Bangkok

Bangkok is the caipital, lairgest urban aurie an primary ceety o Thailand. Kent in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Thai:กรุงเทพมหานคร, pronoonced ), or กรุงเทพฯ Krung Thep (, 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

200px|thumb|left|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.Vollant des Verquains, in Smithies 2002, pp. 95-96
The toun o Bangkok () 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
( ).

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. 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.Bangkok Post, "Maori claims world's longest place name", 1 September 2006 

 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"Bangkok er ny vennskapsby" . Adresseavisen. Retrieved on 29 May 2009.
  Istanbul, Turkey, syne 2009Istanbul and Bangkok Become Sister Cities 
  Guangzhou, Cheenae
  Ragunda, Swaden"Bangkok besöker Ragunda" . Ragunda kommun. Retrieved on 14 november 2009. "Ragunda kommun får besök från sin vänort Bangkok" . Ragunda kommun. Retrieved on 14 november 2009. 
  Riyadh, Saudi Arabie, syne 2010
  Madrid, Spain, syne 2010
  Warsaw, Poland, syne 2010

 Notes 

 Freemit airtins 

 Bangkok Metropolitan Admeenistration 
 Bangkok Tourism Diveesion 
 Bangkok Interactive Bus Map

 Bangkok Live Traffic Map (Longdo Traffic)


Category:Caipitals in Asie
Category:Populatit places in Thailand
Category:Gulf o Thailand
Category:Populatit places established in the 18t century
Category:Provinces o Thailand