Bangkok is the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand, the city is noisy and bustling, but at the same time majestic. Night entertainment, ancient temples and the opportunity to taste the cuisine of all the countries of the world make Bangkok a magnet for tourists of all stripes, and everyone here can have a great time. Nowadays, however, the Thai capital is a fairly typical Asian metropolis, and the combination of a purely Asian culture and Western style of modern Thai architecture subtly resembles Hong Kong.
Bangkok – one of the most popular tourist cities in the world, competing in this even with Paris.
There are several versions of the origin of the modern name of the city “Bangkok”. According to one of them, it means the territory where olives or wild plums grow.
The inhabitants of Thailand call their capital Krung Thep, but among the foreigners this name did not stick, so they continue to refer to the administrative center of Thailand as Bangkok.
The seal of Bangkok depicts the god Indra, who sits on the mythical creation of Ayravat, who holds a lightning in his hand and drives it to a drought.
The title of a symbol of Bangkok among the trees belongs to Ficus Benjamin.
Bangkok consists of 50 districts.
One of the most popular attractions of Bangkok is the Great Royal Palace, which the monarchs have inhabited since the 18th century. Now it is open to visitors, although it is still the site of some official ceremonies. The rectangular territory of the palace is surrounded by a wall 1900 meters long.
In Bangkok, Wat Pho is home to the world’s largest Buddha statue, awaiting the arrival of nirvana – the statue is 46 meters long and 15 meters high.
In the temple complex of Wat Ratchanadda is located the only Buddhist building in the Thai capital, created from iron.
In one of the former royal residences of Bangkok, the Museum of the Bank of Thailand is located, where you can see banknotes and coins of historical and cultural value. The permanent exposition of this unusual museum occupies 7 rooms.
Bangkok is often called “Eastern Venice” thanks to a ramified network of canals, dug in the city at the behest of one of the kings in the XIX century. Wooden motor boats, cruising along these channels, and now remain an excellent alternative to traditional urban transport.
For the needs of residents and visitors of Bangkok, there are about 400 bus routes in the city.
The first subway tunnel appeared in Bangkok only in 2004. Five years earlier, German engineers had built two lines of the Skytrain subway.
Taxi in Bangkok is one of the cheapest in the world. On average, a trip around the capital without the use of toll roads will cost about 170 rubles (100 baht).
Under the weight of skyscrapers and the multitude of people inhabiting Bangkok, the soil under the city sags by 1.5-5.3 centimeters per year. This circumstance, coupled with an increase in the world ocean level, may lead to the fact that in 20-30 years the capital of Thailand will disappear under water.
