Thaifernando ที่นี่ประเทศไทย: City of Angels; Bangkok

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Thailand’s capital city has the distinction of owning a number of different names. In addition to the internationally known name of Bangkok, there is also the local name of Krung Thep (City of Angels) which is a shortened version of the official Thai name of Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. However, even this is an abbreviation of the full ceremonial name which lays claim to being the longest place name in the world. The full ceremonial name is: Krung Thep Maha Nakorn Borworn Rattanakosin Mahinthara yutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amorn Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit. (กรุงเทพมหานคร บวรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์)

Because the ceremonial name is a mixture of the ancient Pali and Sanskrit languages there are differing translations for the meaning and there are also different ways of writing the name in English. A general translation of the name is: “The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn. You can watching Thai pop music that sing only full's name of Bangkok here;

The ancient Siamese capital city of Ayutthaya was destroyed by an invading Burmese army in 1767. This led to King Taksin founding a new capital for Siam in a location known as Bangkok. The exact derivation of the name Bangkok is open to debate although many scholars believe it to mean the ‘village of wild plum trees’. The new capital was built on the west banks of the river (now called the Chao Phraya River) at Thonburi.

Wat Phra Kaew and The Grand Palace

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In 1782, King Rama I moved the capital to the opposite side of the river at Rattanakosin which is where many of Bangkok’s historical sites can be found including the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Big Buddha at Wat Pho

Because of its strategic location in Southeast Asia, Siam (later Thailand) acted as a buffer-zone between the French and British colonial empires.

Bangkok itself has gained a reputation as an independent, dynamic and influential city. Bangkok is the political, social and economic centre of Thailand, and one of the leading cities in Southeast Asia.

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Due to the 1980s and 1990s Asian investment boom, many multinational corporations make their regional headquarters in Bangkok and the city is a regional force in finance and business. Its increasing influence on global politics, culture, fashion and entertainment underlines its status as an Alpha global city. In 2009, it was the second most expensive city in South-East Asia behind Singapore. The city's many cultural landmarks and attractions in addition to its nightlife venues has made it synonymous with exoticism.

Anantasamakom throne hall

Wat Phra Kaew
Pic by: I Prahin | www.southeastasia-images.com

Its rapid modernization, reflected in the cityscape and the urban society, has left untouched the historic Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Vimanmek Palace Complex and hundreds of Buddhist temples draw about 10 million international visitors each year, second only to London.

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Bangkok has an official population of 8,249,117 residents, while the greater Bangkok area contains some 14,565,520 (Census 2010). The capital is a center of the megalopolis of 20 million people, situated in a heavily urbanized triangle of central and eastern Thailand, which stretches from Nakhon Ratchasima to the heavily Industrialized Eastern Seaboard. Bangkok borders five other provinces: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom; all five provinces are joined in the conurbation of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. It is served by two international airports: Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang International Airport, four rapid transit lines operated by theBTS, MRT, and the SRT, with plans to add additional lines by 2020.