Bangkok Metropolis

Bangkok Metropolis lies on both banks of the Chao Phya, the main river of Thailand, 20 kms upstream from the Gulf of Thailand. King Rama I, the founder of the present Chakri Dynasty built the present capital in Bangkok in 1782. The Royal Founder took great care to build palaces and temples of the new capital in the same style of Ayuthaya, the previous capital, which in turn had its origin from Sukhothai, the first Thai capital built in the 13th century. Both former capitals, now national historical parks, have been placed in the UN's list of world cultural heritages.
The name Bangkok appeared on international navigation charts as far back as the 15th century as an outpost port of Ayuthaya, the former capital where western merchant ships made frequent calls. However, Bangkok has got an official name, so auspicious and long that it goes into the Guinness Book as the longest in the world for a city. In short, the official name "Krung Thep" meaning "The City of Angels", the same name as Los Angeles, which incidentally has a sizable Thai community numbering over 300,000 ethnic Thais, the largest outside Thailand.