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Bangkok is the western name
for today's capital of Thailand. It already appeared on
international navigation charts dated as far back as the
15th century as an outpost port of Ayuthaya, the formal
capital of Siam, where western merchant ships made
frequent calls. The name Bangkok is believed to derive
from Bang Makok.
However, Bangkok is not the official
name and is only used in Thailand when communicating to
foreigners. The short - and
most commonly used - name is Krung Thep, which can be
translated as the 'City of Angels'. |
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The full ceremonial name in Thai for
Bangkok. |
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The full ceremonial name
The official name of Bangkok is so
long, that it even appeared in the Guinness Book of
Records as the longest name for a city.
It was given by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, and
later edited by King Mongkut. This
ceremonial name is composed in combination of two
ancient Indian languages, Pāli and Sanskrit. |
