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Bangkok, (in Thai กรุงเทพฯ, กรุงเทพมหานคร, or Krung Thep, Krung Thep Mahanakhon), population 8,538,610 ( 1990), is the capital and largest city of Thailand. The city is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River, near the Gulf of Thailand. Bangkok is one of the fastest-growing and most economically dynamic and socially progressive cities in South-East Asia. It is emerging as a regional centre to rival Singapore and Hong Kong, but suffers from major infrastructure and social problems as a result of its rapid growth. It is also one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.
1 History
Bangkok began as a small trading center and port community, called Bang Makok ("place of olive plums"), serving Ayutthaya, which was the capital of Siam until it fell to Burma in 1767. A capital was established at Thonburi (now part of Bangkok) on the west side of the river, before in 1782 King Rama I built a palace on the east bank and made Bangkok his capital, renaming it Krung Thep, meaning "city of angels". In the west the old name of the city continued to be used. The Grand Palace complex contains the Wat Phra KaewThe Wat Phra Kaew ( English: Temple of the Emerald Buddha is the most important buddhist temple of Thailand. It is located in the historic center of Bangkok, within the grounds of the Grand Palace. The construction of the temple started when King Buddha Y, which houses the image of the Emerald BuddhaThe Emerald Buddha is the palladium of the Kingdom of Thailand, a figurine of the sitting Buddha, made of gold and green jade (rather than emerald) and about 45 cm tall. It is kept in the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha ( Wat Phra Kaew) on the grounds of the. The village of Bangkok ceased to exist, but its name continues to be used by foreigners.
The full ceremonial name of Krung Thep is
- กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์
- Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit, which means
- "The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (unlike Ayutthaya) of God IndraIndra , god of weather and war, and Lord of Heaven or Swargaloka, was the supreme deva of Hinduism during the early Vedic period. The Rig-Veda states, "He under whose command are horses and cows and villages and all chariots, who gave birth to the sun and, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn."
Local schoolchildren 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 it was used in a popular songDepending on context, pop music is either an abbreviation of popular music or, more recently, a term for a sub- genre of it. The subgenre of pop is perhaps the most widely crowd-pleasing form of all popular music. The defining musical characteristics of t (กรุงเทพมหานคร/Krung Thep Mahanakhon by อัสนี-วสันต์ โชติกุล/ Asanee-Wasan Chotikul ) and will often recount it by recalling the song at the same time.
