Abstract
What was the country Thailand formerly known as?
Thailand
Thailand ( or ; , ), officially the Kingdom of Thailand (, ; ), formerly known as Siam (; ), is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest. The country is a constitutional monarchy, headed by King Rama IX, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who, having reigned since 1946, is the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of Thailand is titled Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, Adherent of Buddhism, and Upholder of religions. Thailand is the world's 51st-largest country in terms of total area, with an area of approximately , and is the 20th-most-populous country, with around 64 million people. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, which is Thailand's political, commercial, industrial and cultural hub. About 75–85% of the population is ethnically Tai, which includes the four major regional groups, consisting of Central Thai (Khon Pak Klang): 30%; Northeastern Thai (Khon Isan): 22%, Northern Thai (Khon Lanna): 9%; and Southern Thai (Khon Tai): 7%. Thai Chinese, those of significant Chinese heritage, are 14% of the population and up to 40% possess part-Chinese ancestry. Thai Malays represent 3% of the population and the rest belong to minority groups, including Mons, Khmers and various "hill tribes". The country's official language is Thai and the primary religion is Buddhism, which is practised by around 95% of the population. Thailand experienced rapid economic growth between 1985 and 1996, and is presently a newly industrialized country and a major exporter. Tourism also contributes significantly to the Thai economy. The country was ranked second in the 2014 United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), which measures quality of life according to areas such as life expectancy and income. There are approximately 2.2 million legal and illegal migrants in Thailand, and the country attracts a significant number of expatriates from developed countries.