1.
Bangkok
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Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres in the Chao Phraya River delta in Central Thailand, over 14 million people live within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, significantly dwarfing Thailands other urban centres in terms of importance. Bangkok was at the heart of the modernization of Siam—later renamed Thailand—during the late 19th century, the city grew rapidly during the 1960s through the 1980s and now exerts a significant impact on Thailands politics, economy, education, media and modern society. The Asian investment boom in the 1980s and 1990s led many multinational corporations to locate their headquarters in Bangkok. The city is now a regional force in finance and business. It is a hub for transport and health care, and has emerged as a regional centre for the arts, fashion. The city is known for its vibrant street life and cultural landmarks. The historic Grand Palace and Buddhist temples including Wat Arun and Wat Pho stand in contrast with other tourist attractions such as the scenes of Khaosan Road. Bangkok is among the top tourist destinations. It is named the most visited city in MasterCards Global Destination Cities Index, Bangkoks rapid growth amidst little urban planning and regulation has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure systems. The city has turned to public transport in an attempt to solve this major problem. Five rapid transit lines are now in operation, with more systems under construction or planned by the national government and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The history of Bangkok dates at least back to the early 15th century, because of its strategic location near the mouth of the river, the town gradually increased in importance. Bangkok initially served as a customs outpost with forts on both sides of the river, and became the site of a siege in 1688 in which the French were expelled from Siam. After the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese Empire in 1767, the newly declared King Taksin established his capital at the town, in 1782, King Phutthayotfa Chulalok succeeded Taksin, moved the capital to the eastern banks Rattanakosin Island, thus founding the Rattanakosin Kingdom. The City Pillar was erected on 21 April, which is regarded as the date of foundation of the present city, Bangkoks economy gradually expanded through busy international trade, first with China, then with Western merchants returning in the early-to-mid 19th century. As the capital, Bangkok was the centre of Siams modernization as it faced pressure from Western powers in the late 19th century, Bangkok became the centre stage for power struggles between the military and political elite as the country abolished absolute monarchy in 1932
2.
Thailand
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Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country at the centre of the Indochinese peninsula in Southeast Asia. With a total area of approximately 513,000 km2, Thailand is the worlds 51st-largest country and it is the 20th-most-populous country in the world, with around 66 million people. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and has switched between parliamentary democracy and military junta for decades, the latest coup being in May 2014 by the National Council for Peace and Order. Its capital and most populous city is Bangkok and its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest. The Thai economy is the worlds 20th largest by GDP at PPP and it became a newly industrialised country and a major exporter in the 1990s. Manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism are leading sectors of the economy and it is considered a middle power in the region and around the world. The country has always been called Mueang Thai by its citizens, by outsiders prior to 1949, it was usually known by the exonym Siam. The word Siam has been identified with the Sanskrit Śyāma, the names Shan and A-hom seem to be variants of the same word. The word Śyâma is possibly not its origin, but a learned, another theory is the name derives from Chinese, Ayutthaya emerged as a dominant centre in the late fourteenth century. The Chinese called this region Xian, which the Portuguese converted into Siam, the signature of King Mongkut reads SPPM Mongkut King of the Siamese, giving the name Siam official status until 24 June 1939 when it was changed to Thailand. Thailand was renamed Siam from 1945 to 11 May 1949, after which it reverted to Thailand. According to George Cœdès, the word Thai means free man in the Thai language, ratcha Anachak Thai means kingdom of Thailand or kingdom of Thai. Etymologically, its components are, ratcha, -ana- -chak, the Thai National Anthem, written by Luang Saranupraphan during the extremely patriotic 1930s, refers to the Thai nation as, prathet Thai. The first line of the anthem is, prathet thai ruam lueat nuea chat chuea thai, Thailand is the unity of Thai flesh. There is evidence of habitation in Thailand that has been dated at 40,000 years before the present. Similar to other regions in Southeast Asia, Thailand was heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India, Thailand in its earliest days was under the rule of the Khmer Empire, which had strong Hindu roots, and the influence among Thais remains even today. Voretzsch believes that Buddhism must have been flowing into Siam from India in the time of the Indian Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire, later Thailand was influenced by the south Indian Pallava dynasty and north Indian Gupta Empire. The Menam Basin was originally populated by the Mons, and the location of Dvaravati in the 7th century, the History of the Yuan mentions an embassy from the kingdom of Sukhothai in 1282
3.
Miss Universe
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Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. Along with its rival contests, Miss World and Miss Earth and it is held in more than 190 countries worldwide and seen by more than half a billion people annually. The Miss Universe Organization and the brand is owned, along with Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. The pageant was founded in 1952 by the California-based clothing company Pacific Knitting Mills, Miss Universe Organization licenses local organizations that wish to select the Miss Universe contestant for their country, and approves the selection method for national delegates. The current Miss Universe logo – the woman with stars – was created in 1998, in September 2015, Trump bought NBCs share of the Miss Universe Organization, becoming its sole owner for three days, then sold the entire company to the WME/IMG talent agency. The current Miss Universe is Iris Mittenaere of France who was crowned on 30 January 2017 in Manila, the title Miss Universe was first used by the International Pageant of Pulchritude in 1926. This contest was held annually until 1935, when the Great Depression, the current Miss Universe pageant was founded in 1952 by Pacific Knitting Mills, a California-based clothing company and manufacturer of Catalina Swimwear. The company was the sponsor of the Miss America pageant until 1951, so in 1952 Pacific Knitting Mills organised the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, co-sponsoring them for decades to follow. The first Miss Universe Pageant was held in Long Beach, California in 1952 and it was won by Armi Kuusela from Finland, who gave up her title, though not officially, to get married, shortly before her year was completed. Until 1958, the Miss Universe title, like that of Miss America, was dated by the following the contest. Since its founding by Pacific Mills, the pageant has been organized and conducted by the Miss Universe Organization, eventually Pacific Mills and its subsidiaries were acquired by the Kayser-Roth Corporation, which was in turn acquired by Gulf and Western Industries. The pageant was first televised in 1955, CBS began broadcasting the combined Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants in 1960, and as separate contests in 1965. John Charles Daly hosted the pageant from 1955 to 1966, Bob Barker from 1967 to 1987, Alan Thicke in 1988, John Forsythe in 1989, Dick Clark from 1990 to 1993, and Bob Goen from 1994 to 1996. Donald Trump bought the company, Miss Universe, Inc. in 1996 from ITT Corp. Trump struck a broadcasting arrangement with CBS for a few years. In 1998, Miss Universe, Inc. changed its name to Miss Universe Organization, in 2002 Trump entered into a joint venture with NBC, which in 2003 outbid the other networks for the TV rights. From 2003 to 2014, the pageant was broadcast in the US on NBC, as part of the legal settlement, in September 2015, Trump bought out NBCs 50% stake in the company making him the companys sole owner. Three days later he sold the company to WME/IMG. Following the change of ownership, in October 2015, Fox and Azteca became the broadcaster of the Miss Universe
4.
Miss Universe 2016
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Miss Universe 2016, the 65th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 30 January 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines crowned Iris Mittenaere of France as her successor at the end of the event and this is the second time in the history of the competition that the pageant skipped the entire year, following the 2014 pageant which was held in January 2015. Frances win ended the countrys 63-year title drought, the longest in Miss Universe history, Mittenaere is the first European Miss Universe in 14 years, the last being Russias Oxana Fedorova who originally won in 2002 before being dethroned. On July 18,2016, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach made a call with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in regards to hosting Miss Universe 2016 in the Philippines. The pageant was organized by the LCS Group of Companies, the DOT, in September 2016, the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay was announced to be the main coronation venue of the pageant according to the Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo. A reality-documentary television program entitled Journey to the Crown, A Celebration of Beauty was shown on ETC on November 6,2016 in the Philippines as part of marketing of the pageant. A kick-off party was hosted on December 9,2016 at Conrad Manila, twelve contestants from Asia Pacific were in attendance for the event. They were, Alongside with the pageant, ancillary events were held which has no effect on the contestants total pageant score. The contestants were scheduled to participate in shows in Davao, Cebu. Each venue had a theme, Mindanao fabric for Davao, beachwear for Cebu, the contestants partook in a different event in Bicol. On December 13,2016, some of the candidates had a photoshoot with whale sharks in Oslob. The Department of Tourism said that there were five candidates present. Following criticisms, the DOT is considering to do the whale watching activity for the show in Donsol. That they have been brushed off by the pageant organizers, following the cancellation announcement, the DFDCFI said that they respect the decision but urged the organizers that Davao City to remain as one of the places to be visited by the candidates. On December 22,2016, it was announced that the show will push through after Salud. The national costume show was done on January 27,2016 which had no bearing on the preliminary scores, at the Mall of Asia Arena, all 86 contestants competed in swimwear and evening gown in front of a panel of preliminary judges. The scores from the event along with an interview portion determine the Top 13 during the Miss Universe broadcast. The Preliminary Competition was hosted by Pia Wurtzbach and Filipino-British actor Derek Ramsay. m, but it was later announced that the program was to run from 8 a. m. until 11,00 a. m
5.
Siam Paragon
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Siam Paragon is a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the current 3rd largest mall in Thailand, following CentralWorld and CentralPlaza WestGate, the mall opened on 9 December 2005, operated by Siam Piwat and The Mall Group. It also has a bowling alley and karaoke centre. It is a joint venture by Siam Piwat, the company owns the adjacent Siam Center/Siam Discovery shopping malls, and The Mall Group. Siam Paragon has attracted large crowds since it opened, but financial results arent reported by the privately held Siam Paragon Development, Siam Paragon was built on the former location of the Siam Intercontinental Hotel, which was demolished in 2002 at the end of its lease. The site, leased for 30 years, is Bureau of the Crown Property land, during the malls construction, waiting passengers on the Bangkok Skytrains Siam station platform could watch the building take shape. When the mall opened on December 9,2005, workers were putting on finishing touches. During the first few months of its opening, there were signs of a hurried finish throughout the building, with unpainted ceilings and it was built at a cost of about 15 billion baht or 450 million US$ and covers an area of 52 rai. Siam Paragon has become since its opening the place to be for Thailands upper class, tourists, Paragon remains among the most popular shopping ground for the small number of Thai elite, without excluding everyday commonplace and popular Thai items. Siam Paragon is on Rama I Road in Pathum Wan district and it is next door to Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center and opposite Siam Square. An elevated walkway beneath the BTS Skytrain tracks links Siam Paragon to the Ratchaprasong intersection, BTS Skytrain Sukhumvit and Silom Lines – Siam station has a skybridge linked to Siam Paragons M floor. Parking –100,000 square metres, accommodating 4,000 cars, Siam Paragon is situated on 13 acres and has a total gross area of 300,000 square metres. The Paragon Department Store comprises 50,000 square metres, the car showrooms in Siam Paragon including Lamborghini, Lotus, Aston Martin, Bentley, Porsche, Jaguar, Spyker, Maserati, BMW, Hummer and MTM. The front half of the store is oriented to trial tasting of wide variety of items and it is adjacent to a food court and bread shops area that has a wide range of restaurants and food stalls. Popular domestically run foreign oriented restaurants include Fuji Japanese, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant, there is a section of Thai traditional arts shops offering a range of decorative silk, ivory and antique items. The Royal Paragon Hall is an 12,000 square metre facility, with a capacity for around 5,000 people and is suitable for concerts, conventions. Music Campus for General Public the college of music, Mahidol University Institution for language-learning, the five-star Kempinski Hotel Siam and serviced apartment complex is being built on 13 acres at the rear of the Siam Paragon property, open in second quarter of 2010. For a fee, the aquarium offers a Dive with the Sharks program which lets visitors scuba dive side-by-side with the sharks, the aquarium also features Sanyo 4D X-venture, a 4D Theatre
6.
