Thailand, with its heavenly beaches, majestic temples and delicious cuisine, attracts millions of visitors every year. But behind these postcard images lie amazing anecdotes, unusual traditions and little-known records that make it a unique country. Did you know that Bangkok holds the record for the longest city name in the world? Or that the famous Thai smile can convey a multitude of emotions?
Here are 21 surprising facts that will make you see Thailand in a whole new light!
Jumble
1- Red Bull:
The energy drink everyone knows originated in Thailand ! Locally, it's called Krathin Daeng, meaning "Red Buffalo." It was Austrian marketing executive Dietrich Mateschitz who introduced the drink to Europe by partnering with its original creator, Chaleo Yoovidhya, who provided him with the recipe. In doing so, he enabled the Yoovidhya family to become the second richest in Thailand, with a fortune estimated at $20 billion in 2020.
2- The Land of Smiles :
According to the World Economic Forum, Thailand is among the friendliest countries in the world , even ranking in the top three in some lists. But did you know that this legendary smile can reflect much more than just joy? There are no fewer than 13 variations in the language of Thai smiles (known as "yim" – ยิ้ม ). This gesture helps maintain the concept of "face" (or "kreng jai," เกรงใจ), which involves avoiding any situation that could embarrass others or oneself.
3- Hello in Thai, a modern expression:
Let's keep things polite. Did you know that the universal Thai expression "Sawasdee" (สวัสดี) , used today to say hello, is relatively recent? This now ubiquitous word was only introduced into common usage in 1933 by Professor Phraya Upakit Silapasan . Derived from Sanskrit, "Sawasdee" (pronounced Sawat-dii) means "well-being" or "good fortune" and was proposed to replace more informal, traditional greetings, particularly in official and educational settings.
It was also a way to internationalize, the common formula used before being rather "have you already eaten?", classy right? Which shows us what relationship Thais have with food!
Today, this simple word, accompanied by the famous wai gesture (hands joined as a sign of respect), alone embodies the warm and respectful identity of Thailand.
4- The Siamese:
— Siamese was the name of the people and the language before the country changed its name to Thailand in 1939 (not counting the temporary change between 1945 and May 1949.
— This is where the name of the Siamese cat breed comes from, these beautiful felines, generally characterized by their light coat and their blue almond-shaped eyes, which are originally from Thailand!
From this same name comes the term used for conjoined twins: those you know as Siamese twins. This, by extension, gave rise to the expression "Siamese siblings," meaning inseparable. The name was popularized by the success of the Chang and Eng Bunker brothers, conjoined twins from Siam , joined at the waist. They initially traveled to Paris during the Second Empire for a surgical procedure. While this procedure ultimately did not take place, as it was deemed impossible at the time, the twin brothers achieved a form of fame by being exhibited worldwide by the famous Barnum Circus.
Bangkok: the capital
5- Bangkok: an unofficial name with an impressive record:
Bangkok is actually just a nickname! The official name of the Thai capital is Krung Thep Maha Nakhon , which is what is written on the license plates of vehicles registered for the capital.
Often abbreviated to "Krung Thep" by locals, this is just a simplified version: the full name, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest city name in the world, is made up of 169 characters in Thai (it doesn't even fit on the X):
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.
This name, which can be translated as "The city of angels, great city of the immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, royal city, house of divine incarnations, erected by Vishvakarman at the request of Indra", reflects the sacred and grandiose character of the capital. I challenge you to remember it to impress the locals during your stay!
6- Bangkok was the most visited city in the world:
It generally remains in the world top 5 with more than 12 million visitors each year.
7- Bangkok is home to 8 million inhabitants:
Although there is no census, this is the estimated figure for the metropolis itself, 14 including the agglomeration. This makes 13% and 22% of the country's population living in and around the capital respectively (out of a total of 67 million).
8- The city had the nickname of “Venice of the East”:
A phenomenon that is still partially visible today, due to its many canals that ran through the city. Today, most of them are unfortunately impassable or blocked to cope with growing urbanization, cars having long since replaced boats. The canals of yesteryear have become the roads and streets of today…
Monarchy and Patriotism
9- The former monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej:
Becoming King Rama IX (his dynastic name) in 1946, he held the record for the longest reign of any nation at the time of his death (Queen Elizabeth II of England surpassed him by only three months shortly before her own passing). Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 5, 1927, while his father was studying medicine at Harvard, he grew up in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he earned an engineering degree and a mastery of French. He was also an accomplished musician (particularly on the saxophone) and composer.
10- Directly related to number 8, in Thailand :
Father's Day and Mother's Day are celebrated on the respective birthdays of the King and Queen (December 5 and August 12), as they are considered the "parents" of the nation.
11- The national flag (introduced in 1917 by King Rama VI):
If you walk past schools, government buildings, military buildings, etc., you might see the flag being raised at 8:00 AM, and lowered at 18:00 PM. At the same time, the national anthem is played in public places like parks and subway stations. If you hear it over loudspeakers, you'll see a good portion of Thais (or almost) stopping during this time.
