Thaitania

Thaitania
National Republic of Thaitania
สาธารณรัฐชาติไทย
Established	1934
Capital	Ayutthaya
Largest City	Ayutthaya
Government Type	Constitutional republic
Languages	Siamese (official) Lao Tai Yuan Tai Yai Chinese dialects Others

Thaitania, officially the National Republic of Thaitania (Thai: สาธารณรัฐชาติไทย), is a country in Southeast Asia bordered by Erawati to the northwest, Viet-Nam to the east, and Kampuchea to the southeast. It was historically known as Siam, or the Ayutthaya Kingdom, named after its capital. In 1934, the monarchy was overthrown and replaced by a National-Republican government. In 1952, the country officially adopted the name Thaitania.

Etymology

The name Thaitania or Taitania comes from Thai + tania (a suffix denoting a territory related to the Iberian peninsula), and first appeared in the late 18th century in Spanish records.

Prior to 1952, Thaitania was known by many names to outsiders, commonly Siam, Ayutthaya, or sometimes Ratcha'anachak Siam (Kingdom of Siam). Within Thaitania, Thais usually referred to the country as Prathet Thai or the colloquial Mueang Thai.

After the National Republican Party of Siam took over in 1934, the nation was commonly referred to as the Siamese National Republic, or the Republic of Siam. By the 1940s, there was a strong push to distance themselves from the name Siam and adopt a new official name to be used in official English contexts. There were several suggestions for the new name, including Pratet Thai, Mueang Thai, and simply just Thai. An ad-hoc committee for the selection of names was formed in 1950, and the name Thaitania was eventually selected and made official in 1952.