General Information
About Thailand
Thailand is situated in the Herat of the Southeast Asian mainland, covering an area of 513,115 square kilometers and extending about 1,620 kilometres from north to south and 775 kilometres from east to best.
Bordering Lao PDR, the Union of Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia, the country is topographically divided into tour distinct areas: the mountainous North, the fertile Central Plañís, the semi-arid plateau of the Northeast, and the Southern peninsula
Capital
The capital city of Thailand is Bangkok. It is located in the central part of the country on the low-flat plain of the Chao Phraya River, which is the main water way of the country. The metropolis has a total area of 1,568 square kilometres.
Climate
Thailand enjoys a tropical climate with 3 distinct season- Summer from March to May, Rainy with plenty of sunshine from June to September and Cool from October through to February. The average annual temperature is 28°C (83 F), ranging in Bangkok for example, from 34°C in April to 12°C in December.
Time
The time in Thailand is seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Health Regulations
As in most other countries, visitors do not require vaccinations unless coming from or passing through a designated contaminated area.
Currency
The Thai currency called baht, is based on the decimal system. One baht is divided into 100 satang. Coins consist of 25 satang, 50 satang,1 baht,2 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht. Notes are in 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 baht. Exchange rate (on November, 29, 2007) are approximately 33.62 bahts/US dollar or 49.71 bahts/EURO.
Website: www.bot.or.th
Electricity
The electric current is 220 volt AC (50 cycles) throughout the country. There are many plugs and sockets in use. Travelers with shavers, hair dryers, tape recorders and appliances should carry a plug adapter kit. The better hotels will make available 110 volt transformers.
Drinking water
Bottled water with appropriate seal and labelling is hygienically suitable for drinking.
Telephone service
Calling to Thailand: Dial 66 2 (line phone) + number (7 digits)
Dial 66 8 (mobile phone) + number (8 digits)Calling within Thailand: Dial 0 2 (Bangkok) + number (7 digits)
Dial 0 + provincial code + number (6 digits)
(ex. 53 for Chiang Mai)
Dial 0 8 (mobile phone) + number (7 digits)Calling from Thailand: Dial 001 or 008 or 009 + country code + area code + individual number