Adopted in 1917. The flag of The Kingdom of Thailand (Prathet Thai) has five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red. The red color symbolizes the nation and the blood of life. White represents religion and the purity of Buddhism and blue stands for the monarchy. (ref: CIA World Factbook) A sovereign kingdom was established in the mid-13th century and was never colonized by a European power. It was also known by Europeans as the Kingdom of Siam until 1939. A constitutional monarchy government was established in 1932, the country has been ruled under several military governments until democratic rule was restored in 1992.