingly won the next elections in, but Thaksin was criticized internationally for his hard-line approach to a Muslim insurgency in the south Thaksin called a snap election to maintain control in April, but opposition parties boycotted the poll The military intervened in September, overthrowing Thaksin in a bloodless coup; a civilian government resumed control of the government a year later Thousands of protesters gathered in Bangkok to demand the dissolution of the government over charges of corruption Yingluck Shinawatra, was elected as Thailand’s first female prime minister and the sixth prime minister to serve since Thaksin's removal from office Ivory Trade Ban, Peace talks with separatist rebels, and mass protests

5.  Constitutional Monarchy  Current king: Bhumibol Adulyadej  Head of state  Prime Minister: Yingluck Shinawatra  Head of government  Leads Majority Party/coalition in House of Representatives  National Assembly  150-seat Senate  500-seat House of Representatives  Voting age is 18  Chiefs are elected in villages

6. ● Found at the original site of the Rear Palace in the west part of the city ● Memorial to Somdet Phra Suriyothai

7. ● Located on the bank of Khlong Sabua opposite the Grand Plalace ● Buddha temple

8. ● Ancient temple located behind Chankasem Palace that houses two Buddha images

9.  Thailand is located in Southeastern Asia and borders the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It’s southeast of Burma  It’s 513,120 sq km total  510, 890 sq km is land  2, 230 sq km is water  Thailand is about twice the size of Wyoming  It has a tropical climate. It’s rainy, warm, and in mid-May to September has southwest monsoons. It’s dry and in November to mid-March has cool northeast monsoons. The southern isthmus is always hot and humid Thailand

10.  The birth rate is 12.66 births/1,000 population  The death rate is 7.47 deaths/1,000 population  The maternal mortality rate is 48 deaths/100,000 live births  The lowest point in Thailand is the Gulf of Thailand which is 0 m above sea level  The highest point is  Doi Inthanon which is 2,576 m above sea level Doi Inthanon Gulf of Thailand

11.  The nationality of the people of Thailand is Thai  75% of the population is Thai, 14% are Chinese, and the other 11% are other ethnicities  The languages spoken in Thailand are Thai, English, (which is the secondary language) and other ethnic and regional dialects  The official religion is Buddhist. 94.6% of the population is Buddhist, 4.6% are Muslim, 0.7% are Christian, and the other 0.1% are other religions Buddhist Monks

12.  The infant mortality rate is 15.41 deaths/1,000 live births  16.38 deaths are male  14.39 deaths are female  The life expectancy for the total population is 74.05 years  Males live 71.66 years  Females live 76.58 years  The total fertility rate is 1.66 children born/woman  93.5% of the total population is literate  95.6% are male  91.5% are female  The birth rate is 12.66 births/1,000 population  The death rate is 7.47 deaths/1,000 population  The maternal mortality rate is 48 deaths/100,000 live births

13.  Some people in Thailand are farmers because Thailand has a largely export-based economy  Thailand has a large fishing industry and people mainly farm shrimp  Tour guides take tourists to various places  With urbanization, many people have moved to the big cities Thailand’s Fishing Industry

14.  Separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Malay-Muslim southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem insurgent activities  Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu  Talk continues on completion of demarcation with Laos but disputes remain over several islands in the Mekong River  Despite continuing border committee talks, Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities  Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary  In 2011 Thailand and Cambodia resorted to arms in the dispute over the location of the boundary on the precipice surmounted by Preah Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962 and part of a planned UN World Heritage site

15.  Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween river near the border with Burma  In 2004, international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt construction of 13 dams on the Salween River that flows through China, Burma, and Thailand  140,000 mostly Karen refugees fleeing civil strife, political upheaval and economic stagnation in Burma live in remote camps in Thailand near the border