A509 road

Thailand-Bangkok-Asia Part 3

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• published: 09 Sep 2012
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Welcome to my travelchannel.On my channel you can find almost 1000 films of more than 70 countries. See the playlist on my youtube channel.Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/user/nurettinodunya/playlists Thailand-Bangkok: Bangkok is the capital city of and largest urban area in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, meaning "city of angels". Bangkok is by far the most densely populated city in Thailand with about 12 million people. Bangkok was a small trading post near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century. It eventually grew in size and became the site of two capital cities: Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Due to its strategic location in Southeast Asia, Siam (later Thailand) acted as a buffer-state between French and British colonial powers. Bangkok gained a reputation as an independent, dynamic, and influential city. Today, Bangkok is not only the political, social, and economic centre of Thailand, but plays a leading role in trade, commerce, culture, the arts, education, healthcare and transport for the Indochina region. The Asian investment boom in the 1980s and 1990s led many multinational corporations to locate their regional headquarters in Bangkok. The city is a now a major regional force in finance and business. Its growing influence on global politics, culture, fashion and entertainment underlines its status as an Alpha global city.In 2009, it was the second most expensive city in South-East Asia behind Singapore.The city's many cultural landmarks and attractions in addition to its notorious red light district has made it synonymous with exoticism. The historic Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Temple of the Reclining Buddha, in addition to Khaosan Road and Soi Cowboy, are major tourist destinations in the capital. In combination with being the major gateway to Laos, Burma, and Cambodia, it is second worldwide only to London in terms of tourist visits per year. The rapid growth of the 1980's led to prolonged construction boom which has rapidly transformed Bangkok's skyline. As a result of poor urban planning and zoning restrictions, most historic buildings lay side by side with large skyscrapers influenced by European and North American designs. Moreover, this rapid growth was seen clearly from the decay of road networks which lacked arterial and feeder systems. The past decade has seen the city turn to mass transit to solve this major societal problem. There are currently 87.5 km of rail services, with an additional 148.8 either approved or under construction. This would only be a part of a 509 km network aimed for completion before 2029. Suvarnabhumi Airport deals with most of Bangkok's international flights, while Don Mueang International Airport, the previous main international airport, deals with a smaller portion of Bangkok's air transit. In 2005, Bangkok had an official population of 5,658,953, with 4,126,183 more residents living in the greater Bangkok area.Bangkok borders five other provinces: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom; all five provinces are joined in the conurbation of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.