Siam is the name by which outsiders have known THAILAND for centuries. The country was known as SIAM to the world until 1939 and again between 1945 and 1949. On May 11, 1949, an official proclamation changed the name of the country to "Thailand" or "Prathet Thai" (in THAI language) , by which it has since been known. The word "THAI" means "FREE", and therefore "Thailand" means "Land of the Free."