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BANGKOK - THAILAND
Bangkok, (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.
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 temporary capital was established at
Thonburi, across the river from Bangkok. In 1782, King Rama I built a palace
on the river and made Bangkok his capital, renaming it Krung Thep. In the
west the old name of the city continued to be used. The Grand Palace complex
contains the Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the image of the Emerald Buddha.
The village of Bangkok ceased to exist, but its name continues to be used by
foreigners.
Administration
Administratively, Bangkok is one of the 76 provinces (changwat) of Thailand.
The urban sprawl of Greater Bangkok extends beyond the borders of Bangkok
province, spilling into the neighbouring provinces of Nonthaburi, Samut
Prakan and Pathum Thani. The province as it is today was created in 1972,
when the previous Bangkok province - changwat Phra Nakhon - was merged with
the Thonburi province.
The seal shows the god Indra riding in the clouds on Erawan, a mythological
elephant-shaped creature (sometimes portrayed with three heads). In his hand
Indra holds a lightning bolt, which is his weapon to drive away drought. The
seal is based upon a painting done by Somdej Chaofa Kromphraya Narisra-nuwattiwong.
The tree symbol of Bangkok is Ficus benjamina.
Bangkok is subdivided into 50 districts (khet, also sometimes called amphoe
as in the other provinces)
Economy
Bangkok is the economic center of Thailand. The Chao Phraya River allows
Bangkok to function as a port. The Stock Exchange of Thailand is located in
Bangkok. Tourism is a major source of revenue. The city contains many
buddhist temples (known in Thai as Wats), among the best known being Wat Pho
and Wat Arun. Khaosan Road, near the Grand Palace complex, is a popular
destination for young backpackers. Bangkok's educational and cultural
facilities include several universities, a fine arts academy, a national
theater and a national museum.
Processed food, timber, and textiles are leading exports. Industrial plants
include rice mills, cement factories, sawmills, oil refineries, and
shipyards. The city is a famous jewelry center, buying and selling silver
and bronzeware. Although technically illegal, prostitution is a major
problem in Bangkok, making it a popular destination for sex tourism. Popular
red light districts in Bangkok include Patpong, Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy.
Transportation
An elaborate network of canals (khlong) gave the city the nickname "Venice
of the East", at a time when all transportation was done by boat. Today
almost all are filled in and converted into traffic-filled streets. Several
elevated highways, and a partially-finished ring road around Greater
Bangkok, have been built to overcome the jams.
In 1999 an elevated two-line 'Skytrain' (officially called BTS) metro system
was opened. The first line of the underground Bangkok Metro opened to the
public in July 2004. The remains of a failed elevated railroad project (the
Hopewell project) can still be seen all the way from the main railroad
station out towards the Don Muang airport - due to the Asian financial
crisis the construction was halted and the concrete pillars were left unused.
In July 2004, a new MRTA subway system was launched connecting the northern
train station of Bang Sue to the Hua Lamphong railway station near the city
center, while going through the eastern part of the city. It connects to the
BTS system at BTS Stations Mo Chit, Asok, and Saladaeng.
For travel by train, most passengers begin their trips at Hua Lamphong, at
the southern end of the Metro. Here, trains connect Bangkok to Malaysia to
the south, Chiang Mai and beyond to the north, and Khon Kaen and beyond to
the northeast.
Virtually all cities and provinces are easily reachable by bus from Bangkok.
For destinations in the southwest and the west, buses leave from the
Southern Bus Terminal, west of the city. For destinations in the southeast,
such as Pattaya and Ko Samet, buses leave from the Eastern Bus Terminal, at
Ekamai, the third-eastern-most stop on the Skytrain. And for all
destinations north and northeast, the Northern Bus Terminal at Mo Chit,
which is reachable by both Skytrain and Metro, is the place to start.
The Don Muang Airport, the busiest in South-East Asia, is located north of
the city, now already enclosed by urban areas. Construction for the new
Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province to
the south-east of the city started in 2002, it is scheduled to be opened in
2005. By then all international traffic is expected to go to the new airport
and Don Muang will become domestic only. There is also a train station at
Don Muang for destinations to the north and northeast.
Current issues
Air pollution is a major problem in Bangkok, blamed on the city's massive
traffic jams. The recent construction of elevated second-level expressways
has eased the problem a little.
The sale of illegally copied copyright material (mostly software and DVD
movies) is widespread in Bangkok. One of the most popular locations in
Bangkok for purchasing pirated software is Pantip Plaza. Although many
attempts have been made at cracking down on illegal copying by raiding
Pantip and other venues over the years, these have been ineffective and
illegal copying of copyrighted material is still a booming business. The
BSA, an American software copying prevention group believes that it could
extract 80 million USD from Thailand if all of illegally copied software
there was stopped. Due to heavy, long term pressure from groups such as the
BSA and the Recording Industry of America Association, which threatened
difficulties for trade agreements for Thailand, the Thai government has now
started to crack down heavily on the unauthorised copying by its citizens
including the introduction of "one of the most aggressive legislative
schemes for the protection of intellectual property rights in any developing
nation". However, these measures have not yet halted the appetite of Thai
citizens for unauthorised copies, the sale of unauthorised discs continues
and the raids have been called "half hearted". The BSA states, however, that
reduction of illegal copying is a long term goal and that the aim now is
more to re-educate the Thais towards the BSA's own views.
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