Thailand is the only country in south-east Asia to have escaped colonial rule. Buddhist religion, the monarchy and the military have helped to shape its society and politics.
The 1980s brought a boom to its previously agricultural economy and had a significant impact on Thai society as thousands flocked to work in industry and the services sector.
Although Thailand's recent governments have been civilian and democratically-elected, the country has seen turbulent times. The military governed, on and off, between 1947 and 1992 - a period characterised by coups, coup attempts and popular protests.
The collapse of the south-east Asian economic boom in 1997 led to public disillusion with free-market policies and encouraged the rise of populist Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
In September 2006, the military once again stepped into politics, carrying out a bloodless coup against Prime Minister Thaksin.
By the end of 2007, the military junta had drafted a new constitution and held general elections, marking the beginning of the transition back to civilian rule.
AT-A-GLANCE
Politics: Thailand returned to civilian rule in 2008 after a bloodless military coup in 2006
Economy: It has an export-led economy, but tourism is also a major industry
International: There have been clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops over disputed border regions since 2009
Thailand has a minority Muslim, ethnic Malay population concentrated in its southern provinces.
A decades-old separatist struggle in the region - which abated in the 1980s - flared again in 2004. The violence has claimed more than 3,000 lives.
Thailand's capital, Bangkok expanded rapidly with the influx of workers during the boom years. It is one of Asia's most vibrant, and heavily-congested, cities.
The large-scale sex industry which flourishes there contributed to the incidence of HIV infection - a major concern for the government.
Buddhism has profoundly influenced Thailand's history
Thailand has taken the lead in the region in distributing cheaper generic drugs for Aids sufferers and awareness campaigns are credited with reducing the number of new infections.
Since 2009, Thai troops have sporadically clashed with Cambodian forces in several disputed areas along the two countries' border.
Its king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, assumed the throne in June 1946 and is the world's longest-reigning monarch.
The royal family is revered by many Thais.
Prime minister-elect: Yingluck Shinawatra
Yingluck Shinawatra
Yingluck Shinawatra, the youngest sister of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, led the opposition Pheu Thai party to a landslide victory in July 2011. She is set to become Thailand's first woman prime minister.
In the country's first general election since 2007, Pheu Thai won 265 seats out of a possible 500 - enough to form a single-party government.
However, in what is seen as a shrewd political move, the party announced it would form a coalition with four smaller parties, thus broadening its support in parliament for promised reforms.
Ms Yingluck, aged 44 and a successful businesswoman, has promised to bring stability and reconciliation to her troubled country. However, critics have been quick to point out her inexperience, given that she had never before run for office nor held a government post.
The influence of her brother, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, loomed large throughout the election. Despite living in self-imposed exile in Dubai, Thaksin Shinawatra still effectively controls the Pheu Thai party.
In the wake of Ms Yingluck's victory, Thaksin said he had no immediate plans to return. But fears remain that any hasty attempts to allow him back as a free man would anger his powerful enemies and threaten his sister's tenure, as well as the stability of the kingdom, which is deeply split between Thaksin's supporters and enemies.
Yingluck Shinawatra has degrees in politics and until now has pursued a corporate career in telecommunications and property. She is married and has one son.
Prime minister (outgoing): Abhisit Vejjajiva
Abhisit Vejjajiva defeated an ally of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a parliamentary vote to become Thailand's fifth head of government in a little over two years.
Abhisit Vejjajiva is supported by Thailand's educated middle classes
Mr Abhisit's election marked the first time his Democrat Party - Thailand's oldest - had formed a government in eight years.
The vote was the result of weeks of manoeuvring to persuade several minor parties which had supported the previous government to switch sides.
Mr Abhisit's predecessor, Somchai Wongsawat, an ally of Mr Thaksin, was forced from office in December 2008 by a Constitutional Court ruling that disbanded his People Power Party and barred its leaders from politics for five years.
The ruling came after months of protests by opponents of Mr Thaksin and his allies that closed the country's two main airports.
The protesters said the previous two years' governments were proxies for the discredited Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and has fled Thailand to escape corruption charges.
Mr Abhisit, 44, comes from a wealthy family of Thai-Chinese origins, and was educated at England's top public school, Eton, and Oxford University.
He joined the Democrats in 1992, at the age of 27, becoming its leader in 2005.
His supporters are mainly from Thailand's educated middle class, unlike former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his allies, who draw their support from working class and rural Thais.
After his election, he said one of his main aims was to re-establish "national harmony" after the deeply polarising politics of recent years.
But the deep divisions within Thai society were once more highlighted when anti-government protesters stormed the venue of an ASEAN summit in the resort of Pattaya in April 2009, forcing the cancellation of the summit.
A year later, in March and April 2010, pro-Thaksin protesters wearing their signature red shirts mounted an even more serious challenge to Mr Abhisit, paralysing large sections of central Bangkok for two months to demand he step down and call early elections.
Mr Abhisit appeared to give way by promising to bring forward elections to November, but talks ended in deadlock. In early May, accusing the demonstrators of terrorism, the government ordered in the army, dispersing the protests after five days of clashes which left at least 37 people dead and scores more injured.
The government and military control nearly all the national terrestrial television networks and operate many of Thailand's radio networks.
Multichannel TV, via cable and satellite, is widely available. The radio market, particularly in Bangkok, is fiercely competitive. There are more than 60 stations in and around the capital.
The media are free to criticise government policies, and cover instances of corruption and human rights abuses, but journalists tend to exercise self-censorship regarding the military, the monarchy, the judiciary and other sensitive issues.
There has been a surge in the use of laws which prohibit criticism of the monarchy to target journalists and activists who are critical of the government, US-based Freedom House said in 2011.
The print media are largely privately-run, with a handful of Thai-language dailies accounting for most newspaper sales.
There were 17.5 million internet users by June 2010 (InternetWorldStats.com). Pornographic sites, anti-monarchy sites and anti-government sites are subject to filtering. Many opposition sites and privately-owned news sites were blocked under a state of emergency in April 2010.
Radio Thailand - national network and external service operated by National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT), part of government Public Relations Department
MCOT Radio Network - run by government agency MCOT; operates stations in Bangkok and provincial networks
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One-Minute World News
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