Pattaya Info CD

FACTS

Today’s national flag was presented to the public in 1917 and replaced the old banner, which showed a white elephant on red background, and was created by King Vajiravudh in order to give a more westernized appeal. The banner is composed of 5 stripes of color, red for the nation, white for purity and blue for the monarchy.

Thailand, known as land of smile is also the land of festivals. Thais love to celebrate and whenever there is a reason for, it will be joylessly celebrated. New Year is celebrated thrice, on the 31^st of December , a second time either in the second half of January or first half of February, depending on the moon calendar, .and known as the Chinese New Year celebrations and Songkran, the Thai New Year and Water festival, which is the most important of all celebrations. It takes place on April 13 and 14 and festivities easily last longer than a week.

This section will help you to understand a little more about the Thai calendar, currency, language, climate, the economy and government. Keep in mind that Thailand uses the metric system and time is GMT + 7 hours.

THAI

In 1940, Thailand moved its New Year's Day from April

CALENDAR

13th to January 1st. The old New Year's Day called Songkran is still a holiday and in some areas the years are still counted as the Buddhist from (B.E.). The Buddhist Era started 543 years earlier than the Christian era, therefore 1997 A.D. is the year 2540 B.E.

CURRENCY

Thai currency (Baht-THB) is divided into 100 Satangs,

It comes in paper denominations of B 1000 (Grey), B 500 (Purple), B 100 (Red), B 50 (Blue), B 20 (Green), B10 (Red and light Brown). There is also a B 10 coin of white metal, with a bronze center, as well as a metal B5, B1 and 50 and 25 Satang.

CLIMATE

There arc three distinct seasons in Pattaya:

Warm, Dry Season (November to February)

Short sharp showers (known as Mango rains).

Humidity around 50%. Temperature from 20‑30*C.

The best time to enjoy the nice weather.

(Recommend to your prospective visitors to come in this season.)

Hot, Dry Season (February to May)

Occasional rain, Humidity around 75%.

Temperature from 30‑40*C.

Watch the spectacular thunder storms

from a safe place, not the golf course!!

Warm, Wet (June to October)

Heavy prolonged rain. Humidity approximately 90%.

Temperature from 25‑35*C.

The monsoon season need not keep you in, an umbrella is

more useful than rainwear.

ECONOMY

Business is booming in Thailand and nowhere more so than along the Eastern Seaboard. Unfavorable publicity and sensational television documentaries have affected the number of tourists to Pattaya, but tourism is still an important industry, and now new markets are being targeted international and business conventions are hosted at the vast Ambassador City just south of Pattaya and major hotels accommodate participants of international sports contests (e.g. golf and tennis tournaments). Cultural shows are being promoted and Pattaya is seeking a new image as a family holiday destination and golfers' paradise.

Like everywhere else in the world, expatriots are not eligible to vote in national or municipal elections in Thailand. Although you may not be actively involved here is some basic information to help you understand what you will read and hear about in the news.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with two, chambers’ of government, which rule from Bangkok: The Senate appointed by the monarch and the National Assembly elected by the people. Both chambers elect the Prime Minister who chooses a cabinet of 20 ministers. The National Assembly has 357 members belonging to about a dozen political parties (5 main ones), Members represent constituencies in the 73 regions (Changwat) of Thailand. Many military officers stand for election.

Each Changwat has a Governor and municipal officers in its regional capital town. Smaller towns have local administration answerable to the Changwat committee. Pattaya is in the Changwat of Chonburi and is administered from City Hall in North Pattaya Rd.

The official population of Thailand is now just over 60 million, with an annual growth rate of 1.4%, one of the lowest in the region. The figures for Pattaya are around 65,000 but the total should probably be considerably higher as it is difficult to account for the fluctuating population of migrant workers connected with tourism. Tourists and expatriots have also not been included.