• It was established in the 14th century and bore the name Siam until 1939.
• The country’s proper name is the Kingdom of Thailand. The capital is Bangkok.
• A coup in September 2006 ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The People’s Power Party, which formerly had supported Thaksin, gained victory in elections 15 months later.
• The People’s Alliance for Democracy staged demonstrations against the ruling party from May to December 2008.
• Abhisit Vejjajiva was installed as prime minister following the formation of a new coalition government.
• After a corruption conviction, Thaksin went into voluntary exile in October 2008 to keep from being imprisoned. Thaksin’s supporters reorganized under the name United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship and, in April 2009, incited riots.
• The country’s population is just more than 67 million people, the majority of whom — 70.5 percent — are between the ages of 15 and 64.
• Three-fourths of the populace are Thai, 14 percent are Chinese and 11 percent are of different nationalities.
• Almost 95 percent of the people are Buddhist. More than 4 percent are Muslim. Christians make up less than 1 percent of the population.
• The most prominent language is Thai. There are also regional and ethnic dialects. English is an unofficial second language.
• Less than 10 percent of the people live below the poverty level. The country has an unemployment rate of less than 2 percent.
• Agriculture is the main industry.
Source: CIA World Factbook
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