Bangkok, capital of Thailand
Monday, 21 January 2019 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Asia / Asien Category/Kategorie: General
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Yaowarat Road, Bangkok’s Chinatown at night © flickr.com – Ninara/cc-by-2.0
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Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of
Thailand . The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres (605.7 sq mi) in the
Chao Phraya River delta in
central Thailand , and has a population of over eight million, or 12.6 percent of the country’s population. Over fourteen million people (22.2 percent) lived within the surrounding
Bangkok Metropolitan Region , making Bangkok the nation’s
primate city , significantly dwarfing Thailand’s other urban centres in terms of importance.
Bangkok traces its roots to a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century, which eventually grew and became the site of two capital cities: Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Bangkok was at the heart of the modernization of Siam, later renamed Thailand, during the late 19th century, as the country faced pressures from the West. The city was at the centre of Thailand’s political struggles throughout the 20th century, as the country abolished absolute monarchy, adopted constitutional rule, and underwent numerous coups and several uprisings. The city grew rapidly during the 1960s through the 1980s and now exerts a significant impact on Thailand’s politics, economy, education, media and modern society.
Grand Palace from across the Chao Phraya River © Mda from the Thai Wikipedia/cc-by-sa-3.0
The
Asian investment boom in the 1980s and 1990s led many multinational corporations to locate their regional headquarters in Bangkok. The city is now a regional force in finance and business. It is an international hub for transport and health care, and has emerged as a centre for the arts, fashion, and entertainment. The city is known for its vibrant street life and cultural landmarks, as well as its notorious
red-light districts . The historic
Grand Palace and Buddhist temples including
Wat Arun and
Wat Pho stand in contrast with other tourist attractions such as the nightlife scenes of
Khaosan Road and
Patpong .
Bangkok’s rapid growth coupled with little urban planning has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure. An inadequate road network, despite an extensive
expressway network , together with substantial private car usage, have led to chronic and crippling traffic congestion, which caused severe air pollution in the 1990s. The city has since turned to public transport in an attempt to solve the problem. Five rapid transit lines are now in operation, with more systems under construction or planned by the national government and the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration .
Read more on
City of Bangkok ,
TourismThailand.org – Bangkok ,
Bangkok Travel Guide ,
LonelyPlanet.com – Bangkok ,
Wikivoyage Bangkok and
Wikipedia Bangkok (
Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State -
Weather report by weather.com -
Global Passport Power Rank -
Travel Risk Map -
Democracy Index -
GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank -
Global Competitiveness Report -
Corruption Perceptions Index -
Press Freedom Index -
World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index -
UN Human Development Index -
Global Peace Index -
Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index ). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at
comment@wingsch.net . Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.
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