Would you like to visit a place where people ride elephants to get from place to place? Or where tigers, crocodiles and cobras lurk in the jungle? Then you’d probably enjoy visiting Thailand. This ancient country is in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia.
Eastern Thailand is covered with grasslands and woodlands, while to the south lie dense forests or jungles. Northern Thailand is hilly. Farmers grow many crops on the fertile soil found here.
People have lived in Thailand since at least 2,000 B.C. The country, which was ruled by a monarchy, was called Siam until 1939 when the people fought for a change of government. Thailand now has a constitutional monarchy, which means there are a king and queen, but they make decisions with other leaders. Thailand means “land of the free.”
Most people in Thailand are Buddhist. If you visit Bangkok, you’ll see Buddhist statues and temples with gold roofs. Bangkok has many canals running through it. The canals are often filled with boats laden with vegetables, fish and fruit. You can walk on the boats to buy food.
Fun Facts about Thailand for Kids
- 69,000,000 people live in Thailand.
- Prayut Chan-o-cha is the Prime Minister of Thailand (data 2018).
- The capital of Thailand is Bangkok.
- The country has 198,115 square miles of land.
- The Chi river is Thailand’s longest river that flows entirely within the country, flowing for 765 km.
- At 2,565 m Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand.
- Most people speak Thai, English or a regional dialect.
- 90 percent of people living in Thailand are Buddhist. The rest are mostly Muslim.
- People in Thailand can expect to live 74.9 years.
- 96 percent of adults can read.
- On the 26th of December 2004, Thailand suffered a devastating Tsunami killing thousands upon thousands of people. The tsunami was triggered by a massive 9 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean.
Thailand Vocabulary
- Lurk: hide out
- Ancient: very old
- Dense: thick
- Fertile: rich, capable of growing good crops
- Canal: man-made river or stream
All About Thailand Video for Kids
This is the best video we found for kids to learn about Thailand:
This is a video documentary about the culture, religion and cultural landmarks of Thailand.
Thailand Q&A
Question: What do people do for work in Thailand?
Answer: The two main industries are tourism and farming. Farmers grow coconuts, chile peppers, rice, and other fruits and vegetables. It rains a lot in Thailand, which is good for crops. Some farmers raise silk worms. The silk worms eat the leaves of mulberry trees and make silk. The silk is sold to make beautiful clothing.
Map of Thailand
Here’s a map of the country of Thailand and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Thailand! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Thailand, as though you are actually there!
Enjoyed the Free Geography Kids online resources all about Thailand info? Take the FREE & fun Thailand quiz and download FREE Thailand worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
