South-eastern Asia · THA

Thailand

The story · 9 chapters

How it was drawn

Tai kingdoms that grew out of the Khmer world, centred on Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Bangkok, rivals of Burma for three centuries, never colonised but trimmed to their present shape by France and Britain.

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Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Thailand fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Khmer Empire1238 to 1431
Tai chiefs throw off Khmer rule to found Sukhothai around 1238. Later Ayutthaya fights the Khmer for a century and sacks Angkor in 1431, after which the Khmer court moves south toward Phnom Penh.
Toungoo Burma1547 to 1605
Burmese armies invade in 1547, take Ayutthaya in 1564 and 1569 and hold Siam as a vassal for fifteen years, until Naresuan proclaims independence in 1584 and defeats them at Nong Sarai in 1593.
Konbaung Burma1759 to 1812
The new Konbaung dynasty of Burma besieges Ayutthaya in 1760 and destroys it in 1767. The Nine Armies War against Bangkok in 1785 fails, and Burmese attacks die out after about 1812.
Kingdom of Vientiane1778 to 1828
Siam takes Vientiane in 1779 and carries off the Emerald Buddha. In 1826 King Anouvong of Vientiane marches on Bangkok; the Siamese defeat him, and in 1828 they raze his capital.
Vietnam (Nguyen dynasty)1831 to 1845
Siam and Vietnam fight two wars over Cambodia, from 1831 to 1834 and from 1841 to 1845. They end in a compromise in which Cambodia pays tribute to both courts.
French Third Republic1893 to 1907
French gunboats force their way up the Chao Phraya at Paknam in 1893, and Siam gives up all its land east of the Mekong. More Lao and Cambodian provinces follow in 1904 and 1907.
French Indochina1940 to 1941
Thailand attacks French Indochina in late 1940 to recover lost provinces. The French win the naval battle of Ko Chang in January 1941, but Japan imposes a settlement giving Thailand land in Laos and Cambodia, returned in 1946.
Empire of Japan1941 to 1945
Japanese troops land in Thailand on 8 December 1941. After a few hours of fighting the government lets them through and then allies with Japan, while the Free Thai movement resists in secret.
CambodiaSince 1954Still open
Cambodia and Thailand dispute the ground around the Preah Vihear temple on their border. The International Court of Justice rules for Cambodia in 1962 and 2013, but clashes broke out from 2008 to 2011, and other border points remain contested.
Patani insurgentsSince 2004Still open
Malay Muslim insurgents in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, lands of an old sultanate annexed by Siam, fight for autonomy or independence. Violence revived in 2004 and has killed thousands.

Today

Thailand now

Two unified Thai kingdoms emerged in the mid-13th century. The Sukhothai Kingdom, located in the south-central plains, gained its independence from the Khmer Empire to the east. By the late 13th century, Sukhothai’s territory extended into present-day Burma and Laos. Sukhothai lasted until the mid-15th century. The Thai Lan Na Kingdom was established in the north with its capital at Chang Mai; the Burmese conquered Lan Na in the 16th century.

Capital: Bangkok
Government: constitutional monarchy
Head of government: Paetongtarn Shinawatra
Head of state: Rama X of Thailand
Languages: Thai
Area: 513,115 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population71.7 million2023 · 20.4 million in 1950
Life expectancy76.4 years2023 · 45.2 years in 1950
GDP per person$16,4212022 · $1,302 in 1950
Living in cities63%2025 · 10% in 1950
Literacy91%2022 · 53% in 1950
Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
Military spending1.0% of GDP2025
War deaths0.2 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

United States
France
Japan
Viet Nam

Tensions

China

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 24 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Thailand fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Khmer Empire1238 to 1431

Tai chiefs throw off Khmer rule to found Sukhothai around 1238. Later Ayutthaya fights the Khmer for a century and sacks Angkor in 1431, after which the Khmer court moves south toward Phnom Penh.

Toungoo Burma1547 to 1605

Burmese armies invade in 1547, take Ayutthaya in 1564 and 1569 and hold Siam as a vassal for fifteen years, until Naresuan proclaims independence in 1584 and defeats them at Nong Sarai in 1593.

Konbaung Burma1759 to 1812

The new Konbaung dynasty of Burma besieges Ayutthaya in 1760 and destroys it in 1767. The Nine Armies War against Bangkok in 1785 fails, and Burmese attacks die out after about 1812.

Kingdom of Vientiane1778 to 1828

Siam takes Vientiane in 1779 and carries off the Emerald Buddha. In 1826 King Anouvong of Vientiane marches on Bangkok; the Siamese defeat him, and in 1828 they raze his capital.

Vietnam (Nguyen dynasty)1831 to 1845

Siam and Vietnam fight two wars over Cambodia, from 1831 to 1834 and from 1841 to 1845. They end in a compromise in which Cambodia pays tribute to both courts.

French Third Republic1893 to 1907

French gunboats force their way up the Chao Phraya at Paknam in 1893, and Siam gives up all its land east of the Mekong. More Lao and Cambodian provinces follow in 1904 and 1907.

French Indochina1940 to 1941

Thailand attacks French Indochina in late 1940 to recover lost provinces. The French win the naval battle of Ko Chang in January 1941, but Japan imposes a settlement giving Thailand land in Laos and Cambodia, returned in 1946.

Empire of Japan1941 to 1945

Japanese troops land in Thailand on 8 December 1941. After a few hours of fighting the government lets them through and then allies with Japan, while the Free Thai movement resists in secret.

CambodiaSince 1954Still open

Cambodia and Thailand dispute the ground around the Preah Vihear temple on their border. The International Court of Justice rules for Cambodia in 1962 and 2013, but clashes broke out from 2008 to 2011, and other border points remain contested.

Patani insurgentsSince 2004Still open

Malay Muslim insurgents in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, lands of an old sultanate annexed by Siam, fight for autonomy or independence. Violence revived in 2004 and has killed thousands.

Thailand now

Capital

Bangkok

Government

constitutional monarchy

Head of government

Paetongtarn Shinawatra

Head of state

Rama X of Thailand

Languages

Thai

Area

513,115 km²

Then and now

Population71.7 million2023 · 20.4 million in 1950

Life expectancy76.4 years2023 · 45.2 years in 1950

GDP per person$16,4212022 · $1,302 in 1950

Living in cities63%2025 · 10% in 1950

Literacy91%2022 · 53% in 1950

Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950

Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950

Military spending1.0% of GDP2025

War deaths0.2 per 100,0002025