Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country
located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the
north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf
of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern
extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand
to the southeast, and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
The country is a constitutional monarchy, headed by King Rama IX, the ninth king of
the House of Chakri, who, having reigned since 1946, is the world's longestserving
head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of
Thailand is titled Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, the Upholder of the
Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths.