Bangkok Hotels - Online room reservation for your stay

Area:

1,568.737 sq. km.

Population:

5,716,248 (end Dec 2007) with 2,727,574 males and 2,988,674 females. Most residents are ethnic Thais, with an estimated 25% of Chinese origin. Another large group of inhabitants is of Indian descent.

Language:

Most people working in the tourism sector speak English. Other foreign languages like German, Italian, Swiss, Russian and Japanese are also spoken. The signboards along roads, in Skytrain and some local buses are bilingual, in English and Thai, for the benefit of the tourists.

**Note** The total population includes only permanent residents.

Religion:

Buddhists constitute 93%, Muslims 5% and Christians 1.5% of the population. Other religions together form less than 1 percent.

Climate:

Thailand has a tropical climate with three seasons:

Summer – March to May - hot and dry

Rainy – June to October - hot and wet

Winter – November to February - cool and dry

The average annual temperature is 28?C (83?F), with summer recording a maximum of 37?C and winter minimum being 20?C.

Exchange:

Most banks have exchange counters working from Monday to Friday 8:30am to 3:30pm.

Exchange booths, with affiliation to major banks are found in tourist areas, are open from 7am to 9pm daily.

Credit Cards:

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa Cards are accepted by major establishments. They levy a 3-5 percent surcharge. Most of the banks in Bangkok also allow these credit cards.

Administration:

As the capital of the country, Bangkok is the centre of administration, commerce and communications. The city is divided into 50 districts (khet).

Topography:

Bangkok is located in the basin of the Chao Phraya River and has no mountains. The land is crisscrossed with canals and rivers.

Currency:

Name: Baht

Code: THB

Symbol: ß