Destination Guides & Maps - Thailand 

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Time Zone: UK+7.

Capital City: Bangkok.

International Airports: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket.

Languages: Thai, Chinese, English.

Population: 62 million

Area: 198,455 sq miles. 514,000 sq kilometres.

Telephone Code: 66

Climate: The extreme S of the country is equatorial while the centre and N have a tropical monsoon climate with high humidity year-round. The "cool" season is Nov?Feb and perhaps the most pleasant time to visit. Hot season is Mar?May and the rainy season is May?Oct (umbrellas a must; be prepared to get your feet wet).

Chiang Mai: Less hot and humid than in the S. Three seasons: hot (Mar?May); cool (Nov?Feb); wet (June?Oct, with Sep usually the wettest month). When there are storms here you certainly know about them ? and there are often power cuts as a result. Some hotels have their own emergency generators; in those which do not, it can be a case of using candles.

Koh Samui: Tropical and hot year-round, but rather different in its climate pattern from, for example, Phuket, which has its worst weather June?Oct (the monsoon season). On Koh Samui the rains come between Oct and Dec, with the likelihood of storms in Dec. Jan?Apr and July?Sep are the most pleasant times; Apr?June are hotter and more humid.

Currency: Baht (THB 1 = 100 satang).

Notes: THB: 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000.

Coins: THB: 1, 5, 10. Satang: 25, 50.

Electricity: 220V AC 50Hz.

Hotel Classification: There is no official hotel classification system in Thailand. Arbitrary categories of £ up to £££££ are given here based on rack rates, facilities and perceived quality which equate to the commonly used 1- to 5-star system. These categories serve only to compare relative standards within any given area.

UK Tourist Office: Tourism Authority of Thailand

49 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JR

Tel: 020 7499 7679 (trade); 0906 364 0666 (enquiries, 60p/min);

0870 900 2007 (brochures)

Fax: 020 7629 5519

E-mail: info@tat-uk.demon.co.uk

Web sites: www.thaismile.co.uk

Want to get a closer look at Thailand? http://earth.google.com/

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