Flag of Thailand

What the flag looks like

Five horizontal stripes of red, white, blue, white and red, with the central blue stripe twice as tall as each of the others.

What it means

Red represents the nation, white religion and blue the monarchy.

How to remember it

Thailand is red-white-BLUE-white-red with a thick blue belt; Costa Rica uses the same pattern with the colors swapped (blue outside, red in the middle).

Fun facts

• The flag is called the Trairong, "tricolor", and was adopted in 1917 by King Vajiravudh, replacing a flag with a white elephant on red.
• Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never colonised by a European power.

Thailand at a glance

Capital

Bangkok

Region

South-Eastern Asia

Population

72 million

Area

513,120 km²

Languages

Thai

Currency

Thai baht (฿)

Flag adopted

1917

Flags often confused with Thailand

• Costa Rica: Costa Rica and Thailand both have five stripes with a double-height center band. Costa Rica has blue outside and red in the middle; Thailand swaps them, with red outside and blue in the middle.
• Cambodia: Cambodia and Thailand both use red, white and blue horizontal bands. Cambodia has blue at the top and bottom with a white temple in the center; Thailand has red at the top and bottom, with white stripes and no emblem.
• Laos: Laos and Thailand both have red outer bands and a wide blue center band. Laos has a white disc on the blue; Thailand has no disc but thin white stripes on each side of the blue.