12- Before 1932, the royal anthem served as the national anthem:
A coup d'état putting an end to the absolute monarchy this year, a national anthem was then composed by... Peter Feit, not very Thai you might say? Well, he is in fact a "luk krung" as they call it here, literally it means "half-child", meaning a mixed race, and more precisely here, German-Thai. He adopted a more Thai sounding name in 1939, Piti Wathayakon, also known as Phra Jenduriyang, meaning "the expert in musical instruments". Why 1939? Because it is the year when Siam took the name of "Thailand" for the first time, and when its melody was adopted as the national anthem with the newly written lyrics.
13- Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was not colonized:
This is what makes local pride and the reason for legislation that is particularly protective of local interests. In the region, you had the British Empire extending into Burma and Malaysia while France extended its influence throughout Indochina (Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam). This is also why the name of the country "Thailand" is interpreted as meaning "land of freedom", the land of free men, even if a contradiction persists on this meaning (the term Thai basically designating the main ethnic group and by extension, the people, a person, in general)
Festivals in Thailand
14- Thailand is home to several unique festivals:
One of them is a giant buffet served to monkeys in front of the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi province (which takes place at the end of November).
Another notable festival is the Phuket Vegetarian Festival (pictured in this article), which takes place annually during the first nine days of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, generally in late September or early October. In an attempt to invoke the gods, Phuket's sino-Thai community (large due to its history ) pierce each other with swords or other sharp objects, including in the mouth, flagellate themselves, and so on. It's a particularly unusual and bloody spectacle (perhaps best avoided by children). More information can be found on Rainier's blog.
Besides the Yi Peng festival, a northern specialty with its thousands of lanterns (coinciding with another very popular festival, Loy Krathong ), I must mention the Thai New Year, Songkran , which is called the water festival here and sees an entire country letting loose by splashing each other copiously on April 13, 14 and 15.
Thailand and figures
15- Buddhas and temples :
— In standing position and to date, the largest Buddha statue is located at Wat Muang in Ang Thong province , it measures 92m and its construction lasted 18 years! It is the 9th largest Buddha statue in the world.
— When lying down, forget the one at Wat Pho and its "only" 45 m, the largest is located at Wat Pa Sawang Bun in the province of Saraburi (3 hours' drive from Bangkok), it measures 219 m long!
— In Nakhon Pathom you can see the largest chedi in the world, with its 127 meters in height.
— Thailand has the largest solid gold Buddha , weighing 5,5 tons, located at Wat Traimit not far from Chinatown in Bangkok.
16- In Bangkok:
— Bangkok's tallest tower is King Power Mahanakhon , which reaches a height of 314 m. You'll have the best view of the city from its rooftop terrace!
For a long time (1997 to 2016), the tallest tower in Bangkok, at 304 meters, was the Baiyoke II Tower, it was even the tallest hotel in the world for a time (today it is no longer in the top 10, the ranking of which is dominated by China and the United Arab Emirates).
— The Royal Dragon restaurant was the largest restaurant in the world with a capacity of 5,000 seats (it was still 2nd behind a Syrian restaurant, before finally closing its doors after Covid…)
17- Bangkok is the hottest capital in the world:
According to the World Meteorological Organization, the Thai capital has an average annual temperature of 28°C.
Nature in Thailand
18- 100 elephants lived in Thailand:
Sadly, that's all in the past… even though a majority were domesticated at the time (the wild population was then estimated at 20,000), as elephants were widely used in logging operations. Until the 1950s, their numbers were around 50,000. Estimates vary, but today there are barely 3,500 elephants left in the wild, and just as many domesticated (most of them now in camps and sanctuaries for tourism).
19- Remarkable animals:
— Thailand is home to the smallest mammal in the world, it's almost anecdotal you might say, but here you can find Kitti's pig-nosed bat, yes, that's its name… Without its wings, it measures barely 3 cm and weighs a maximum of 2 grams, it's hard to get more compact! It is mainly found in Sai Yok National Park (Kanchanaburi province).
Conversely , it's home to the world's longest snake , the reticulated python, which can reach up to 10 meters in length (it even once had a Malayan sun bear as a snack!). It also boasts the king cobra, the world's longest venomous snake (3 to 5 meters). Overall, Thailand is a country rich in wildlife, as it's home to one-tenth of all animal species found on Earth!
20- There are no less than 1 islands in Thailand:
What would Thailand be without its islands! Spread across the east coast of Bangkok (off Rayong and Trat), the rest of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, many are uninhabited but that leaves you spoilt for choice! The largest of the islands is Phuket, on the Andaman side, followed by Ko Samui and Ko Chang, both in two very distinct areas of the Gulf of Thailand. Among the best known, there is of course Ko Phi Phi Ley, immortalized by Danny Boyle's film "The Beach" but also Ko Lanta, which gave its name to the famous TF1 show.
21- The highest peak in Thailand:
I'll finish with the country's highest point. It's located an hour south of Chiang Mai in Doi Inthanon National Park. At 2,565 meters, it's far from the highest peaks and much more moderate than the altitudes found in neighboring countries, but it does offer milder temperatures year-round.
