泰國
ราชอาณาจักรไทย
Thailand
地理位置
Geographical Location
泰國位於中國和印度間中南半島之心臟地帶，面積約50萬平方公里。泰西北與緬甸為鄰，東北接寮國、東連柬埔寨、南部與馬來西亞接壤。泰國將國土疆域比作大象的頭部，北部為「象冠」，東北地方代表「象耳」，暹羅灣代表「象口」，而南方代表了「象鼻」。
With an area of 500,000 square kilometers, Thailand sits in the heart of Indochinese Peninsula, lying between China and India. The country is surrounded by Myanmar (Burma) to the north and west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the east, and the Malaysia to the south. The shape of Thailand is similar to the shape of an elephant's head, the northern region being the “crown,” the northeastern region being the “ear,” the Gulf of the Thailand being the “mouth,” and the southeastern region being the “trunk.”
人口與民族
Population and Ethnic
泰國目前約有7,002萬人口，由多種民族組成如泰人、蒙人、高棉人、寮國人、中國人、馬來人、波斯人及印度人等。泰國官方語言以泰語為主，大部分的泰國人可以瞭解英語，特別是在商業城市如曼谷的泰國人。
Currently, the population of Thailand is 70,020,000, containing diverse ethnic groups, such as Thai, Mon people, Khmer people, Chinese, Malay people, Persian, Indian and so on. The official language is Thai and most Thai people can understand English, especially the Thai people in Bangkok.
文化特色
Cultural Features
宗教: 泰國有超過九成的人民信奉佛教，多個世紀以來，一直是東南亞地區宗教及文化的匯集地。泰國有許多寺廟，也是當地著名的特色。
節慶: 泰國每個月有不同的節慶，特別著名的是四月的泰國潑水節。這個節日對泰國人來說是一年當中最歡樂的傳統新年日，住在各地的人都會返鄉與家人團聚過節，並透過相互潑水來收集一整年的好運。
Religion: Over 90 percent of people in Thailand are adherents of Buddhism. For centuries, Thailand is the center of religion and culture in Southeast Asia. Thailand is characteristic of many temples.
Festivals: Each month offers different festival and the most renowned one is Songkran Festival in April. This festival is regarded as the merriest New Year celebration. People will get back home to have a family reunion. They collect good luck for the coming year by pouring water to each other.
美食特色
Features of Food
泰國菜色彩鮮艷，而名種出產都極為鮮味，各種蔬菜和水果都極其豐富。
泰國菜的特點，講究酸、辣、鹹、甜、苦五味的互相平衡，使用東南亞特有的香料調味。泰國菜用調料的特點，整體來說善用椰奶，九層塔，香茅，泰國青檸，和辣椒。
泰國人的正餐是以米飯為主食；湯品也是配飯的一道菜，其中最著名的Tom Yum泰式酸辣湯。
Thai cuisines have colorful presentation and are fresh, which are rich in vegetables and fruit.
Thai cuisines emphasize the balance of five flavors along with unique spices in Southeast Asia. They are good at adding spices, such as coconut milk, basil, lemongrass, Thai lime and chili, to their dishes.
The staple food is rice and soup is seen as a dish. The most famous soup is Tom Yum.
