This hybrid cuisine has been influenced by soups and noodle dishes from China, curries from India and satays from Indonesia. Geography Located in Southeast Asia and bordering the Gulf of Thailand between Burma and Cambodia, Thailand is slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming. The people of Thailand experience either a big-city life or a quiet village existence. The one large city, Bangkok, has well over six million people and is huge, crowded, noisy and modern. International corporations, elegant hotels, theaters, museums, nightclubs, open-air markets and Buddhist temples are all a part of Bangkok.
Tourism is the largest source of foreign exchange.
In the villages large Thai families often live together and work the land, as the majority of Thailand's people make a living in one way or another from the land. Seafood, coconuts, tropical fruits, rice, tapioca, cane sugar, mushrooms, bananas and shrimp are plentiful foods. Thai cuisine varies in different regions of the country. Seafoods are most common in the south and the Muslim communities of the deep south are partial to all kinds of curries. Many spices and herbs are used in Thai food such as hot peppers, garlic, coriander, ginger, onions and curries.