The kingdom of Thailand lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, making it a natural gateway to Indochina, Myanmar and Southern China. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions: the mountains and forests of the North, the vast rice fields of the Central Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the tropical island and long coastline of the peninsula South.

The country’s capital, Bangkok, is a city that both preserves the old with respect and embraces the new with enthusiasm. Concrete and glass high-rises have reshaped the skyline and multi-lane expressways have re-mapped the city. At the same time, Bangkok has succeeded in preserving monuments to its traditional Oriental splendour.

The Thai unit of currency is the baht. 1 baht is divided into 100 satang. Notes are in denominations of 1,000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10 baht. Coins consist of 25 satang, 50 satang, 1 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht.