
Updated at 2022-03-11
Although Thailand is the 5th largest producer of silk and world-renowned for its silk craftsmanship. Mulberry is grown mainly in the northern jungles of Thailand. The government actively encourages local farmers to grow mulberry to replace the notorious poppies. This policy seems to have taken effect as Thailand has risen to become a prominent player in the silk trade. Thai silk is bright and saturated. Unlike the luxuriousness of Chinese silk and the elegance of Japanese silk, Thai silk is more simple and abstract. Renowned Thai silk brand Jim Thompson created this cushion. The brand was created by an American designer who immigrated to Bangkok. He trained with many silk masters with decades of experience, perfecting a wide range of skills from extraction and weaving to design and handcraft.
Flag: The flag of the Kingdom of Thailand (Thai: ธงไตรรงค์; RTGS: thong trai rong, meaning 'tricolor flag') shows five horizontal stripes in the colors red, white, blue, white and red, with the central blue stripe being twice as wide as each of the other four. Red represents the land and people of Thailand. White originally represented Theravada Buddhism. It now represents religion. Blue represents the royal family and the king.
National Day: December 5 (birthday of late King Rama IX)
Language: Thai
Capital: Bangkok
Area: Approx. 513,120 square kilometers
Population: 70 million (2021)
Currency: Baht (THB
Government: Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. The current prime minister is Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha, the former commander-in-chief of the Thai Army, who has served as the interim prime minister since the coup took over the government on May 22, 2014. Gen. Chan-ocha was re-elected as Prime Minister by the House of Representatives after the general election on March 24, 2019.