Bangkok

The Bangkok Skytrain at sunset on Thanon Narathiwat Ratcha Nakharin with Empire Tower at the back.

The Wat Phra Kaew temple

Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep (), is the capital and largest city of Thailand, with an official 2000 census population of 6,355,144. Bangkok is located at , on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River, near the Gulf of Thailand.

Bangkok is one of the fastest-growing, most economically dynamic cities in Southeast Asia. It is emerging as a regional centre to rival Singapore and Hong Kong. The World Meteorological Organization has dubbed Bangkok the world's hottest large city. Moreover, it is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. Bangkok is also known for relatively low retail prices.

History and full name

Bangkok began as a small trading center and port community, called Bang Makok ("place of olive plums"), serving Ayutthaya, which was the capital of the nation (then known as Siam) until it fell to Burma in 1767. A new capital was then established at Thonburi (now part of Bangkok) on the west side of the river, before King Rama I built his palace on the east bank in 1782 and renamed his city Krung Thep, meaning the "City of Angels". The name Bangkok () now refers only to an old district on the Thonburi side of the river, but continues to be used to refer to the entire city by most foreigners.

Krung Thep, or Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (IPA: , ) is the abbreviation of the city's full ceremonial name Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udom Ratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanu Kamprasit (กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหา�"ิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุ�"มราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษ�"ุกรรมประสิทธิ์), (), which means "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. Most Thais who do recall the full name do so as a result of its use in a popular song (กรุงเทพมหานคร/Krung Thep Mahanakhon by อัสนี-วสันต์ โชติกุล/Asanee-Wasan Chotikul 1989) 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 world's longest place name.

Economy

Bangkok is the economic center of Thailand. In 2005, it produced a GDP(PPP) of about USD 220 billion, which accounts for about 43% of the country's GDP. Its GDP(PPP) per capita is roughly USD 20,000. The Stock Exchange of Thailand is located in Bangkok with over 400 listed companies and combined market capitalization of about 5 trillion Baht (USD 120 billion) as of 5 January 2006.

Bangkok is home to all the headquarters of Thailand's large commercial banks and financial institutions. Its bank deposits totalled approximately 7 trillion Baht (USD 177 billion) at the end of the third quarter in 2005. There are 18 financial institutions with at least USD 1 billion in total assets.

The income disparity of Bangkok's residents is significant, especially among lower-income immigrant workers (from other provinces and neighboring countries) and higher-income native residents. The poverty rate stands at 7% of the population (excluding illegal immigrants who constitute about 5-8% of population) compared to the national average of 13%.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 6,355,144 registered residents in the city. However, this figure does not take account of the many unregistered residents and daytime visitors from the surrounding metropolitan area. More than 50% of Bangkokians have some Chinese ancestry. 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 Nov, 2005 and additional number is increase in an average of more than 1,800 permits per month. Long-term foreign residents include 250,000 Chinese (citizens of China), 30,000 Japanese (the largest community in any Asian city outside of Japan), 100,000 Indians (35,000 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 (mostly Han Chinese), 7,000 South Koreans, 6,000 Nigerians, 8,000 people of Arabic speaking countries, 25,000 Malaysians, and 4,000 Singaporeans. There are approximately 400,000 - 600,000 illegal immigrants from Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, China, and other countries. 92% of the population are Buddhist. The rest are Muslim (6%), Christian (1%), Jewish (300 residents), Hindu/Sikh (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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Year	Population
1880	255,000
1910	365,000
1. April 1919	437,294
15. July 1929	713,384
23. May 1937	890,453
25. April 1947	1,178,881