# Bangkok

| Bangkok กรุงเทพมหานคร Krung Thep Maha Nakhon |
| --- |
| Special admeenistrative aurie |
| Clockwise frae top: Si Lom–Sathon business destrict, Wat Arun, Giant Swing, Victory Monument, an Wat Phra Kaeo |
| BannerSeal |
| Location athin Thailand |
| Coordinates: ﻿ / ﻿ |
| Kintra |  Thailand |
| Region | Central Thailand |
| Settled | c 15t century |
| Foondit as caipital | 21 Apryle 1782 |
| Re-incorporatit | 13 Dizember 1972 |
| Foondit bi | Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke |
| Govrenin bouk | Bangkok Metropolitan Admeenistration |
| Govrenment |
|  • Teep | Special admeenistrative aurie |
|  • Govrenor | Sukhumbhand Paribatra |
| Area |
|  • Ceety | 1568.737 km2 (605.693 sq mi) |
|  • Metro | 7761.6 km2 (2,996.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) |
| Population (2010 census) |
|  • Ceety | 8,280,925 |
|  • Density | 5,300/km2 (14,000/sq mi) |
|  • Metro | 14,565,547 |
|  • Metro density | 1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Bangkokian |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (Thailand) |
| Postal code | 10### |
| Area code(s) | 02 |
| ISO 3166 code | TH-10 |
| Website | www.bangkok.go.th |

**Bangkok** is the caipital, lairgest urban aurie an primary ceety o Thailand. Kent in Thai as *Krung Thep Maha Nakhon* (Thai:กรุงเทพมหานคร, pronoonced [krūŋ tʰêːp máhǎː nákʰɔ̄ːn] ( listen)), or กรุงเทพฯ *Krung Thep* ([listen]) , meanin "ceety o angels" for short, it wis a sma tradin post at the mooth o the Chao Phraya River durin the Ayutthaya Kinrick. It came tae the forefront o Siam whan it wis gien the status as the caipital ceety in 1768 efter the burnin o Ayutthaya. Housomeivver, the current Rattanakosin Kinrick didna stairt till 1782 whan the caipital wis muived athort the river bi Rama I efter the daith o Keeng Taksin. The Rattanakosin caipital is nou mair formally cried "Phra Nakhon" (Thai: พระนคร), pertainin tae the auncient mairches in the metropolis' core an the name Bangkok nou incorporates the urban biggin-up syne the 18t century which haes its awn public admeenistration an govrenor.

Syne its inception as the caipital o Siam, it wis a target o European colonial plans, but due tae its strategic location in Indocheenae, it actit as a buffer-zone an brokered pouer atween the European forces. Throu this, it gained notoriety in the warld as an independent, dynamic an influential ceety. An in the span o ower twa hunder years, Bangkok haes grown tae become the poleetical, social an economic centre o Thailand, Indocheenae an ane o Sootheast Asie.

As a direct result o the 1980s an 1990s Asian investment boom, numerous multinaitional corporations base thair regional heidquarters in Bangkok an the ceety haes become a regional force in finance an business. Its increasin influence on global politics, cultur, fashion an entertainment unnerlines its status as an Alpha global ceety. In 2009, it wis the seicont maist expensive ceety in Sootheast Asie ahint Singapore.

The ceety's walth o cultural landmarks an attractions in addition tae its notorious entertainment venues haes made it synonymous wi exoticism. Its historic walth coincides wi its rapid modrenisation, reflectit in the ceetyscape an the urban society. The Grand Palace, Vimanmek Palace Complex, its thoosans o temples, an the ceety's notorious reid-licht destricts combine draw in 11 million internaitional veesitors ilka year, trailin juist Paris an Lunnon.

## History

Siege o Bangkok in 1688. Fortress haud bi the French (A), wi Siamese sodgers an batteries (C). The enclosure o the veelage o Bangkok representit in the lawer left corner (M) is the day's Thonburi.
The toun o Bangkok (Thai: บางกอก) began as a sma tredin centre an port community on the wast bank o the Chao Phraya River afore the establishment o the Ayutthaya Kinrick, the precursor o modren Thailand, whit existit frae 1350 tae 1767. The etymology o the toun's name is unclear. *Bang* is the Central Thai name for a toun situatit on the bank o a river. It is believed that "Bangkok" derived frae either *Bangkok*, *kok* (กอก) bein the Thai name for the Java plum (*ma-kok*, มะกอก), ane o several trees bearin olive-like fruits); or *Bang Koh*, *koh* meanin "island," a reference tae the aurie's landscape that wis carved bi rivers an canals.

