Thailand Thailand is often called “The Land Of Smiles” because the people of Thailand often are smiling, and most tourists who go there have a fun time and are very happy. Thailand’s old name used to be Siam. Now it is Thailand or in the Thai language it is Muang Thai, which means land of the free. The main religion in Thailand is Buddhism. Ninety five percent of the people are Buddhists. They believe that Buddha (their god) lived around in the 500’s or 400’s B.C. His real name was Siddhartha Gautama. The people called him Buddha, which meant “Enlightened One”. People in Thailand take their religion very seriously. Almost half of the men in