Chiang Mai Province
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Chiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand. It is in the countrys north and it is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lampang and Lamphun to the south, Tak to the southwest, Mae Hong Son to the west, and Shan State of Burma to the north. The capital, Chiang Mai, is 685 km north of Bangkok, Chiang Mai Province is about 685 km from Bangkok in the Mae Ping River basin and is on average at 300 m elevation. Surrounded by the ranges of the Thai highlands, it covers an area of approximately 20,107 km2. The Mae Ping, one of the tributaries of the Chao Phraya River. The highest mountain in Thailand, Doi Inthanon at 2,565 metres, is in Chiang Mai Province, several other national parks are also in the province, Doi Suthep-Pui, Ob Luang, Sri Lanna, Huai Nam Dang, Mae Wang, and Pha Daeng. The city of Chiang Mai was capital of the Lanna Kingdom after its founding in 1296, during the same period of time as the establishment of the Sukhothai Kingdom. From then, Chiang Mai not only became the capital and cultural core of the Lanna Kingdom, it was also the centre of Buddhism in northern Thailand, in 1599, the kingdom lost its independence and became part of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. This ended the dynasty founded by King Meng Rai, an era that last 300 years, the Burmese occupiers, had a powerful Burmese influence on the architecture which can still be seen today. It was only in the late 18th century that Burma was finally defeated with the leadership of King Taksin. In 1932 the province Chiang Mai moved up to the second subdivision of Thailand when the administrative unit of Monthon Phayap. 13. 4% of the population in the province are members of tribes, among them the Hmong, Yao, Lahu, Lisu, Akha. The seal of the shows a white elephant in a glass pavilion. The white elephant is a symbol in Thailand, and it is depicted to remember the offering of a white elephant by Thammalangka. The pavilion symbolizes that Buddhism prospered in Chiang Mai, especially when in 1477 the teachings of Buddha, the provincial flower and tree is the flame of the forest. The provincial slogan is In the shadow of Mount Doi Suthep, blessed with rice customs and traditions, beautiful wild flowers, Chiang Mai is subdivided into 25 districts. The districts are subdivided into 204 subdistricts and 2,066 villages. The maximum temperature recorded is 42.4 °C in May 2005
7.
Samut Prakan Province
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It is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Neighbouring provinces are Bangkok, to the north and west, Suvarnabhumi Airport is in the Bang Phli District of Samut Prakan Province. Samut Prakan central jail is located here too, the province was created during the Ayutthaya period, with its administrative centre at Prapadaeng. It was the sea port of Siam, and was secured with forts, town moats, King Rama II started the building of the new centre at Samut Prakan in 1819, after his predecessor King Taksin had abandoned the town fortifications. Altogether six forts were built on both sides of the Chao Phraya River, and on an island in the river the pagoda and these were involved in the Paknam incident of 13 July 1893, which ended the Franco-Siamese War with a French naval blockade of Bangkok. Of the original six forts only two still exist today, Phi Sua Samut and Phra Chulachomklao, in Thai the word samut is from Sanskrit, samudra, meaning ocean or sea, and the word prakan is from Sanskrit, prākāra, meaning fortress, walls, or stronghold. Pak Nam and Paknam redirect here Samut Prakan is at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River on the Gulf of Thailand, thus the province is also sometimes called Pak Nam, the Thai word for the mouth of a river. It is part of the Bangkok metropolis, the urbanization on both sides of the provincial boundary is identical. The province has a coastline of approximately 47.2 kilometres, the Paknam Incident was a military engagement fought during the Franco-Siamese War in July 1893. While sailing off Paknam through Siams Chao Phraya River, three French ships were fired on by a Siamese fort and force of gunboats, in the ensuing battle, France won and proceeded to blockade Bangkok which ended the war. Conflict arose when the French Navy aviso Inconstant and the gunboat Comete arrived at Paknam, the French were on their way to Bangkok, further up the river, for negotiations. When the Siamese refused, the French commander, Rear Admiral Edgar Humann, disregarded the Siamese demands, before the action Humann had been ordered not to cross the bar because the Siamese were well-prepared for battle. Siamese forces included seven 6-inch disappearing guns of the recently built Chulachomklao Fort, the Siamese also sunk several junks and a cargo ship in the river, creating only one narrow passage which the French had to traverse. Five gunboats were anchored just beyond the sunken junks and they were the Siamese gunboats Makut Ratchakuman, Narubent Butri, Thun Kramon, Muratha Wisitsawat, and Han Hak. Two were modern warships while the others were older gunboats or converted river steamers, a sea mine field of sixteen explosives was also laid. The French chose to cross the bar just after sunset on 13 July and their objective was to fight their way past the Siamese defenses but only if fired upon. The weather was overcast and raining, by this time the Siamese were on high alert and at battle stations. The French ships were towed into action by the mail steamer Jean Baptiste Say
8.
