The town of Bangkok began as a small trading center and port community on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River before the establishment of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the precursor of modern Thailand which existed from 1350 to 1767. The etymology of the town’s name is unclear. Bang is the Central Thai name for [...]

Bangkok has a population of approximately 6,355,144 residents while the greater Bangkok area has a population of 11,971,000 (Januuary 2008). This has in turn shifted the country from being a rather homogeneous Thai population to an increasingly vibrant mix of Western, Indian and Chinese people, giving the city a cosmopolitan status. The capital is part [...]