Map thailand

To what extent did the religion, ethnicities, and languages in the Thailand region changed because of its exposure to other cultures?

By Aurielle.Xiao
  • 2000 BCE

    Antiquity

    Antiquity
    In antiquity, the ethnicities and language in Thailand were Tai, and the people there practiced *SHAMANISM (the idea that one guy has special powers) and ancestor worship. They spoke an ancient language called Tai-Kadai. Thailand during antiquity was Tai.
  • 900

    Islamic merchants settled in Thailand

    Islamic merchants settled in Thailand
    In 900 CE, merchants arrived in Thailand and settled there, impacting Thailand's religion. *MUSLIMS from the *COROMANDEL COAST (broad coastal plain in eastern Tamil Nadu state, southern India) were employed to work at the Thai palace and court, leading them to settle in Thailand. Since these Muslims followed *ISLAM, Islam became a new religion in Thailand and made a new group of Muslim followers from in Thailand.

  • Chinese people migrate to Thailand

    Chinese people migrate to Thailand
    In the 1900s, Chinese migrants came to Thailand to work in the tin industry and impacted the ethnicity of Thailand. Thailand was short on workers in its tin industry, so they welcomed Chinese *IMMIGRANTS (a foreigner who permanently lives in a new country) to fill the spot. This introduction made the Chinese *ETHNIC GROUP (ethnicity) become part of the major Chinese ethnicity in Thailand.

  • Merchants brought Buddhism to Thailand

    Merchants brought Buddhism to Thailand
    Around 1900, merchants introduced religion to Thailand and impacted Thailand's religion. Merchants ships that were *EN ROUTE (on the way) to India passed by Thailand and spread *BUDDHISM to Thailand. This exposure made Buddhism become a major religion of Thailand today and had a heavy impact on Thailand's cultural past.

  • Today

    Today
    Today, Thailand has Chinese-influenced ethnicities, four languages, and one main religion. There are four major languages that are spoken today in Thailand which are *Tai, *MON-KHMER, *AUSTRONESIAN, and *SINO-TIBETAN. The major religion in Thailand are adherents of Buddhism, Buddhism arrived in Thailand from South Asia. The other religious groups in Thailand are Muslims, Brahmin-Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians.