Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Bangkok shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Bangkok offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Bangkok at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Bangkok? Wrong! If the Bangkok is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Bangkok then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Bangkok? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Bangkok and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Bangkok wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Bangkok then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Bangkok site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Bangkok, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Bangkok, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Infobox Settlement|official_name = Bangkok|other_name = Krung Thep Maha Nakhon|native_name = กรุงเทพมหานคร|nickname =|settlement_type = |motto =|image_skyline = Bangkok skytrain sunset.jpg|imagesize =|image_caption = A
Bangkok Skytrain passing the Sathon area of Bangkok.]|government_footnotes =|government_type = Administrative divisions of Thailand|leader_title = Governer|leader_name = Apirak Kosayothin|established_title = Settled|established_date =
Ayutthaya Kingdom|established_title2 = Founded as capital|established_date2 = 21 April 1782|blank_info = TH-10|blank1_name =|blank1_info =|website = http://www.bma.go.th|footnotes =-->
Bangkok, known in [Thai language as
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (International Phonetic Alphabet: , ) or
Krung Thep () for short, is the capital and
primate city of
Thailand. It is located on the banks of the
Chao Phraya River, near the
Gulf of Thailand.
Bangkok is the List of cities by population most populous city in the world. Bangkok has a recorded population of about 6 million, but the actual number is thought to be much higher, as high as 20 million according to some experts. Bangkok is a magnet for foreigners escaping turmoil in their homeland or simply for business. Bangkok has long been the gateway to Asia for foreign interests seeking new markets. The city is a major economic and financial center of
Southeast Asia. Bangkok has one of the fastest rates in the world for construction of high rise buildings. The city's wealth of cultural sites makes it one of the world's most popular tourism destinations.
The Bangkok Province borders six other provinces: Nonthaburi,
Pathum Thani,
Chachoengsao,
Samut Prakan,
Samut Sakhon and
Nakhon Pathom.
History
The town of Bangkok () began as a small trading center and port community on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River serving the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the precursor of modern Thailand which existed from 1350 to 1767. It is believed that the town's name derived from either
Bang Makok,
bang being the Central Thai name for towns or villages situated on the bank of a river, and
makok (มะกอก) being the Thai name of either
Spondias,
Spondias mombin or
Elaeocarpus (plants producing olive-like fruits), or
Bang Koh,
koh meaning "island," a reference to the area's landscape which was carved by rivers and canals.
was constructed as part of the Grand Palace complex at the founding of the capital.After the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese Kingdom in 1767, the newly declared Taksin established a new capital in the area of then-Bangkok, which became known as Thonburi. When Taksin's reign ended in 1782, King
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke reconstructed the capital on the east bank of the river and gave the city a ceremonial name (see below) which became shortened to its current official name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (which, similarly to "Los Angeles" means "city of angels"). The new city, however, also inherited the name Bangkok, which continued to be used by foreigners to refer to the entire city and became its official English name, while in Thai the name still refers only to the old district on the west bank of the river. The city has since vastly modernized and undergone numerous changes, including the introduction of transportation and utility infrastructure in the reigns of Mongkut and
Chulalongkorn, and quickly developed into the economic center of Thailand.
Full name
The full ceremonial name of the city given by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, and later edited by King Mongkut, is
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit (, ). This ceremonial name is composed in combination of two ancient Indian languages, Pāli and
Sanskrit. According to the romanisation of these languages, it can actually be written as
Krung-dēvamahānagara amararatanakosindra mahindrayudhyā mahātilakabhava navaratanarājadhānī purīrāmasya utamarājanivēsana mahāsthāna amaravimāna avatārasthitya shakrasdattiya vishnukarmaprasiddhi. It translates to "The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city 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 Vishnukam".
Local school children are taught the full name, although few can explain its meaning because many of the words are archaic, and unknown to all but a few. Most Thais who do recall the full name do so as a result of its use in a
Pop music,
Krung Thep Mahanakhon (1989) by Asani & Wasan Chotikul and will often recount it by recalling the song at the same time, much in the same way that English speakers might sing the alphabet song while reciting the English alphabet.
The full name of the city is listed by Guinness Book of Records as the Longest word in English#Place names. Bangkok Post, "Maori claims world's longest place name", 1 September 2006
Geography
Topography and climate
The Bangkok special administrative area covers 1,568.7 km², making it the List of provinces of Thailand by area province in Thailand. Much of the area is considered the city of Bangkok, therefore making it one of the largest cities in the world. The Chao Phraya River, Thailand's longest river which stretches 372 km, is Bangkok's main geographical feature. The Chao Phraya River basin, the area surrounding Bangkok, and the nearby provinces comprise a series of plains and river deltas that lead into the Bay of Bangkok about 30 km south of the city center. This gave rise to Bangkok's appellation as the "Venice of the East" due to the number of canals and passages that divide the area into separate patches of land. The city once used these canals, which were plentiful within Bangkok itself, as divisions for city districts. However, as the city grew in the second half of the 20th century, the plan was abandoned and a different system of division was adopted.
Bangkok lies about two meters above sea level. This low ground level causes problems for the protection of the city against floods during the monsoon season. Often after a downpour, water in canals and the river overflows the banks, resulting in massive floods. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has recently installed higher planks alongside some canals to keep water levels from reaching street level. There are however some downsides for Bangkok's extensive canal routes, as the city is rumored to be sinking an average of two inches a year as it lies entirely on a swamp. Some reports say that the city is sinking as much as four inches a year, and this combined with the rising sea level will leave Bangkok under 50 cm to 100 cm of water by 2025.
Bangkok has a tropical climate
monsoon climate under the
Köppen climate classification system. Bangkok is said to have the highest average temperature of any city in the world. Average temperatures in the city are about 2°C higher than the ones shown for the Don Muang Airport at 1960-1990 period. Absolute maxima is 40.8°C and absolute minima is 9.9°C. The coldest temperatures were recorded in January 1924, January 1955, January 1974 and December 1999.The coldest daytime maximun temperature was 22.3C recorded in December
1999.Hailstorms are virtually unheard in the city, since it was recorded a single hailstorm in the past 50 years.
{]
(inches)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 1
(0.4)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 2
(1.1)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 3
(1.2)| style="background: #8DC0F9;" | 7
(2.8)| style="background: #4180ED;" | 19
(7.5)| style="background: #6AA3F3;" | 15
(6.0)| style="background: #6AA3F3;" | 15
(6.2)| style="background: #4180ED;" | 18
(7.4)| style="background: #004AE2;" | 32
(12.6)| style="background: #2266E7;" | 23
(9.1)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 5
(2.3)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 1
(0.4)| style="background: #004AE2;" | 145
(57.1)|}
source: Weatherbase
Districts
Bangkok has 50 districts or
khet, which mark the administrative subdivisions under the authority of the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. However, these district areas might not accurately represent functional divisions of Bangkok's neighborhoods. Throughout the years, Bangkok has grown from a city scattered along the river to a
Bangkok Metropolitan Area that spans as many as six provinces. The city's main business districts and residential areas are continuously expanding. The influx of foreigners from Western countries as well as immigrants from neighboring Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and many other
South Asian countries along with the growth of the Thai population has stemmed hundreds of housing projects around the metro area, developing communities along the outskirts. Within years, these communities are engulfed by the greater Bangkok and become another part of this urban jungle.
The most important business districts of Bangkok include Silom, Bangrak, Pinklao, Sathon, Phra Ram 2, Petchaburi, Phra Nakhon, and Pathumwan.
, the tallest building in Bangkok and ThailandAs the city expanded on the outskirts, the inner city has nowhere to grow but up. The city has a registered 1,000 skyscrapers and ranks 17th as the world's tallest city." Calculated Average Height of the Ten Tallest (CAHTT), UltrapolisProject.com. Accessed on March 26, 2007. This does not include hundreds of new buildings predicted as part of the construction boom in 2007 and the coming years. Areas such as
Silom-Sathon and Asok have for decades been Thailand's business center. During the 1990s, Thailand experienced the world's highest growth rates and underwent an economic transformation, Bangkok went through dramatic changes. The
Ratchadaphisek area was turned into a business district which continued through the Asok area up north for five km. The Sukhumvit area, stretching 15-20 km, gradually turned into a mixed commercial and residential area. Wireless Road and Chitlom are where some of Bangkok's most expensive land plots exist. Part of the British Embassy on the corner of Wireless and Rama I Roads, nine rai or approximately 14,400 m² in area, sold for USD 92 million or THB 3.24 billion, and is the most expensive single sale of land in Thai record.
Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district alongside Dusit is where most governmental agencies and ministries have their offices. Most of the well-known tourist attractions are also in this particular area due its age. It is a no-skyscraper designated zone to preserve the area where some buildings are as old as Thailand itself. This part of Bangkok is perhaps the most popular for tourists as most notable attractions such as the
Grand Palace, Democracy Monument,
Giant Swing,
Sanam Luang and other venues are located here. Thon Buri also has its fair share of historic monuments mainly located near the river, such as Wat Arun. The Victory Monument in Bangkok is one of the city's biggest bus destinations. Although not officially a bus depot, its location in the centre of city transits as many as 20 bus lines as well as a BTS Skytrain station.
Bangkok's north and eastern areas are primarily residential areas for middle class residents of Bangkok. Whereas the inner city often has small apartments and low rises for poor immigrants, Lad Prao and Sri Nakarin offer residential compounds and townhouses. The two areas cover as much as 100 km²-150 km² each, and have turned into what is now part of Bangkok as more suburban housing developments sprawl further out to the east and north. The west of Bangkok in Thon Buri is another growing area, approaching the degree of development experienced by the north and east.
Suvarnabhumi Airport in the east is seen as a jump start for the eastern expansion of Bangkok as Don Muang was for the north.
Ratchaprasong is at the fore front of Bangkok's shopping scene. The newly renovated
Central World Plaza intends to serve as a square to Bangkokians. Just up the street is
Siam Square, similar to
Shinjuku in
Tokyo and Oxford Street and Picadilly Circus in London. The Sukhumvit area also serves as a shopping district for foreigners. The popular Chatuchak Weekend Market in the north of the city is where many people head for cheap, quality products.
Bangkok's poorest districts are spread throughout the city. However, the most concentrated area is just north of the Port of Bangkok at the turn of the Chao Phraya River. For an area of ten km², the
Khlong Toei district houses one of the poorest areas in the country with half-built houses and midrises for immigrants and workers from the northeast
Isan provinces.
Green zones and major parks
Bangkok has large sections of greenery either preserved by the Department of National Forestry or designated as green zones. The city however, continues to lack a green belt development as economic activity continues to pour into the capital, resulting in massive housing projects along the suburbs. However, in recent years, there has been a stronger voice towards preserving the environment containing population within the city.
Bangkok is known for its large green sections within the city centre, including the large forest park between Yannawa and Samut Prakan. This part of the city covers an area of over 50 km². and is intended to buffer the CBD from the large industries of the west and south of Metropolitan Bangkok. Other areas include Bung Makkasan, an urban city buffer for residences, sections of many major roads which have unbuilt swamps and green fields. Some of these areas are intentionally undeveloped for protecting against urbanization, while others are land lost during the Asian Financial Crisis.
Lumphini Park is regionally famous. Renowned as Bangkok's Central Park, it was built in the early 1900s by Rama VI with this intent. It has since been used to hold grand pageants, ceremonies of the Thai constitution, and was a camp for Japanese soldiers during
World War II. The park's primary function is now for recreational purposes, and it is one of the most visited parks, especially on weekdays. On Sundays, the western gates are open for runners to run on to Silom Road. The park is normally closed at night due to the large amount of vandalism, robberies and murders reported. Chatuchak Park and Rama IX Park are two of Bangkok's largest parks. The two, built in the past 50 years cater to Bangkok's suburban population are enormous and include botanic gardens, sports clubs and complexes, English/French/Japanese gardens and parks as well as large ponds and lakes. Other famous parks include Queen Sirikit Park near Lad Yao, Benjasiri Park on Sukhumvit, Saranrom Park across the Grand Palace,
Sanam Luang, Suan Romaneenat, and Dusit Park.
Economy
Bangkok is the
Economy of Thailand of Thailand, dominating the country's economy and dwarfing other urban centers. Development continues to pour in to Bangkok mostly neglecting the rest of the nation. In 2005, it produced a
gross domestic product (purchasing power parity) of about
United States dollar 220 billion, which accounts for 43 percent of the country's GDP. Its GDP (PPP) per capita is well over USD 20,000, one of the highest in Southeast Asia, although statistics do not reveal the extent of the vast differences in wealth between haves and have nots. The
Stock Exchange of Thailand is located in Bangkok with over 400 listed companies and combined market capitalization of about
Thai baht 5 trillion (USD 120 billion) as of January 5,
2006. Due to the large amount of foreign representation, Thailand has for several years been a mainstay of the Southeast Asian economy and a key center in Asian business. In the recent mini-crash known as Black Tuesday, the
Stock Exchange of Thailand lost over THB 800 billion or USD 25 billion in value, causing markets in the Asia-Pacific to fall and causing a global impact on
December 17, 2006. The loss of market valuation evoked fears of a repeat of the
Asian Financial Crisis; however, a partial policy reversal saw market gaining back nearly all of the value lost.
Bangkok is home to the headquarters of all Thailand's large commercial banks and financial institutions; 18 financial institutions hold at least USD 1 billion in total assets. Their bank deposits totaled approximately THB 7 trillion (USD 177 billion) at the end of the third quarter in 2005. Many transnational companies operate regional headquarters in Bangkok because the cost of operation in the city is less than in most cities in Asia. Thirteen Bangkok-based companies are on the
Forbes 2000 list, including the largest Thai bank, Bangkok Bank, and the country's largest energy company
PTT Public Company Limited.
Tourism is a significant contributor to Thailand's economy, providing about 5 percent of GDP. Bangkok is Thailand's principal international gateway and a destination in its own right.
Income inequality of Bangkok's residents is significant, especially between relatively unskilled lower-income immigrants from rural provinces in Thailand and neighboring countries and wealthier government officials, middle class professionals, business elite, and retired foreigners. About 7 percent of Bangkok's population (excluding illegal immigrants who constitute about 5-8 percent of population) lives below the poverty line compared to the national average of 9 percent.
Demographics
The 2005 Statistics report by the BMA Data Center notes a registered population of 5,658,953. However, this figure does not take into account the many unregistered residents and daytime visitors from the surrounding metropolitan area. Recently, Bangkok has experienced a large influx of foreign immigrants, long-term residents, and expatriates. The number of expatriate executives stood at 65,000 as of November, 2005, with an average of more than 1,800 permits per month. Long-term foreign residents include 250,000 People's Republic of China, 35,000 Indians (most of whom are Sikh), of whom more than 80% have Thai citizenship, 6,000 Americans, 45,000 Europeans (the second largest number in any Asian city after Singapore), 15,000 Taiwanese, 7,000 South Koreans, 6,000 Nigerians, 8,000 people of Arabic speaking countries, 20,000 Malaysians, and 4,000 Singaporeans. There are approximately 400,000–600,000 illegal immigrants from Cambodia,
Myanmar,
Russia, Ukraine,
Pakistan,
Nigeria,
India,
Bangladesh, China, and other countries. A vast majority of the population, 92%, is
Buddhism. The rest are Islam (6%), Christianity (1%), Judaism (300 residents), Hinduism/Sikhism (0.6%), and others. There are some 400 Buddhist temples, 55 mosques, 10 churches, 2 Hindu Temples, 2 synagogues and 1 Sikh gurudwara in Bangkok.
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Administration
Bangkok is one of two special administrative areas in Thailand, the other being
Pattaya, in which citizens vote to choose their governor, unlike in Thailand's 75 other
Provinces of Thailand (
changwat). In the
Bangkok gubernatorial election, 2004,
Apirak Kosayothin was elected governor.
The urban sprawl of the greater
Bangkok Metropolitan Area extends beyond the borders of Bangkok province, spilling into the neighbouring provinces of
Nonthaburi Province,
Samut Prakan Province,
Pathum Thani Province,
Nakhon Pathom Province and
Samut Sakhon Province. The province as it is today was created in 1972 when the previous Bangkok province,
changwat Phra Nakhon, merged with Thonburi province.
The seal of the city shows the god Indra riding in the clouds on Airavata, a mythological elephant-shaped creature. In his hand Indra holds a lightning bolt, which is his weapon to drive away drought. The seal is based on a painting done by Narisaranuvadtivongs. The tree symbol of Bangkok is
Ficus benjamina.
Bangkok is subdivided into
Districts of Bangkok (
khet, also sometimes called
amphoe in the other provinces), which are further subdivided into 154
kwaeng (แขวง, equivalent to
tambon in other provinces). Each district is managed by a district chief appointed by the governor. District councils, elected to four-year terms, serve as advisory bodies to their respective district chiefs.
There is also an elected Bangkok Metropolitan Council, which has power over municipal ordinances and the city's budget. The last elections for local councils in Bangkok were held on
July 23,
2006.
Transportation
.
River and canals network
An elaborate network of
canals known as
khlongs gave Bangkok the nickname "Venice of the East" at a time when most transportation was by boat. Today, nearly all of the canals have been filled in and converted into streets. While many khlongs still exist with people living along them and markets often being operated along the banks, most are severely polluted. http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/08/17/thailand.canals.ap/index.html Accessed June 17, 2007. A notable khlong market is the floating market in Taling Chan. Through downtown Bangkok runs the Khlong Saen Saeb, which has a canal boat service, the most extensive of which is the Chao Phraya Express Boat with as many as thirty stops along the both banks of the Saen Saeb. However, there are limitations as the further north the route is the farther apart the stations are, impeding the ability of this water taxi to function as a true mass transit system.
Roads
Several elevated highways, newly rebuilt intersections, and many partially finished road and rail projects dot the landscape around greater Bangkok, but have done little to overcome the notorious traffic jams on Bangkok's surface roads as private vehicle usage continues to outstrip infrastructure development. Many city residents complain that they spend more than half their waking day on the streets on an open-air city bus.
Bangkok also includes many shopping and business roads like the Sukhumvit Road which includes highrise business buildings, apartments, and shopping malls, Sukhumvit Road is where many foreigners like to come shopping. The Wireless Road or Thanon Wittayu include the Stock Exchange of Thailand and many business buildings like the All Seasons Place Complex which includes the Conrad Bangkok, a shopping mall, and many other business offices. The Thanon Khaosan or Khaosan Road is also well-known by foreigners. One of the popular shopping roads for teenagers is Rama I road, which has the Siam Paragon, Siam Square, and the Siam Discovery Center.
Bangkok may be known as one of the worst cities in the world for traffic, but it has built an expressway or second-level road on almost every road in the city center, and there continue to be plans for new expressways monthly. The government has also tried many times to improve the state of the traffic in the city center, which can sometimes take an hour just to move one kilometer.
Rail systems
In
1999 an elevated two-line
Bangkok Skytrain (officially called BTS) metro system was opened. The remains of a failed
elevated railroad project (the
Hopewell Holdings Ltd project) can still be seen all the way from the main railroad station out towards
Don Mueang Airport. Due to the Asian financial crisis of 1997 construction was halted and the concrete pillars were left unused.
The
Bangkok Metro subway system opened for use in July
2004. The MRT connects the northern train station of Bang Sue to the
Hua Lamphong central railway station near the city center, while also going through the eastern part of Bangkok. It connects to the BTS system at BTS stations Mo Chit, Asok, and Sala Daeng. Many stations have various designs and concepts with many to install retail shops and transit malls to draw more income from commuters.
Political bickering and profiteering also has stalled many promised and planned urban rail projects including Skytrain and subway extensions, initially planned to open by the end of 2002 (for Skytrain), and projects that are completed often are very much delayed. Currently, transit and development projects initiated by ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin are unpopular with the current administration, and have a high likelihood of being stalled or cancelled.
A new high speed elevated railroad called the
Suvarnabhumi Express, currently under construction, will link the city with the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. The announced opening date has been pushed to back to 2009. Along with the airport itself, the Suvarnabhumi Express was a Thaksin pet project. The Airport Express railway is to be operated by the
State Railway of Thailand. It will provide a 28.5 km link between the new airport and the City Air Terminal (CAT) at
Makkasan Station with connections to the BTS at Phaya Thai and MRT at Petchburi. There are plans to extend the line to Don Mueang and Rangsit, but again, this is very dependent on the political situation.
Plans have been approved for a further extension of the BTS Silom line from Wong Wian Yai to Bangwah (4.5 km), Sumrong to Samut Prakarn (8 km), Mo Chit to Saphan Mai (11.9 km) and the National Stadium to Phran Nok (7.7 km). This includes five underground stations in the Rattanakosin area. The State Railway of Thailand has also been given approval to complete the Dark Red and Light Green lines. Alongside, MRT has also begun construction on two new lines, the Purple line from Bang Yai to Bang Sue, and the Blue line from Hua Lampong to Bang Khae and Ta Pra. Much of this is part of a government effort to reduce reliance on personal vehicles in the hope of linking the city within ten years by a ring road of rail systems.
For intercity travel by train, most passengers begin their trips at
Hua Lamphong at the southern end of the MRT. Here, trains connect Bangkok to Malaysia in the south,
Chiang Mai to the north, and Nong Khai and beyond to the northeast.
Bus service
Virtually all cities and provinces are easily reached by bus from Bangkok. For destinations in the southwest and the west, buses leave from the Southern Bus Terminal, west of the city in the Thonburi area. For destinations in the southeast, such as
Pattaya,
Ko Samet and Ko Chang, buses leave from the Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai. For all destinations north and northeast, the Northern Bus Terminal is at Mo Chit. Long distance bus service has become safer as drivers are changed and most no longer take
methamphetamines such as Ya Baa to stay awake, which often caused excessive speeding and passing on dangerous undivided roads. Bangkok's less accessible southern terminal was recently moved even farther out. Though Bangkok is well connected to other cities, getting to the bus terminals often are a challenge in themselves.
Airports
as seen from a taxiing plane.Bangkok is one of Asia's most important
Airline hubs. In 2005, more than ninety airlines served Don Mueang International Airport (
IATA airport code:
DMK; ICAO airport code:
VTBD) and over 38,000,000 passengers, 160,000 flights and 700,000 tons of
Cargo airline were handled at this airport per year. It was the 18th busiest airport in the world, second busiest in
Asia by passenger volume, 15th busiest in the world and fourth busiest in Asia in international passenger volume. Don Mueang consistently ranked 19th in the world in cargo traffic, and seventh in the
Asia-Pacific region. Don Mueang is considered to be one of the world's oldest international airports, its opening in March
1914 making it almost twenty years older than
London Heathrow. It has three terminals and is located about 30 km north from the heart of Bangkok.
On September 28,
2006,
Suvarnabhumi Airport (IATA airport code:
BKK; ICAO airport code:
VTBS), became Bangkok's official international airport, replacing Don Mueang. Pronounced Suwannaphum (
Royal Thai General System of Transcription), or loosely
Su-wan-na-poom, the airport is located southeast of the city center in
Amphoe Bang Phli district,
Samut Prakan Province.
The progress of Suvarnabhumi Airport dates back to the early 1970s when a large plot of land 8,000
acres (32 km²) was bought. A student uprising in October of the same year prevented further progress with the development when the military government of Thanom Kittikachom was subsequently overthrown. After several military coups and the Asian financial crisis of 1997, construction finally began in 2002, after five years of clearing the site. The first flights landed in September 2006, shortly after another military coup. Its two parallel
runways are connected by the five Airport terminal of the main
Airport terminal building. The airport features a 132.2 meter-tall
control tower, the tallest in the world and one meter taller than Kuala Lumpur International Airport control tower. Airports of Thailand Plc. (AoT) have announced another terminal to accommodate a further fifteen million passengers. This will be part of Phase 2 of the airport, which is expected to begin construction in three to five years. The main airline of Suvarnabhumi is Thai Airways International.
Much of the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport took place during the premiership of Thaksin Shinawatra, who took personal responsibility for its timely completion. Despite a "ceremonial" opening on the planned date, construction was over a year late. Continuing controversy surrounds the quality of planning and construction; accusations include cracks in the runway, overheated buildings, a severe shortage of toilet facilities and lengthy passenger walks to departure gates. The fact of the airport already being overcrowded and near its maximum capacity in less than a year of its opening is another concern.
Don Mueang remains in use as a base of the
Royal Thai Air Force.
Thai Airways and most of the low-cost airlines now use the airport for domestic flights, in an effort to ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi, until the next terminal is opened."In With the Old",
Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 1,
2007.
Transport network
Education
Education in Thailand is largely centered in Bangkok. The majority of the country's universities, both public and private, are located in or around the capital. Chulalongkorn University, the oldest university in Thailand, was ranked 161th in the
THES - QS World University Rankings 2006, and along with other public universities in Bangkok, has among the highest admission examination score levels and student enrollment.
Bangkok is also (though to a lesser extent) the center of
secondary education; many of the country's top schools are located in the city, and a large number of students move to Bangkok to pursue their education career.
Health care and medical centers
Bangkok has a large number of hospitals and medical centers, which include eight of the country's fifteen medical schools. Many hospitals in Bangkok act as Tertiary referral hospital, receiving referrals from distant parts of the country. Lately, especially in the private sector, there has been much growth in medical tourism, with many hospitals providing services specifically catering to foreigners.
Tourism
Bangkok is considered to be one of the world's top tourist hotspots and is currently Asia's top tourist destination - the third in the world according to
Travel and Leisure magazine. World's Best Awards 2006, Top 10 Cities Overall Travel + Leisure. Accessed June 15, 2007. Bangkok is Thailand's major tourist gateway, which means that the majority of foreign tourists arrive in Bangkok. An estimated 15 million foreigners arrive in Bangkok every year. The city boasts some of the country's most visited historical venues such as the
Grand Palace,
Wat Pho, and Wat Arun. There are numerous projects to maintain Bangkok's historic sites in the Rattanakosin area and river districts.
Palaces and Wats
The Bangkok Metropolitan Area is home to two capitals of Thailand: the area historically known as
Rattanakosin, and the modern Bangkok. There are a large number of palaces in Bangkok. Several are still in use by the
Thai royal family, while others are now open to the public and some have become government buildings or universities.
The king's official residence is the Grand Palace, which dates to
1782 and has housed Thailand's monarchs for over 150 years. Up to the early 20th century and before the
Siamese coup d'état of 1932, the complex was key in Thai government: it included royal courts, administrative branches, and was similar in layout to that of previous Thai capitals. Today, it is one of the most visited locations in Bangkok. Within the complex is the
Chakri Mahaprasat Hall and Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the Emerald Buddha and is considered the most important temple in Thailand.
Chitralada Palace is the Bangkok residence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen
Sirikit.
Of the hundreds of wats located in Bangkok, only a few are notable. When Taksin led his troops out of Ayutthaya and into Thon Buri, they took refuge in Wat Arun. This pre-Thon Buri era structure rises to 85 meters and has held the status of tallest structure in Bangkok for longer than any other modern skyscraper.
Wat Pho, which houses the Temple of the Reclining Buddha or Wat Phra Chetuphon, is located behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace. It is the largest temple in Bangkok and named for its huge reclining Buddha measuring 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf. The Buddha's feet alone are 3 metres long.
Wat Suthat is one of the oldest temples and the site of the original
Giant Swing. A huge teak arch, all that remains of the original swing, stands on the grounds in front of the temple. The swing was used in a ceremony to give thanks for a good rice harvest.
Within Wat Saket is the Golden Mount, or
Phu Khao Thong, an unusual temple that houses Buddha relics within its 58-metre-high chedi surmounted by a golden cupola. Built by King
Rama I just outside the new city walls, the late-18th century temple served as the capital's crematorium. During the next hundred years, the temple became a dumping ground for some 60,000 plague victims.
Hotels
A number of deluxe hotels can be found in Bangkok, such as the Peninsula Bangkok, which recently made the top 10 in Travel and Leisure magazine's top 100 hotels list, coming in at #4, while the Oriental Hotel claimed the ninth spot. World's Best Awards 2006, Top 100 Hotels Overall Travel + Leisure. Accessed June 18, 2007. Sukhumvit Road hosts a series of international chains such as JW Marriott, The Landmark, Intercontinental, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, and many boutique hotels such as The Davis, Unico Grande Sukhumvit. The Banyan Tree on
Sathon, one of Bangkok's tallest hotels, featured the tallest bar and restaurant in the city, Vertigo, up until the launch of Sirocco (Bangkok) on top of State Tower, 247 m up from the bustling street set of
Bang Rak.
Bangkok also offers a number of smaller boutique hotels for discerning travelers seeking uniquely designed lodgings and personalized service. There are large numbers of inexpensive hotels scattered throughout the city such as
Chinatown Bangkok, most notably in the backpackers' paradise of Khaosan Road. Unlike Western cities, motels are uncommon in Bangkok. However, a fast and growing business is bed and breakfasts adapted to suit the Asian lifestyle. A variety of these small houses can be found in Phloenchit,
Watthana and
Khlong Toei.
Shopping
Thailand has a variety of shopping experiences from street Bangkok Markets to malls. Tourists have historically always preferred
markets and bazaars to the other forms of shopping. The Chatuchak weekend market is one of the largest shopping destinations in Bangkok. Water markets are gradually disappearing, but remain strong tourist attractions as many tours are offered through the canals the markets are located on.
The huge new shopping complex known as
Siam Paragon and
CentralWorld on Rama I Road in Bangkok's city center are among the biggest and most luxurious malls in Southeast Asia. Bangkok also includes over 15 world class malls situated around Bangkok, mostly centered around Sukhumvit Road.
The adjacent Mahboonkrong (MBK) shopping center and Siam Square area are targeted towards bargain shoppers.
Culture
Media
Bangkok had been heralded for decades for the amount of free press coverage in Asia, but has seen a sharp decline of freedom since the Thaksin era and even moreso with the current military junta. There is an average of four million readers for more than 25 Bangkok based newspapers, the largest claiming to be
Thai Rath, one of the most acclaimed papers in Thailand, which sells over a million copies a day. About Thai Rath Bangkok also has two major English-language dailies, the
Bangkok Post, arguably the most famous, followed by
The Nation (Thailand). The
Asian Wall Street Journal and
International Herald Tribune are printed in Bangkok and have high distribution numbers. There are also a number of weekly publications normally published on Fridays that deal with political issues. Other publications, such as lifestyle and entertainment magazines are also plentiful.
Magazines have somewhat taken over the new generation and youth of the past few decades are turning to more Westernized publications dealing with issues such as fashion, the superstar life, and glamour. There are large amounts of paparazzi magazines and fashion publications, especially after the launch of the Bangkok Fashion City project in 2004. Since then,
United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC, or now True Visions), the Thai cable operator, has launched a new channel devoted to Thai fashion as well as a Thai edition of E! Entertainment television.
There is a large amount of television media in Bangkok. Five television stations operated and controlled by the government and the UBC cable operator are based in Bangkok. They broadcast a total of 50 channels to viewers with gold edition including many Thai television stations such as TITV, six sports channels, and Channel V, among others. There are more than 30 FM radio stations within the Bangkok metro vicinity and 50 AM channels including international brands such as Virgin Radio. Radio stations mainly broadcast in Thai, although some broadcast solely in English due to the growing expat population.
There are a variety of ways to enjoy Bangkok through the performing arts. Clubs featuring jazz and other live music line major districts of town, Victory Monument, the entire BTS Sukhumvit line, and Phra Nakorn. Chalerm Krung Theater and the National Theater have been in operation since the early 20th century whereas the newer Thailand Cultural Center hosts a variety of plays and events.
The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and Bangkok Opera are gradually earning recognition among international critics and regularly host performances of international performers. There is also a large number of "cafes", or nightclubs, which host comedy acts along Rama IX Road.
Bangkok has List of cinemas in Thailand, and the city hosts two major film festivals annually, the Bangkok International Film Festival and the
World Film Festival of Bangkok.
Arts
Bangkok is home to the
National Gallery of Thailand as well as many museums, concert halls, theatres, and art galleries. It is home to the Thailand Cultural Centre and the National Theatre.
Nightlife
Bangkok offers a widely varied nightlife. Like nearby Pattaya, the city is notorious for some concentrations of massage parlours, go-go bars and karaoke places, with
Patpong,
Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza being the main areas catering to male tourists. There are, however, many other venues available to enjoy other pursuits. There are Westernized clubs and cafes for the rich, and lower-cost bars and pubs that are very popular with the locals. The city's Phra Nakhon district is home to probably the most profound worldwide example of a "backpackers' ghetto",
Khaosan Road. Sukhumvit Road boasts some of Asia's most crowded clubs along the 5 km section between Ekamai and Withayu.
Urban lifestyle
or Mahboonkrong, one of Bangkok's oldest shopping malls, has also been a tourist hotspot and a hangout for young Thais.Although it is one of Asia's most important cities economically, the urban area pace of Bangkok is somewhat relaxed, as the city offers enormous amounts of getaway locations. Most residents tend to stress over the amount of traffic in the city. Peak hours are between 6:30 am to 9:30 am and 4:30pm to 8:00 at night on weekdays, with a general state of traffic on Fridays and Saturdays.
A good number of Bangkokians leave town on weekends to visit seaside resorts such as Hua Hin and Pattaya. Others return home to visit elderly relatives in Isan and the northern provinces. Bangkokian youth tend to stay within the city and use the weekends to relax. A good majority of them however, utilize Saturdays like their parents as a work day, visiting a large amount of extra learning centers open on Saturdays as well as private tutors. Saturday is somewhat considered a work day to a good number of Bangkokians.
Religion does not play a very influential role in the capital as it would compared to other cities. However, a good proportion of the population remains devout and daily offers the monks who walk their neighbourhoods alms. Muslims are often either assimilated entirely by the Thai or live in remote parts of the city such as the Nong Chok district where tradition Thai Muslims still live.
Current issues
With more than five and a half million registered vehicles, Bangkok has long been notorious for its massive
traffic jams, which are still a serious problem. The recent construction of the elevated second-level, third-level and fourth-level expressways, many tunnels and flyovers, BTS and MRT systems, four new SRT lines and BRT Bangkok has eased some of the congestion along specific corridors, but has done little to alleviate overall congestion. The major reason is the continued popularity of private automobiles, and extensive consumer credit for automobile purchases.
Environmental issues such as
air pollution, a large part of which is caused by the traffic and dirt left on streets from construction projects, was a major problem. However, with cooperation between the local government and the residents and the increase in new parks, gardens and open spaces around the city, today Bangkok has cleaner air quality than in the past. Industrial pollution has also contributed to poor air and water quality. Though sulfur dioxide and
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Bangkok Skytrain passing the Sathon area of Bangkok.]|government_footnotes =|government_type =
Administrative divisions of Thailand|leader_title = Governer|leader_name = Apirak Kosayothin|established_title = Settled|established_date =
Ayutthaya Kingdom|established_title2 = Founded as capital|established_date2 = 21 April 1782|blank_info = TH-10|blank1_name =|blank1_info =|website = http://www.bma.go.th|footnotes =-->
Bangkok, known in [Thai language as
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (International Phonetic Alphabet: , ) or
Krung Thep () for short, is the
capital and primate city of Thailand. It is located on the banks of the
Chao Phraya River, near the Gulf of Thailand.
Bangkok is the List of cities by population most populous city in the world. Bangkok has a recorded population of about 6 million, but the actual number is thought to be much higher, as high as 20 million according to some experts. Bangkok is a magnet for foreigners escaping turmoil in their homeland or simply for business. Bangkok has long been the gateway to Asia for foreign interests seeking new markets. The city is a major economic and financial center of Southeast Asia. Bangkok has one of the fastest rates in the world for construction of high rise buildings. The city's wealth of cultural sites makes it one of the world's most popular tourism destinations.
The Bangkok Province borders six other provinces: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani,
Chachoengsao, Samut Prakan,
Samut Sakhon and
Nakhon Pathom.
History
The town of Bangkok () began as a small trading center and port community on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River serving the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the precursor of modern Thailand which existed from 1350 to 1767. It is believed that the town's name derived from either
Bang Makok,
bang being the Central Thai name for towns or villages situated on the bank of a river, and
makok (มะกอก) being the Thai name of either
Spondias,
Spondias mombin or
Elaeocarpus (plants producing olive-like fruits), or
Bang Koh,
koh meaning "island," a reference to the area's landscape which was carved by rivers and canals.
was constructed as part of the
Grand Palace complex at the founding of the capital.After the fall of Ayutthaya to the
Burmese Kingdom in 1767, the newly declared Taksin established a new capital in the area of then-Bangkok, which became known as Thonburi. When Taksin's reign ended in 1782, King
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke reconstructed the capital on the east bank of the river and gave the city a ceremonial name (see below) which became shortened to its current official name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (which, similarly to "Los Angeles" means "city of angels"). The new city, however, also inherited the name Bangkok, which continued to be used by foreigners to refer to the entire city and became its official English name, while in Thai the name still refers only to the old district on the west bank of the river. The city has since vastly modernized and undergone numerous changes, including the introduction of transportation and utility infrastructure in the reigns of Mongkut and Chulalongkorn, and quickly developed into the economic center of Thailand.
Full name
The full ceremonial name of the city given by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, and later edited by King Mongkut, is
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit (, ). This ceremonial name is composed in combination of two ancient Indian languages,
Pāli and
Sanskrit. According to the romanisation of these languages, it can actually be written as
Krung-dēvamahānagara amararatanakosindra mahindrayudhyā mahātilakabhava navaratanarājadhānī purīrāmasya utamarājanivēsana mahāsthāna amaravimāna avatārasthitya shakrasdattiya vishnukarmaprasiddhi. It translates to "The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city 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 Vishnukam".
Local school children are taught the full name, although few can explain its meaning because many of the words are archaic, and unknown to all but a few. Most Thais who do recall the full name do so as a result of its use in a
Pop music,
Krung Thep Mahanakhon (1989) by Asani & Wasan Chotikul and will often recount it by recalling the song at the same time, much in the same way that English speakers might sing the
alphabet song while reciting the English alphabet.
The full name of the city is listed by
Guinness Book of Records as the Longest word in English#Place names. Bangkok Post, "Maori claims world's longest place name", 1 September 2006
Geography
Topography and climate
The Bangkok special administrative area covers 1,568.7 km², making it the
List of provinces of Thailand by area province in Thailand. Much of the area is considered the city of Bangkok, therefore making it one of the largest cities in the world. The
Chao Phraya River, Thailand's longest river which stretches 372 km, is Bangkok's main geographical feature. The Chao Phraya River basin, the area surrounding Bangkok, and the nearby provinces comprise a series of plains and river deltas that lead into the Bay of Bangkok about 30 km south of the city center. This gave rise to Bangkok's appellation as the "Venice of the East" due to the number of canals and passages that divide the area into separate patches of land. The city once used these canals, which were plentiful within Bangkok itself, as divisions for city districts. However, as the city grew in the second half of the 20th century, the plan was abandoned and a different system of division was adopted.
Bangkok lies about two meters above sea level. This low ground level causes problems for the protection of the city against floods during the monsoon season. Often after a downpour, water in canals and the river overflows the banks, resulting in massive floods. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has recently installed higher planks alongside some canals to keep water levels from reaching street level. There are however some downsides for Bangkok's extensive canal routes, as the city is rumored to be sinking an average of two inches a year as it lies entirely on a swamp. Some reports say that the city is sinking as much as four inches a year, and this combined with the rising sea level will leave Bangkok under 50 cm to 100 cm of water by 2025.
Bangkok has a
tropical climate monsoon climate under the
Köppen climate classification system. Bangkok is said to have the highest average temperature of any city in the world. Average temperatures in the city are about 2°C higher than the ones shown for the Don Muang Airport at 1960-1990 period. Absolute maxima is 40.8°C and absolute minima is 9.9°C. The coldest temperatures were recorded in January
1924, January
1955, January
1974 and December 1999.The coldest daytime maximun temperature was 22.3C recorded in December 1999.Hailstorms are virtually unheard in the city, since it was recorded a single hailstorm in the past 50 years.
{]
(inches)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 1
(0.4)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 2
(1.1)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 3
(1.2)| style="background: #8DC0F9;" | 7
(2.8)| style="background: #4180ED;" | 19
(7.5)| style="background: #6AA3F3;" | 15
(6.0)| style="background: #6AA3F3;" | 15
(6.2)| style="background: #4180ED;" | 18
(7.4)| style="background: #004AE2;" | 32
(12.6)| style="background: #2266E7;" | 23
(9.1)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 5
(2.3)| style="background: #99CCFF;" | 1
(0.4)| style="background: #004AE2;" | 145
(57.1)|}
source: Weatherbase
Districts
Bangkok has 50 districts or
khet, which mark the administrative subdivisions under the authority of the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. However, these district areas might not accurately represent functional divisions of Bangkok's neighborhoods. Throughout the years, Bangkok has grown from a city scattered along the river to a Bangkok Metropolitan Area that spans as many as six provinces. The city's main business districts and residential areas are continuously expanding. The influx of foreigners from Western countries as well as immigrants from neighboring
Laos,
Myanmar, Cambodia and many other
South Asian countries along with the growth of the Thai population has stemmed hundreds of housing projects around the metro area, developing communities along the outskirts. Within years, these communities are engulfed by the greater Bangkok and become another part of this urban jungle.
The most important business districts of Bangkok include Silom, Bangrak, Pinklao, Sathon, Phra Ram 2, Petchaburi, Phra Nakhon, and Pathumwan.
, the tallest building in Bangkok and ThailandAs the city expanded on the outskirts, the inner city has nowhere to grow but up. The city has a registered 1,000 skyscrapers and ranks 17th as the world's tallest city." Calculated Average Height of the Ten Tallest (CAHTT), UltrapolisProject.com. Accessed on March 26, 2007. This does not include hundreds of new buildings predicted as part of the construction boom in 2007 and the coming years. Areas such as
Silom-
Sathon and Asok have for decades been Thailand's business center. During the 1990s, Thailand experienced the world's highest growth rates and underwent an economic transformation, Bangkok went through dramatic changes. The Ratchadaphisek area was turned into a business district which continued through the Asok area up north for five km. The Sukhumvit area, stretching 15-20 km, gradually turned into a mixed commercial and residential area. Wireless Road and Chitlom are where some of Bangkok's most expensive land plots exist. Part of the British Embassy on the corner of Wireless and Rama I Roads, nine rai or approximately 14,400 m² in area, sold for USD 92 million or THB 3.24 billion, and is the most expensive single sale of land in Thai record.
Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district alongside Dusit is where most governmental agencies and ministries have their offices. Most of the well-known tourist attractions are also in this particular area due its age. It is a no-skyscraper designated zone to preserve the area where some buildings are as old as Thailand itself. This part of Bangkok is perhaps the most popular for tourists as most notable attractions such as the
Grand Palace,
Democracy Monument,
Giant Swing,
Sanam Luang and other venues are located here. Thon Buri also has its fair share of historic monuments mainly located near the river, such as
Wat Arun. The Victory Monument in Bangkok is one of the city's biggest bus destinations. Although not officially a bus depot, its location in the centre of city transits as many as 20 bus lines as well as a BTS Skytrain station.
Bangkok's north and eastern areas are primarily residential areas for middle class residents of Bangkok. Whereas the inner city often has small apartments and low rises for poor immigrants, Lad Prao and Sri Nakarin offer residential compounds and townhouses. The two areas cover as much as 100 km²-150 km² each, and have turned into what is now part of Bangkok as more suburban housing developments sprawl further out to the east and north. The west of Bangkok in Thon Buri is another growing area, approaching the degree of development experienced by the north and east. Suvarnabhumi Airport in the east is seen as a jump start for the eastern expansion of Bangkok as Don Muang was for the north.
Ratchaprasong is at the fore front of Bangkok's shopping scene. The newly renovated Central World Plaza intends to serve as a square to Bangkokians. Just up the street is
Siam Square, similar to Shinjuku in
Tokyo and
Oxford Street and
Picadilly Circus in
London. The Sukhumvit area also serves as a shopping district for foreigners. The popular
Chatuchak Weekend Market in the north of the city is where many people head for cheap, quality products.
Bangkok's poorest districts are spread throughout the city. However, the most concentrated area is just north of the Port of Bangkok at the turn of the Chao Phraya River. For an area of ten km², the Khlong Toei district houses one of the poorest areas in the country with half-built houses and midrises for immigrants and workers from the northeast Isan provinces.
Green zones and major parks
Bangkok has large sections of greenery either preserved by the Department of National Forestry or designated as green zones. The city however, continues to lack a green belt development as economic activity continues to pour into the capital, resulting in massive housing projects along the suburbs. However, in recent years, there has been a stronger voice towards preserving the environment containing population within the city.
Bangkok is known for its large green sections within the city centre, including the large forest park between Yannawa and Samut Prakan. This part of the city covers an area of over 50 km². and is intended to buffer the CBD from the large industries of the west and south of Metropolitan Bangkok. Other areas include Bung Makkasan, an urban city buffer for residences, sections of many major roads which have unbuilt swamps and green fields. Some of these areas are intentionally undeveloped for protecting against urbanization, while others are land lost during the Asian Financial Crisis.
Lumphini Park is regionally famous. Renowned as Bangkok's
Central Park, it was built in the early 1900s by Rama VI with this intent. It has since been used to hold grand pageants, ceremonies of the Thai constitution, and was a camp for Japanese soldiers during
World War II. The park's primary function is now for recreational purposes, and it is one of the most visited parks, especially on weekdays. On Sundays, the western gates are open for runners to run on to Silom Road. The park is normally closed at night due to the large amount of vandalism, robberies and murders reported.
Chatuchak Park and Rama IX Park are two of Bangkok's largest parks. The two, built in the past 50 years cater to Bangkok's suburban population are enormous and include botanic gardens, sports clubs and complexes, English/French/Japanese gardens and parks as well as large ponds and lakes. Other famous parks include Queen Sirikit Park near Lad Yao, Benjasiri Park on Sukhumvit, Saranrom Park across the Grand Palace,
Sanam Luang, Suan Romaneenat, and Dusit Park.
Economy
Bangkok is the Economy of Thailand of Thailand, dominating the country's economy and dwarfing other urban centers. Development continues to pour in to Bangkok mostly neglecting the rest of the nation. In 2005, it produced a
gross domestic product (
purchasing power parity) of about
United States dollar 220 billion, which accounts for 43 percent of the country's GDP. Its GDP (PPP) per capita is well over USD 20,000, one of the highest in Southeast Asia, although statistics do not reveal the extent of the vast differences in wealth between haves and have nots. The Stock Exchange of Thailand is located in Bangkok with over 400 listed companies and combined market capitalization of about
Thai baht 5 trillion (USD 120 billion) as of
January 5, 2006. Due to the large amount of foreign representation, Thailand has for several years been a mainstay of the Southeast Asian economy and a key center in Asian business. In the recent mini-crash known as Black Tuesday, the
Stock Exchange of Thailand lost over THB 800 billion or USD 25 billion in value, causing markets in the Asia-Pacific to fall and causing a global impact on
December 17, 2006. The loss of market valuation evoked fears of a repeat of the Asian Financial Crisis; however, a partial policy reversal saw market gaining back nearly all of the value lost.
Bangkok is home to the headquarters of all Thailand's large commercial banks and financial institutions; 18 financial institutions hold at least USD 1 billion in total assets. Their bank deposits totaled approximately THB 7 trillion (USD 177 billion) at the end of the third quarter in 2005. Many
transnational companies operate regional headquarters in Bangkok because the cost of operation in the city is less than in most cities in Asia. Thirteen Bangkok-based companies are on the
Forbes 2000 list, including the largest Thai bank, Bangkok Bank, and the country's largest energy company PTT Public Company Limited.
Tourism is a significant contributor to Thailand's economy, providing about 5 percent of GDP. Bangkok is Thailand's principal international gateway and a destination in its own right.
Income inequality of Bangkok's residents is significant, especially between relatively unskilled lower-income immigrants from rural provinces in Thailand and neighboring countries and wealthier government officials, middle class professionals, business elite, and retired foreigners. About 7 percent of Bangkok's population (excluding illegal immigrants who constitute about 5-8 percent of population) lives below the poverty line compared to the national average of 9 percent.
Demographics
The 2005 Statistics report by the BMA Data Center notes a registered population of 5,658,953. However, this figure does not take into account the many unregistered residents and daytime visitors from the surrounding metropolitan area. Recently, Bangkok has experienced a large influx of foreign immigrants, long-term residents, and expatriates. The number of expatriate executives stood at 65,000 as of November, 2005, with an average of more than 1,800 permits per month. Long-term foreign residents include 250,000
People's Republic of China, 35,000 Indians (most of whom are Sikh), of whom more than 80% have Thai citizenship, 6,000 Americans, 45,000 Europeans (the second largest number in any Asian city after Singapore), 15,000 Taiwanese, 7,000 South Koreans, 6,000 Nigerians, 8,000 people of Arabic speaking countries, 20,000 Malaysians, and 4,000 Singaporeans. There are approximately 400,000–600,000 illegal immigrants from Cambodia,
Myanmar, Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan,
Nigeria, India,
Bangladesh, China, and other countries. A vast majority of the population, 92%, is Buddhism. The rest are
Islam (6%),
Christianity (1%), Judaism (300 residents), Hinduism/
Sikhism (0.6%), and others. There are some 400 Buddhist temples, 55 mosques, 10 churches, 2 Hindu Temples, 2
synagogues and 1 Sikh gurudwara in Bangkok.
{] 1919 ]
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2005 || align="right" | 6,642,566|}|}
Administration
Bangkok is one of two special administrative areas in Thailand, the other being
Pattaya, in which citizens vote to choose their governor, unlike in Thailand's 75 other Provinces of Thailand (
changwat). In the
Bangkok gubernatorial election, 2004,
Apirak Kosayothin was elected governor.
The urban sprawl of the greater Bangkok Metropolitan Area extends beyond the borders of Bangkok province, spilling into the neighbouring provinces of
Nonthaburi Province, Samut Prakan Province,
Pathum Thani Province, Nakhon Pathom Province and Samut Sakhon Province. The province as it is today was created in 1972 when the previous Bangkok province,
changwat Phra Nakhon, merged with Thonburi province.
The seal of the city shows the god
Indra riding in the clouds on
Airavata, a mythological elephant-shaped creature. In his hand Indra holds a lightning bolt, which is his weapon to drive away drought. The seal is based on a painting done by Narisaranuvadtivongs. The tree symbol of Bangkok is
Ficus benjamina.
Bangkok is subdivided into
Districts of Bangkok (
khet, also sometimes called
amphoe in the other provinces), which are further subdivided into 154
kwaeng (แขวง, equivalent to
tambon in other provinces). Each district is managed by a district chief appointed by the governor. District councils, elected to four-year terms, serve as advisory bodies to their respective district chiefs.
There is also an elected Bangkok Metropolitan Council, which has power over municipal ordinances and the city's budget. The last elections for local councils in Bangkok were held on
July 23, 2006.
Transportation
.
River and canals network
An elaborate network of canals known as
khlongs gave Bangkok the nickname "Venice of the East" at a time when most transportation was by boat. Today, nearly all of the canals have been filled in and converted into streets. While many khlongs still exist with people living along them and markets often being operated along the banks, most are severely polluted. http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/08/17/thailand.canals.ap/index.html Accessed June 17, 2007. A notable khlong market is the floating market in
Taling Chan. Through downtown Bangkok runs the
Khlong Saen Saeb, which has a canal boat service, the most extensive of which is the Chao Phraya Express Boat with as many as thirty stops along the both banks of the Saen Saeb. However, there are limitations as the further north the route is the farther apart the stations are, impeding the ability of this water taxi to function as a true mass transit system.
Roads
Several elevated highways, newly rebuilt intersections, and many partially finished road and rail projects dot the landscape around greater Bangkok, but have done little to overcome the notorious traffic jams on Bangkok's surface roads as private vehicle usage continues to outstrip infrastructure development. Many city residents complain that they spend more than half their waking day on the streets on an open-air city bus.
Bangkok also includes many shopping and business roads like the Sukhumvit Road which includes highrise business buildings, apartments, and shopping malls, Sukhumvit Road is where many foreigners like to come shopping. The Wireless Road or Thanon Wittayu include the Stock Exchange of Thailand and many business buildings like the All Seasons Place Complex which includes the Conrad Bangkok, a shopping mall, and many other business offices. The Thanon Khaosan or Khaosan Road is also well-known by foreigners. One of the popular shopping roads for teenagers is Rama I road, which has the Siam Paragon, Siam Square, and the Siam Discovery Center.
Bangkok may be known as one of the worst cities in the world for traffic, but it has built an expressway or second-level road on almost every road in the city center, and there continue to be plans for new expressways monthly. The government has also tried many times to improve the state of the traffic in the city center, which can sometimes take an hour just to move one kilometer.
Rail systems
In 1999 an elevated two-line
Bangkok Skytrain (officially called BTS)
metro system was opened. The remains of a failed elevated railroad project (the
Hopewell Holdings Ltd project) can still be seen all the way from the main railroad station out towards
Don Mueang Airport. Due to the
Asian financial crisis of 1997 construction was halted and the concrete pillars were left unused.
The
Bangkok Metro subway system opened for use in July 2004. The MRT connects the northern train station of Bang Sue to the
Hua Lamphong central railway station near the city center, while also going through the eastern part of Bangkok. It connects to the BTS system at BTS stations Mo Chit, Asok, and Sala Daeng. Many stations have various designs and concepts with many to install retail shops and transit malls to draw more income from commuters.
Political bickering and profiteering also has stalled many promised and planned urban rail projects including Skytrain and subway extensions, initially planned to open by the end of 2002 (for Skytrain), and projects that are completed often are very much delayed. Currently, transit and development projects initiated by ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin are unpopular with the current administration, and have a high likelihood of being stalled or cancelled.
A new high speed elevated railroad called the Suvarnabhumi Express, currently under construction, will link the city with the new
Suvarnabhumi Airport. The announced opening date has been pushed to back to 2009. Along with the airport itself, the Suvarnabhumi Express was a Thaksin pet project. The Airport Express railway is to be operated by the State Railway of Thailand. It will provide a 28.5 km link between the new airport and the City Air Terminal (CAT) at Makkasan Station with connections to the BTS at Phaya Thai and MRT at Petchburi. There are plans to extend the line to Don Mueang and
Rangsit, but again, this is very dependent on the political situation.
Plans have been approved for a further extension of the BTS Silom line from Wong Wian Yai to Bangwah (4.5 km), Sumrong to Samut Prakarn (8 km), Mo Chit to Saphan Mai (11.9 km) and the National Stadium to Phran Nok (7.7 km). This includes five underground stations in the Rattanakosin area. The State Railway of Thailand has also been given approval to complete the Dark Red and Light Green lines. Alongside, MRT has also begun construction on two new lines, the Purple line from Bang Yai to Bang Sue, and the Blue line from Hua Lampong to Bang Khae and Ta Pra. Much of this is part of a government effort to reduce reliance on personal vehicles in the hope of linking the city within ten years by a ring road of rail systems.
For intercity travel by train, most passengers begin their trips at
Hua Lamphong at the southern end of the MRT. Here, trains connect Bangkok to
Malaysia in the south,
Chiang Mai to the north, and Nong Khai and beyond to the northeast.
Bus service
Virtually all cities and provinces are easily reached by bus from Bangkok. For destinations in the southwest and the west, buses leave from the Southern Bus Terminal, west of the city in the
Thonburi area. For destinations in the southeast, such as
Pattaya,
Ko Samet and
Ko Chang, buses leave from the Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai. For all destinations north and northeast, the Northern Bus Terminal is at Mo Chit. Long distance bus service has become safer as drivers are changed and most no longer take methamphetamines such as
Ya Baa to stay awake, which often caused excessive speeding and passing on dangerous undivided roads. Bangkok's less accessible southern terminal was recently moved even farther out. Though Bangkok is well connected to other cities, getting to the bus terminals often are a challenge in themselves.
Airports
as seen from a taxiing plane.Bangkok is one of Asia's most important
Airline hubs. In 2005, more than ninety airlines served
Don Mueang International Airport (IATA airport code:
DMK; ICAO airport code:
VTBD) and over 38,000,000 passengers, 160,000 flights and 700,000 tons of Cargo airline were handled at this airport per year. It was the 18th busiest airport in the world, second busiest in Asia by passenger volume, 15th busiest in the world and fourth busiest in Asia in international passenger volume. Don Mueang consistently ranked 19th in the world in cargo traffic, and seventh in the
Asia-Pacific region. Don Mueang is considered to be one of the world's oldest international airports, its opening in March
1914 making it almost twenty years older than
London Heathrow. It has three terminals and is located about 30 km north from the heart of Bangkok.
On
September 28, 2006, Suvarnabhumi Airport (
IATA airport code:
BKK; ICAO airport code:
VTBS), became Bangkok's official international airport, replacing Don Mueang. Pronounced Suwannaphum (Royal Thai General System of Transcription), or loosely
Su-wan-na-poom, the airport is located southeast of the city center in Amphoe Bang Phli district,
Samut Prakan Province.
The progress of Suvarnabhumi Airport dates back to the early 1970s when a large plot of land 8,000 acres (32 km²) was bought. A student uprising in October of the same year prevented further progress with the development when the military government of
Thanom Kittikachom was subsequently overthrown. After several military coups and the Asian financial crisis of 1997, construction finally began in 2002, after five years of clearing the site. The first flights landed in September 2006, shortly after another military coup. Its two parallel runways are connected by the five Airport terminal of the main Airport terminal building. The airport features a 132.2 meter-tall control tower, the tallest in the world and one meter taller than
Kuala Lumpur International Airport control tower. Airports of Thailand Plc. (AoT) have announced another terminal to accommodate a further fifteen million passengers. This will be part of Phase 2 of the airport, which is expected to begin construction in three to five years. The main airline of Suvarnabhumi is
Thai Airways International.
Much of the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport took place during the premiership of Thaksin Shinawatra, who took personal responsibility for its timely completion. Despite a "ceremonial" opening on the planned date, construction was over a year late. Continuing controversy surrounds the quality of planning and construction; accusations include cracks in the runway, overheated buildings, a severe shortage of toilet facilities and lengthy passenger walks to departure gates. The fact of the airport already being overcrowded and near its maximum capacity in less than a year of its opening is another concern.
Don Mueang remains in use as a base of the Royal Thai Air Force.
Thai Airways and most of the low-cost airlines now use the airport for domestic flights, in an effort to ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi, until the next terminal is opened."In With the Old",
Aviation Week & Space Technology,
January 1,
2007.
Transport network
Education
Education in Thailand is largely centered in Bangkok. The majority of the country's universities, both public and private, are located in or around the capital.
Chulalongkorn University, the oldest university in Thailand, was ranked 161th in the THES - QS World University Rankings 2006, and along with other public universities in Bangkok, has among the highest admission examination score levels and student enrollment.
Bangkok is also (though to a lesser extent) the center of
secondary education; many of the country's top schools are located in the city, and a large number of students move to Bangkok to pursue their education career.
Health care and medical centers
Bangkok has a large number of hospitals and medical centers, which include eight of the country's fifteen medical schools. Many hospitals in Bangkok act as
Tertiary referral hospital, receiving referrals from distant parts of the country. Lately, especially in the private sector, there has been much growth in medical tourism, with many hospitals providing services specifically catering to foreigners.
Tourism
Bangkok is considered to be one of the world's top tourist hotspots and is currently Asia's top tourist destination - the third in the world according to Travel and Leisure magazine. World's Best Awards 2006, Top 10 Cities Overall Travel + Leisure. Accessed June 15, 2007. Bangkok is Thailand's major tourist gateway, which means that the majority of foreign tourists arrive in Bangkok. An estimated 15 million foreigners arrive in Bangkok every year. The city boasts some of the country's most visited historical venues such as the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and
Wat Arun. There are numerous projects to maintain Bangkok's historic sites in the Rattanakosin area and river districts.
Palaces and Wats
The Bangkok Metropolitan Area is home to two capitals of Thailand: the area historically known as Rattanakosin, and the modern Bangkok. There are a large number of palaces in Bangkok. Several are still in use by the Thai royal family, while others are now open to the public and some have become government buildings or universities.
The king's official residence is the
Grand Palace, which dates to 1782 and has housed Thailand's monarchs for over 150 years. Up to the early 20th century and before the
Siamese coup d'état of 1932, the complex was key in Thai government: it included royal courts, administrative branches, and was similar in layout to that of previous Thai capitals. Today, it is one of the most visited locations in Bangkok. Within the complex is the Chakri Mahaprasat Hall and
Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the Emerald Buddha and is considered the most important temple in Thailand. Chitralada Palace is the Bangkok residence of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit.
Of the hundreds of wats located in Bangkok, only a few are notable. When
Taksin led his troops out of Ayutthaya and into Thon Buri, they took refuge in Wat Arun. This pre-Thon Buri era structure rises to 85 meters and has held the status of tallest structure in Bangkok for longer than any other modern skyscraper.
Wat Pho, which houses the Temple of the Reclining Buddha or Wat Phra Chetuphon, is located behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace. It is the largest temple in Bangkok and named for its huge reclining Buddha measuring 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf. The Buddha's feet alone are 3 metres long.
Wat Suthat is one of the oldest temples and the site of the original
Giant Swing. A huge teak arch, all that remains of the original swing, stands on the grounds in front of the temple. The swing was used in a ceremony to give thanks for a good rice harvest.
Within Wat Saket is the Golden Mount, or
Phu Khao Thong, an unusual temple that houses Buddha relics within its 58-metre-high chedi surmounted by a golden cupola. Built by King Rama I just outside the new city walls, the late-18th century temple served as the capital's crematorium. During the next hundred years, the temple became a dumping ground for some 60,000 plague victims.
Hotels
A number of deluxe hotels can be found in Bangkok, such as the Peninsula Bangkok, which recently made the top 10 in Travel and Leisure magazine's top 100 hotels list, coming in at #4, while the Oriental Hotel claimed the ninth spot. World's Best Awards 2006, Top 100 Hotels Overall Travel + Leisure. Accessed June 18, 2007.
Sukhumvit Road hosts a series of international chains such as
JW Marriott, The Landmark, Intercontinental,
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, and many boutique hotels such as The Davis, Unico Grande Sukhumvit. The Banyan Tree on
Sathon, one of Bangkok's tallest hotels, featured the tallest bar and restaurant in the city, Vertigo, up until the launch of Sirocco (Bangkok) on top of State Tower, 247 m up from the bustling street set of Bang Rak.
Bangkok also offers a number of smaller boutique hotels for discerning travelers seeking uniquely designed lodgings and personalized service. There are large numbers of inexpensive hotels scattered throughout the city such as Chinatown Bangkok, most notably in the backpackers' paradise of Khaosan Road. Unlike Western cities, motels are uncommon in Bangkok. However, a fast and growing business is bed and breakfasts adapted to suit the Asian lifestyle. A variety of these small houses can be found in Phloenchit, Watthana and
Khlong Toei.
Shopping
Thailand has a variety of shopping experiences from street
Bangkok Markets to malls. Tourists have historically always preferred markets and
bazaars to the other forms of shopping. The Chatuchak weekend market is one of the largest shopping destinations in Bangkok. Water markets are gradually disappearing, but remain strong tourist attractions as many tours are offered through the canals the markets are located on.
The huge new shopping complex known as Siam Paragon and
CentralWorld on Rama I Road in Bangkok's city center are among the biggest and most luxurious malls in Southeast Asia. Bangkok also includes over 15 world class malls situated around Bangkok, mostly centered around Sukhumvit Road.
The adjacent Mahboonkrong (MBK) shopping center and Siam Square area are targeted towards bargain shoppers.
Culture
Media
Bangkok had been heralded for decades for the amount of free press coverage in Asia, but has seen a sharp decline of freedom since the Thaksin era and even moreso with the current military junta. There is an average of four million readers for more than 25 Bangkok based newspapers, the largest claiming to be
Thai Rath, one of the most acclaimed papers in Thailand, which sells over a million copies a day. About Thai Rath Bangkok also has two major English-language dailies, the
Bangkok Post, arguably the most famous, followed by
The Nation (Thailand). The
Asian Wall Street Journal and
International Herald Tribune are printed in Bangkok and have high distribution numbers. There are also a number of weekly publications normally published on Fridays that deal with political issues. Other publications, such as lifestyle and entertainment magazines are also plentiful.
Magazines have somewhat taken over the new generation and youth of the past few decades are turning to more Westernized publications dealing with issues such as fashion, the superstar life, and glamour. There are large amounts of paparazzi magazines and fashion publications, especially after the launch of the
Bangkok Fashion City project in 2004. Since then, United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC, or now True Visions), the Thai cable operator, has launched a new channel devoted to Thai fashion as well as a Thai edition of E! Entertainment television.
There is a large amount of television media in Bangkok. Five television stations operated and controlled by the government and the UBC cable operator are based in Bangkok. They broadcast a total of 50 channels to viewers with gold edition including many Thai television stations such as TITV, six sports channels, and Channel V, among others. There are more than 30 FM radio stations within the Bangkok metro vicinity and 50 AM channels including international brands such as Virgin Radio. Radio stations mainly broadcast in Thai, although some broadcast solely in English due to the growing expat population.
There are a variety of ways to enjoy Bangkok through the performing arts. Clubs featuring jazz and other live music line major districts of town, Victory Monument, the entire BTS Sukhumvit line, and Phra Nakorn. Chalerm Krung Theater and the National Theater have been in operation since the early 20th century whereas the newer Thailand Cultural Center hosts a variety of plays and events.
The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and Bangkok Opera are gradually earning recognition among international critics and regularly host performances of international performers. There is also a large number of "cafes", or nightclubs, which host comedy acts along Rama IX Road.
Bangkok has List of cinemas in Thailand, and the city hosts two major film festivals annually, the Bangkok International Film Festival and the World Film Festival of Bangkok.
Arts
Bangkok is home to the National Gallery of Thailand as well as many museums, concert halls, theatres, and art galleries. It is home to the
Thailand Cultural Centre and the National Theatre.
Nightlife
Bangkok offers a widely varied nightlife. Like nearby
Pattaya, the city is notorious for some concentrations of massage parlours, go-go bars and karaoke places, with Patpong, Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza being the main areas catering to male tourists. There are, however, many other venues available to enjoy other pursuits. There are Westernized clubs and cafes for the rich, and lower-cost bars and pubs that are very popular with the locals. The city's Phra Nakhon district is home to probably the most profound worldwide example of a "backpackers' ghetto", Khaosan Road.
Sukhumvit Road boasts some of Asia's most crowded clubs along the 5 km section between Ekamai and Withayu.
Urban lifestyle
or Mahboonkrong, one of Bangkok's oldest shopping malls, has also been a tourist hotspot and a hangout for young Thais.Although it is one of Asia's most important cities economically, the urban area pace of Bangkok is somewhat relaxed, as the city offers enormous amounts of getaway locations. Most residents tend to stress over the amount of traffic in the city. Peak hours are between 6:30 am to 9:30 am and 4:30pm to 8:00 at night on weekdays, with a general state of traffic on Fridays and Saturdays.
A good number of Bangkokians leave town on weekends to visit seaside resorts such as Hua Hin and Pattaya. Others return home to visit elderly relatives in
Isan and the northern provinces. Bangkokian youth tend to stay within the city and use the weekends to relax. A good majority of them however, utilize Saturdays like their parents as a work day, visiting a large amount of extra learning centers open on Saturdays as well as private tutors. Saturday is somewhat considered a work day to a good number of Bangkokians.
Religion does not play a very influential role in the capital as it would compared to other cities. However, a good proportion of the population remains devout and daily offers the monks who walk their neighbourhoods alms. Muslims are often either assimilated entirely by the Thai or live in remote parts of the city such as the
Nong Chok district where tradition Thai Muslims still live.
Current issues
With more than five and a half million registered vehicles, Bangkok has long been notorious for its massive
traffic jams, which are still a serious problem. The recent construction of the elevated second-level, third-level and fourth-level expressways, many tunnels and flyovers, BTS and MRT systems, four new SRT lines and BRT Bangkok has eased some of the congestion along specific corridors, but has done little to alleviate overall congestion. The major reason is the continued popularity of private automobiles, and extensive consumer credit for automobile purchases.
Environmental issues such as air pollution, a large part of which is caused by the traffic and dirt left on streets from construction projects, was a major problem. However, with cooperation between the local government and the residents and the increase in new parks, gardens and open spaces around the city, today Bangkok has cleaner air quality than in the past. Industrial pollution has also contributed to poor air and water quality. Though sulfur dioxide and
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