Lampang Province
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Lampang is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. The old name of Lampang was Khelang Nakhon, Lampang is in the broad river valley of the Wang River, surrounded by mountain chains. In the Mae Mo District lignite is found and mined in open pits, to the north of the province is the 1, 697-metre high Doi Luang. Lampang is famous for the production of goods and its mining operations. A great deal of ball clay, china stone, and lignite are extracted from the surrounding mountains, there are more than 200 ceramic factories in and around Mueang Lampang District. Most of ceramic factories are small to medium-sized operations producing novelties, tableware, the largest coal fired power plant in Southeast Asia is in Mae Mo District near the lignite mining area. The plant uses lignite as fuel, the largest concrete plant is also north of Mueang Lampang. This is also powered by lignite, limestone is another abundant rock mined in Lampang. Agriculturally, the province produces rice and pineapples, starting in the 7th century Lampang was part of the Dvaravati period Hariphunchai Kingdom of the Mon. In the 11th century the Khmer Empire occupied the Lampang area, Lampang or Nakhon Lampang or Lakhon, was under Burmese rule after the fall of Lanna Kingdom from the 16th century to 18th century. During the uprising against Burmese rule by Siams new kings in the late-18th century, after the victory, the leader was named the ruler of Chiang Mai, the former center of Lanna, while his relative ruled Lampang. The city continues to be one of the important economic and political centers in the north, Lampang became a province of Thailand in 1892. The province is divided into 13 districts and these are further subdivided into 100 communes and 855 villages. Kaeo Don Tao - it used to be the place where the Emerald Buddha was once enshrined, interesting structures include the large chedi containing the hair of the Lord Buddha, a Burmese-style mondop, an ancient viharn and a museum exhibiting ancient relics of the Lanna era. To the west of town is Wat Si Rong Mueang - a Burmese temple built in 1905 during the time when Lampang was the commercial, major architectural works include the viharn made of wood with several overlapping gables in the Burmese style. Built during the reign of King Rama IV by Burmese, Wat Pa Fang has a large, the extensive Sala Kan Parian is made entirely of wood with Burmese-style overlapping roofs. Almost across Wat Pa Fang is Wat Chai Mongkhon - notable is the kuti which is a white cement building with Burmese-style wooden roof, inside is housed a bronze Buddha statue of fine workmanship cast in Mandalay, Burma. A Chiang Saen-style bronze Buddha statue is enshrined here, commonly referred to as Phra Chao Than Chai by the local people
9.
