Climate
Thailand’s climate is varied. The two main types are the tropical climate of savanna and the tropical monsoon climate in southern and south-eastern parts. Three seasons can be determined in the central part of the country where the capital of Bangkok is situated: hot (March to May), rainy (June to October) and cool (November to February). In Bangkok, the temperature in April rises to +29°C, and in December +25°C.

Language
The state language is Thai. English, Chinese and Japanese are widely used by the educated layer of the population and in trade.

Religion
The state religion is Buddhism, professed by over 93% of the population. Thailand is also inhabited by Moslems (mainly in the peninsula of Malacca), Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. According to the constitution, the King is the patron and advocate of all the religions. Monks enjoy great respect of the residents; to donate food to a monk is considered a religious merit of a layman. Buddhist main holidays are regarded national, among them Maha Pucha (in memory of 1250 disciples who gathered to listen to Buddha’s homily), Wisaka Pucha (to commemorate Buddha’s birth, lucid moments and death), Asalakha Pucha (in memory of Buddha’s homily to his five disciples) and Khao Pansa (the beginning of monks’ three-month seclusion in monasteries for the rainy season).

Culture
The Thai culture, though historically bound with cultures of other peoples including the culture of ancient India, bears vivid national character. The main literary work is Ramakiye. The characters represented in sculpture and murals in temples are the personages of the Thai theatre. The theatre consists of several varieties: the theatre of masks, traditional ballet, folk drama, the theatre of shadows and the puppet theatre. Thailand’s architecture is decently represented by Bangkok temples and monasteries whose walls are incrusted and decorated with gold and murals. The Thai sculpture is mainly represented by Buddha’s images (from multi-meter statues to neck amulets) which are several millions in number. The products of Thai artisans - jewelry, wood carvings, pearl incrustations or Thai hand-made silk - are executed with great skill and refined taste. Of all traditional sports Thai boxing is known world-wide. Thai traditional greeting is “wai” (palms are pressed against each other; the gesture is accompanied by a nod). Any touches given to a man or patting a man on his shoulder are taboos. Human head is absolutely sacred. Thais are a friendly nation who value politeness and smiles and cannot tolerate any raise in the tone. With great respect to religious holy things, one should take off his shoes before entering a temple.

Population
Recently, the demographic growth has been one of the most intensive in the world, which fact made the government adopt a program on family planning. In 1911, Thailand was a home for 8 266 thousand of people; the number grew to 56 million in 1911. Thais and the Thai language group peoples make the biggest ethnic group. The Chinese, who are mainly town residents, come second in number. The country is also inhabited by Malayans, Mons, Khmers, and other ethnic groups.

State order
Since 1932 Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy. Head of the state, King Bhumibol Adulyadei has the dynasty name of Rama IX and is the ninth monarch of Chakri dynasty, whose representatives have been ruling the country for over 200 years. The State Emblem of Thailand is the image of the mythological bird called Garuda; the State Flag is striped: the stripes of red, white and blue colours symbolize the nation, Buddhism and the monarchy. The legislative body is the two-chamber National Assembly which consists of the Senate (268 people appointed by King)and the House of Representatives (357 people elected by voting for 4 years). The executive power belongs to the Cabinet of ministers formed by Prime Minister on the results of elections. Judiciary branch is the courts of three instances: courts of first instance, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Administratively, the country is divided into 73 provinces.

Geographical location
The territory of Thailand is 514 000 square kilometers. The country is situated on the Indo-China peninsula and borders on Malaysia in the south, Burma in the west, Laos in the north and north-east (along the Mekong river), Kambodia in the south-east.
Thailand, the land of the free people
The Kingdom of Thailand (ancient name Siam) is the land of Thais. The word “thai” is translated as “free”, thus “Thailand” can be interpreted as “the land of the free people”. In fact, Thailand is the only country in South-Eastern Asia that has never been a colony of a foreign power. This is the fact that Thais are proud of.

Natural zones
The country can be divided into 6 regions / zones. The mountainous zone is the northern part covered with forests, where elephants are used in timber business. The comparatively cool climate contributes to successful growth of strawberries and peaches. The second zone is a dry plateau of the north-east. Then comes the central plain cut by the biggest river Chao Phraya, whose valley is the main rice cultivating region of the country. The fourth zone is the eastern coast with its splendid beaches. It is followed by the zone of the western parts indented with wooded mountains and cut by rivers. The last zone to be mentioned is the Malakka peninsula in the south which is considered to be the district of tin mining, caoutchouc plantations and fishing. The district is also known for its beautiful islands, their sandy beaches and palm trees.

History
In ancient times, peoples of Mons, Khmers and Thais successively got settled in the land. In 1238, Thais from South China founded their first independent state of Sukhothai. In 1350, the town of Ayutthaya was founded in the middle current of the Chao Phraya river. The town remained the centre of the Thai land till 1767, when it was seized and burned by the Burmese troups. 1782 is the year of Pya Chakri’s ascend to the throne and thus the beginning of the rule of the present dynasty. Chakri was crowned and given the name of Rama I. The monarch moved the capital to Bangkok. The first constitution which proclaimed the constitutional monarchy was adopted in 1932. In 1946 Thailand joined the UNO as a member. During the after-war period, foundation of democratic institutions was opposed to the authoritarian rule. In the after-war period, Thailand’s  foreign policy underwent serious changes. In the 50-60-s Thailand was a country-member of SEATO, but in the early 70-s the focus of Thailand’s foreign policy was religious colaboration within ASEAN, whose members were also Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and later Brunei. Nowadays Thailand has diplomatic relations with most of the countries that stand the ground of equal rights and mutual profit. Thailand actively participates in the UN activities. Thai diplomats make great effort to establish bilateral economic relations with a wide number of countries.

Russia and Thailand
The first Russians to visit Thailand (then Siam) were the sailors of the Russian fleet whose ships “Gaidamak” and “Novik” entered the port of Bangkok in 1863. In 1890, Bangkok was visited by Crown Prince Nikolai Alexandrovich, the heir to the throne of the Russian Empire and future Emperor Nikolai II. The Siam ship “Rama V” came to Petersburg in 1897 and was welcomed by court. Russia, who didn’t claim any colonies in the Siam region, assisted Siam by diplomatic means in the struggle for independence. The overthrow of the monarchy and the October revolution in Russia severed the diplomatic ties between the countries. The relations were formally renewed in 1941, but in actuality, not earlier than 1946, when the two countries exchanged credentials. In 1979 Thailand’s Prime Minister visited Moscow for the first time, and the official visit of the Soviet Prime Minister to Bangkok was made in 1990. The relations between our countries are being constantly extended. Russia exports iron, steel, scrap metal, silver, sea products, textile fibres and cement to Thailand and imports rice, clothes, caoutchouc, sugar, refrigerators, etc. In 1991, Thailand’s export to Russia was 1 868 830 baht, and Russian import to Thailand – 6 424 924 baht. Parliamentary, scientific and business contacts are being widened. The members of the royal family, king’s sister Kalyani Wattana and Crown Prince Maha Wachiralongkhorn, visited Russia. In 1991 and 1992, the Thai government granted credits for deliveries of rice to Russia. Thai diplomatic and business delegations frequent Russia to learn the options of extending markets in Russia and other countries. Thai diplomats display certain interest in investing food, light and woodworking industries, as well as construction of hotel complexes and trade centres.