Thailand
Thailand lies in the middle of mainland Southeast Asia, between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. It is the only country in the region that was never ruled by a European power. Its flag has red, white and blue stripes.
“I'd fly as low as that first plane did.”
- In 1911 the Belgian pilot Charles Van den Born made the first aeroplane flights in Siam, over a racecourse in Bangkok.
- Every year on 13 March, Thailand celebrates Thai Elephant Day.
The land
Thailand covers 513,120 km², about the 50th largest country in the world. Mountains rise in the north, where Doi Inthanon reaches 2,565 metres, the highest point in the country. The north-east, called Isan, sits on the wide, flat Khorat Plateau. It is the largest region, and the Mekong River runs along its northern and eastern edges.
Getting around
The BTS Skytrain, the first elevated rapid transit system in Thailand, opened in Bangkok on 5 December 1999. It began with two lines, Sukhumvit and Silom, and 23 stations. Commuters also ride boats on the Khlong Saen Saep canal, a service that began on 1 October 1990. Its main route is about 18 km long, and it carries about 60,000 riders a day.
Food
By the end of 2024, UNESCO listed five Thai traditions as part of the world's living heritage. The newest, added in December 2024, was tom yum kung, a hot and sour prawn soup. The listing ties the dish to rural life along the rivers and canals of central Thailand. The other four are khon masked dance drama (2018), nuad Thai massage (2019), nora dance drama from the south (2021) and Songkran (2023). Songkran, the Thai New Year, falls from 13 to 15 April, after the rice harvest, when families get together and pour water for good luck.
Visitors
Euromonitor ranked Bangkok the most visited city in the world in 2025, with about 30.3 million international arrivals.
Fly over Thailand.
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City 11 of 21Bangkok
The Temple of Dawn
“The river was full of boats. The tower glittered whenever the sun hit it.”
I'd fly past just as the sun goes down behind it. Its keepers are The Fighting Fish and the War Elephant.
The plane reaches Bangkok from Beijing. Clear it and the map opens the way to Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.