Ubon Ratchathani Province
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Ubon Ratchathani, often shortened to Ubon, is one of the northeastern provinces of Thailand, and the countrys easternmost. Ubon is about 630 km from Bangkok, neighboring Provinces are Sisaket, Yasothon, and Amnat Charoen. To the north and east it borders Salavan and Champasak of Laos, at Khong Chiam the Mun River, the biggest river of the Khorat Plateau, joins the Mekong, which forms the northeastern boundary of Thailand with Laos. It is called Maenam Song Si or the Mun River alluvium because the water from Mekong River is mixed with blue water from Mun River. It is about 84 km. from Ubon Ratchathani city centre, the emerald refers to the large intact monsoon forests there. Later Thao Kham Phong was appointed to be Phra Pathum Wongsa, in 1792 Ubon Ratchathani became a province, and was also the administrative center of the monthon Isan. In 1925 it became part of monthon Nakhon Ratchasima, with the abolition of the monthon in 1933, until 1972, Ubon Ratchathani Province was the largest province of Thailand by area. Yasothon Province was split off from Ubon Ratchathani Province in 1972, Ubon Ratchathani boasts the following national parks, Phu Chong Na Yoi National Park is in mountainous areas in southern region of the province. Kaeng Tana National Park is in Khong Chiam District, Pha Taem National Park covers an area of 140 km2. Plateaus and hills dominate the park landscape, the sheer cliffs here are a result of earthquakes. The interesting places in the park are Pha Taem and Pha Kham. On the cliffs surface are numerous cave paintings from 3. Ubon Ratchathani province is the site of Ubon Ratchathani University. The provincial seal shows a Lotus flower in a pond and this refers to the meaning of the name of the province, which translates to royal city of the lotus flower. Therefore, the flower also is the lotus. The provincial tree is the Yang-na, the province is divided into 25 districts. The districts are subdivided into 219 subdistricts and 2,469 villages. The numbers missing in the table are the districts formed the province Amnat Charoen in 1993
10.
Beauty pageant
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The organizers of each pageant may determine the rules of the competition, including the age range of contestants. The rules may require the contestants to be unmarried, and be virtuous, amateur. It may also set the standards in which contestants will be judged. Beauty pageants are generally multi-tiered, with local competitions feeding into the larger competitions, for example, the international pageants have hundreds or thousands of local competitions. Child beauty pageants mainly focus on beauty, gowns, sportswear modelling, talent, adult and teen pageants focus on makeup, hair and gowns, swimsuit modelling, and personal interviews. A winner of a beauty contest is called a beauty queen. The pejorative term often refers to losing candidates while its rankings are referred to as placements. Possible awards include titles, tiaras or crowns, sashes, scepters, savings bonds, scholarships, however, adult and teen pageants have been moving more towards judging speaking, and many no longer contain swimsuit or talent sections. Some pageants award college scholarships, to the winner or multiple runners-up, european festivals dating to the medieval era provide the most direct lineage for beauty pageants. For example, English May Day celebrations always involved the selection of a May Queen, in the United States, the May Day tradition of selecting a woman to serve as a symbol of bounty and community ideals continued, as young beautiful women participated in public celebrations. A beauty pageant was held during the Eglinton Tournament of 1839, organized by Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, as part of a re-enactment of a medieval joust that was held in Scotland. The pageant was won by Georgiana Seymour, Duchess of Somerset, the wife of Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset, and sister of Caroline Norton, and she was proclaimed as the Queen of Beauty. Entrepreneur Phineas Taylor Barnum staged the first modern American pageant in 1854, Beauty contests became more popular in the 1880s. In 1888, the title of beauty queen was awarded to an 18-year-old Creole contestant at a pageant in Spa, all participants had to supply a photograph and a short description of themselves to be eligible to enter and a final selection of 21 was judged by a formal panel. Such events were not regarded as respectable, Beauty contests came to be considered more respectable with the first modern Miss America contest held in 1921. The oldest pageant still in operation today is the Miss America pageant, the pageant hosted the winners of local newspaper beauty contests in the Inter-City Beauty Contest, which was attended by over one hundred thousand people. Sixteen-year-old Margaret Gorman of Washington, D. C. was crowned Miss America 1921, in May 1920, promoter C. E. Barfield of Galveston, Texas organized a new event known as Splash Day on the island. The event featured a Bathing Girl Revue competition as the centerpiece of its attractions, the event was the kick-off of the summer tourist season in the city and was carried forward annually
