9781422275573

The flag of Thailand is called the “tricolour flag,”                            which is trairanga in Thai. It has five horizontal stripes                            in the order of red, white, blue, white, and red. The                            central stripe is blue and is twice the width of the red and white stripes, which are equal in width to one another. The original flag of Thailand had a white elephant in its center, which is why the Kingdom of Thailand is known as the “Country of white Elephants.” The elephant has not been present on the current flag since 1917, when it was replaced with the blue stripe. The use of red, white, and blue is a reference to Thailand’s solidarity with the Allies throughout the First world war. It had particularly close ties with France. Despite changing Thailand’s name from Siam to Thailand in 1939, the flag has not been altered since the First world war. when interpreting the flag of Thailand, remember that blue represents the monarchy; white represents the purity of the nation, along with Buddhism; and red represents the blood that was shed while the Thai fought for their freedom.

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8 THAIlAND