Bangkok
Thailand's capital, the City of Angels
Bangkok is a sensory overload of glittering temples, snarled traffic, floating markets, and street food at every turn, a tropical capital of more than eleven million that runs on heat, spice, and commerce. Its full ceremonial name is the longest of any city in the world, but Thais call it Krung Thep, the City of Angels. Skytrains glide above clogged boulevards while longtail boats race along the canals of the old city, a metropolis of jarring, exhilarating contrasts.
The city sprawls across the flat, soggy floodplain of the Chao Phraya River near the head of the Gulf of Thailand, barely a metre or two above sea level. Once laced with so many canals that Europeans called it the Venice of the East, much of Bangkok is built on reclaimed marsh and subsides steadily, leaving it acutely exposed to monsoon flooding and rising seas. The river still winds through the heart of the city past royal palaces and riverside temples.
Bangkok became the Thai capital in 1782, when King Rama I moved his court across the river from Thonburi and founded the Rattanakosin royal island, raising the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha temple at its center. The Chakri dynasty he established still reigns. Over two centuries the city grew into the political, economic, and cultural hub of Thailand and one of the world's most visited destinations, a magnet for tourists drawn to its temples, nightlife, and renowned cuisine.