Thailand

Thailand lies at the heart of the Southeast Asian peninsula, between Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia, with a long strip of land reaching south toward the equator. It is the former kingdom of Siam, the only country in the region never colonised, having stayed free between the British and French empires. About 70 million people live there; the capital is Bangkok. The country is known by the nickname "land of smiles".

The country is shaped like an elephant's head with a long trunk. In the north are cool, wooded mountains around Chiang Mai, home to hill peoples. In the centre lies the great Chao Phraya plain, a grid of rice paddies: the rice bowl of a country that was long the world's top rice exporter. In the northeast is the drier Isan plateau. And in the south, the long peninsula between two seas is dotted with some of the most famous beaches and islands on the planet.

The ancestors of the Thais, the Tai peoples, came down from southern China about a thousand years ago and settled in a region where the Mon and the Khmer already lived. Brilliant kingdoms followed: Sukhothai, seen as the cradle of the nation, then powerful Ayutthaya, one of the largest cities in the world at its height, until the Burmese destroyed it in 1767. A new capital was founded at Bangkok by the Chakri dynasty, which still reigns. In the 19th century, shrewd kings used diplomacy and reform to keep Siam independent while the rest of the region fell to the Europeans. A constitutional monarchy since 1932, the country has had many coups, the most recent in 2014.

Thai is a tonal language, related to languages of southern China, written in its own script of elegant curves. The country is deeply Buddhist, of the Theravada school: temples, or wat, mark every town and village, saffron-robed monks are part of everyday life, and many young men spend a period in a monastery. This Buddhism mixes with old beliefs in spirits, seen in the small "spirit houses" set up in front of homes and shops. The king is deeply revered and protected by a strict law against insulting the monarchy.

Thai culture is refined and gentle. The wai, a greeting with palms pressed together, shows its politeness; Thai boxing, Muay Thai, shows its toughness. But the table may be the best way into Thailand: its food, among the most loved in the world, balances sweet, salty, sour and spicy, from pad thai and tom yam soup to curries with coconut milk and lemongrass. And every April the new year, Songkran, on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, is celebrated with a huge water fight.