BANGKOK - A must-visit tourist destination

Bangkok is one of Asia's most cosmopolitan cities, known as "Krung Thep" which means the City of Angels. Krung Thep (Bangkok) is the capital of Thailand and the largest city in Thailand and one of the leading cities of Southeast Asia. It is in the central part of the country, on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River near the Gulf of Thailand (also known as the Gulf of Siam).

Bangkok is Thailand's administrative, economic, and cultural center, and a major commercial and transportation center of Southeast Asia. The Bangkok metropolitan area extends for more than 32 kilometers (20 miles) in all directions. It includes Bangkok proper, the industrial city of Thon Buri on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river, and Klongtoi Wharf downstream, which, along with Bangkok’s artificial harbor, handles the bulk of Thailand’s foreign trade. The city is the hub of a continental Southeast Asian railroad network and has modern highways; congestion on its roads led to the opening of an elevated light-rail system in 1999 and subway system in 2004. Its nearby international airport is one of the busiest in Asia. Despite these transportation facilities, Bangkok depends mainly on its numerous canals to carry the commercial produce of the surrounding area.

Processed food, wood, and textiles are leading exports. Industrial plants include rice mills, cement factories, sawmills, oil refineries, and shipyards. Textiles, motor vehicles, electrical goods, and food products are also manufactured. The city is a famous jewelry trading center, dealing in silver and bronze ware and precious stones. Ethnic Chinese dominate both commerce and industry in Bangkok, whose population includes sizable Indian, Pakistani, European, and American communities.

Bangkok covers an area of 7,758 square kilometers (2,995 square miles).Major tourist attractions include glittering Buddhist temples, palaces, timeless 'Venice of the East' canal and river scenes, classical dance extravaganzas, an almost legendary nightlife, and numerous air-conditioned shopping centers.

The city began as a small trading center and port community serving Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam until its destruction by Burmese invaders in 1767. Thon Buri became the capital in 1769, but in 1782, King Rama I, founder of the present Chakkri dynasty, built his royal palace on the east bank of the river and made Bangkok his capital. The vast, walled Grand Palace complex encompasses the Wat Phra Kaew, the royal chapel housing the sacred image of the Emerald Buddha. There are more than 400 other Buddhist temples in Bangkok. During World War II the city was occupied by the Japanese and was a target of Allied bombing raids.

Bangkok is home of the regional headquarters of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), as well as many other international businesses and organizations. Bangkok’s educational and cultural facilities include five universities, a fine arts academy, the national theater, and the national museum, which has a large collection of Thai antiquities. Of particular interest is the daily floating market, in which merchandise is sold aboard boats on canals.