3.  Welcome to Thailand! For the next couple slides we will learn some things about Thailand. I hope you like my slide show.

4. Thailand is located in Southeastern Asia. It is near the South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea too. The countries closest to Thailand are Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

5.  Thai language is very different from English. So if we say “Kingdom of Thailand” they would say: แห่ง ราชอาณาจักรไทย. Thai people speak many different languages. 93.5% speak Daic languages, 2% speak astro-astatic, languages,1% speak Tibeto- Burman languages and a mere 0.2% speak Hmong-mien languages.

6.  One historical event is Vesakha. It is a holiday started by the Buddhists. It is celebrated in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sir Lanka and the Southeastern Asian Countries. It is sometimes called Buddha's birthday.

7.  A second historical event is the Songkran Festival. It is a new years celebration. It lasts from April 13 to April 15. Songkran has been celebrated for a very long time. The very famous celebrations of Songkran ore still celebrated in Chiang Mai.Chiang Mai

8.  The most unique Asian mothers day takes place in Thailand. It is celebrated on August 12 the Queen’s birthday. Therefore it is celebrated on that day to honor her.

9.  One unique celebration is the Chinese New Year. This celebration includes religious rites as well as family and social gatherings too. Finally, food is a very important part of the celebration.

10.  The Queen’s birthday is also a big celebration! On her Birthday many houses are decorated through out Thailand. They also have public buildings decorated!(Her Birthday is on my Birthday August 12 th. )

11.  Loi Krathong is also a major celebration. This is celebrated in November. People float baskets of flowers on the water to ask for forgiveness from the goddess of the river. Her name is Phra Mae KongKha.

12.  The colors of the Thailand flag are white, red and blue. Red stands for Thailand's nation. White stands for the country’s main religion. Blue stands for the Thai monarchy/royal family.(blue is also Thailand's national color)The striped pattern on the flag is red, white, blue, white, red.

13.  Thailand's major resource is rice. Fact: most Americans believe that all imported rice comes from China but actually it comes from Thailand. Thai people use some rice for cooking but a lot of the rice goes to places around the world like America. Thailand grows a lot of rice. Other natural resources are tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, fluorite, lignite and arable land.

14. One unique place is the grand palace. The grand palace has a wide range of architectural styles. The grand palace also includes the Wat Phra Kaew, home to the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha is a legend first to be known in India. He is made out of green jade and he wears gold clothing.

15.  Another unique place is Kho Tao. It is what they call a turtle island. It is a small island and located near the gulf of Thailand. This is a very popular place in the world to learn how to dive.

16.  Lastly, Railay a is small peninsula. You can only get there by boat due the cliffs cutting off access to the main land. It is also very popular because of its relaxing beaches and quietness.

18.  I really hope you enjoyed my slide show!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1& feature=endscreen&v=xWcpIDDTt6M http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1& feature=endscreen&v=xWcpIDDTt6M