Thailand

The kingdom of Thailand is commonly referred to as the Land of Smiles, however, literally translated it means Land of the Free. The Prime Minister Phibun changed the name from Siam to Thailand on 24 June 1939 for two reasons. Firstly, to break any association with the history of the old country, and secondly, because Thai is what they have been called themselves for centuries rather than Siamese, a name inherited from their neighbours. Thailand was actually officially founded in 1238 and is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonised by European powers although it was forced to cede large tracts of territory to both