Bangkok
Heheh, you said Bang. |
Bangkok, Oriental setting —"One Night in Bangkok", from Chess
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Bangkok, Venice of the East / of Asia, City of Angels (no, not that one) is the capital, and the largest, city of Thailand. It also serves as one of the economic centers of Southeast Asia.
The name
Yes, it's been mentioned in many pages, but anyway, Bangkok has the longest city name on Earth. It's:
Which translates to:
Of course, this is only the full, ceremonial name. Foreigners call it, of course, Bangkok, while the Thais abbreviated it to Krung Thep (thus, City of Angels), or more formally, Krung Thep Mahanakhon.
Other tidbits
Since Thailand's economy is mostly centered in Bangkok (16% of country's GDP, 5% of tourism GDP), it can look quite different from other cities, especially with the wealth difference.
Bangkok's also quite infamous for its sex industry, which the song "One Night in Bangkok" tells about, rightly or wrongly.
Oh, and as of May 2010, part of the city served as a battlefield between the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, better known as the "Red Shirts" (no, not those) and the government.