Efter the faw o Ayutthaya tae the Burmese Kinrick in 1767, the newly declared King Taksin established a new caipital in the aurie o the than Bangkok, whit became kent as Thonburi. Whan Taksin's reign endit in 1782, King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke reconstructit the caipital on the eastren bank o the river an gied the ceety a ceremonial name (see belaw) that became shortened tae its current offeecial name, *Krung Thep Maha Nakhon*. The new ceety, housomeivver, an aa inheritit the name Bangkok, whit continued tae be uised bi foreigners tae refer tae the entire ceety an became its offeecial Inglis name, while in Thai the name still refers anerlie tae the auld destrict on the wast bank o the river. The ceety haes syne vastly modrenised an unnergane numerous chynges, includin the introduction o transportation an utility infrastructur in the reigns o Keeng Mongkut an Keeng Chulalongkorn, an quickly developed intae the economic centre o Thailand.

## Full name

The full ceremonial name o the ceety gien bi King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, an later editit bi King Mongkut, is:

*Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit*
(Thai: กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุทธยา มหาดิลกภพ นพรัตนราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์ (listen) ).

This ceremonial name uises twa auncient Indie leids, Pāli an Sanskrit, initiatit wi the ae oreeginal Thai wird *Krung* that means "caipital". Accordin tae the romanisation o thir leids, it can actually be written as *Krung-dēvamahānagara amararatanakosindra mahindrāyudhyā mahātilakabhava navaratanarājadhānī purīramya uttamarājanivēsana mahāsthāna amaravimāna avatārasthitya shakrasdattiya vishnukarmaprasiddhi*(listen) . It translates tae "The ceety o angels, the great ceety, the eternal jewel ceety, the impregnable ceety o God Indra, the grand caipital o the warld endoued wi nine precious gems, the happy ceety, aboondin in an enormous Ryal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode whaur reigns the reincarnatit god, a ceety gien bi Indra an biggit bi Vishnukarma".

Local schuil childer are tocht the full name, although few can explain its meanin acause mony o the wirds are archaic, an unkent tae aw but a few. Maist Thais wha dae recaw the full name dae so as a result o its uiss in a popular sang, *Krung Thep Maha Nakhon* (1989) bi Asanee-Wasan Chotikul an will aften recoont it bi recawin the sang at the same time, muckle as Inglis speakers micht sing the alphabet sang while recitin the Inglis alphabet.

The full name o the ceety is leetit bi *Guinness Beuk o Records* as the warld's langest place name.

## Internaitional relations

### Twin touns/sister ceeties

Bangkok haes a nummer o sister ceeties. Thay are:

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| * Washington, D.C., Unitit States, syne 1962
* Beijing, Cheenae, syne 1993
* Moscow, Roushie, syne 1997
* Manila, Philippines, syne 1997
* Saunt Petersburg, Roushie, syne 1997
* Chaozhou, Cheenae, syne 2005
* Seoul, Republic o Korea, syne 2006
* New York Ceety, Unitit States, syne 2006
* Berlin, Germany, syne 2006
 | * Ankara, Turkey, syne 2006
* Hanoi, Vietnam, syne 2006
* Ulan Bator, Mongolie, syne 2006
* Buenos Aires, Argentinae, syne 2006
* Brisbane, Australie, syne 2007
* Milan, Italy, syne 2007
* Liverpool, Unitit Kinrick, syne 2007
* Tokyo, Japan, syne 2007
* Cape Toun, Sooth Africae, syne 2007
 | * Budapest, Hungary, syne 2007
* Sydney, Australie, syne 2007
* Perth, Australie, syne 2007
* Stjørdal, Norawa, syne 2009
* Istanbul, Turkey, syne 2009
* Guangzhou, Cheenae
* Ragunda, Swaden
* Riyadh, Saudi Arabie, syne 2010
* Madrid, Spain, syne 2010
* Warsaw, Poland, syne 2010
 |

## Freemit airtins

* Bangkok Metropolitan Admeenistration Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
* Bangkok Tourism Diveesion Archived 2017-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
* Bangkok Interactive Bus Map
* Travel guide tae *Bangkok* frae Wikivoyage
* Bangkok Live Traffic Map (Longdo Traffic)