1. By Sascha Samlal

2.  The earliest inhabitants of what is now Thailand were hunter-gatherers. However about 4,000 BC they began farming. They grew rice. At first the farmers used stone tools but about 3,000 BC bronze was discovered. From about 500 BC the people of what is now Thailand used iron.  In July 1917 Thailand joined World War I on the allied side.  In 1942 Thailand joined the UN.  Between the 9th century and the 13th century Thailand was ruled by the Khmers, people from present – day Cambodia.  Thais are believed to have migrated from southern China. They moved to Thailand between the 10th century and the 13th century.  In the 19th century Thailand avoided being colonised by Europeans.

3. When I’m doing the Wai It can mean goodbye or it can mean hello so hi  Do Smile: Thailand is known as the land of smiles. It is very polite.  Do show respect for the king: Thai people show great respect for their king. The national anthem is played twice a day (at 8am and 6 pm) and also before every film at the movies.  Do not touch anyone on the head. The head is considered to be very sacred.  Do not show the bottom of your feet: as Thai people believe that this is disrespectful because it is the dirtiest part of your body.  The Wai: a respectful way to greet each other

4.  A popular desert is Sticky Rice with Mango. The rice is sticky because of the consistency of the coconut.  Pad Thai is another traditional food that is universally recognised. It consists of meat and noodles.

5. The flag was adopted on 28 th of September 1917. It’s one of the oldest flags. From the mid 1800’s to 1916, the flag was red with an elephant on it (above). The red stripes represent blood to symbolise Thailand’s independence, the white represents purity and that is the colour of Buddha, and Buddhism is the country’s main religion. The blue represents the monarchy because blue is the national colour of Thailand.

6.  Thai money is called Baht. Like Cambodian Dong, hundreds is a little amount of money. 1 Thai Baht is equal to 0.0419658 today (Thursday 10 th ) But it is constantly changing.

7.  My favourite Thai festival is Songkran. In 2006 I did it with family friends. They live in Phuket and it was so fun. We sprayed everyone with water guns.  It is their traditional New Year because Thai people believe that Buddha was born before God so they’re in the future so right now, it’s 2554.  It starts in April.

8.  Buddhism began in north eastern India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. The religion is 2,500 years old and is followed by 350 million Buddhists around the world.  Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand. The Big Buddha in Phuket. It is on top of a mountain.

9.  Thailand traditional clothes are used for festivals and performances as well as to celebrate holidays. Thailand clothes are also worn during events such as engagements and weddings and always for traditional Thai dancing. They are usually made out of silk.

10.  http://www.woodlands- junior.kent.sch.uk/Thaicult.html http://www.woodlands- junior.kent.sch.uk/Thaicult.html  http://www.bangkok-thailand.com/traditional.htm http://www.bangkok-thailand.com/traditional.htm  http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/pad-thai http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/pad-thai  http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/mango-on- sticky-rice http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/mango-on- sticky-rice  http://www.worldflags101.com/t/thailand-flag.aspx http://www.worldflags101.com/t/thailand-flag.aspx  http://www.worldflags101.com/t/thailand-flag.aspx http://www.worldflags101.com/t/thailand-flag.aspx  http://www.woodlands- junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/buddhism.htm http://www.woodlands- junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/buddhism.htm  http://www.localhistories.org/thailand.html http://www.localhistories.org/thailand.html