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Isabel
& Ronald - Thailand Trip 2007 - ´Bangkok´ (01)
Bangkok, known
in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, or Krung Thep for short, is
the capital of and largest city in Thailand, with an official year
2000 census population of 6,355,144, but actually numbering at least
twice that. Bangkok is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya
River, near the Gulf of Thailand.
Bangkok is the
wealthiest and most populous city in Thailand, as well as the 22nd
most populous city in the world. Although Bangkok now has roughly 7
million registered inhabitants, the actual population is much higher,
and including commuters from the surrounding areas, may reach an
estimated 15 million people during the day time, making the city one
of the most densely populated in the world. Recently, the value of
Bangkok's economic output has matched that of Singapore, making
Bangkok a major economic and financial center in Southeast Asia.
Bangkok has one of the fastest rates in the world for construction of
high rise buildings. The
World Meteorological Organization has dubbed Bangkok the world's
hottest large city. The city's wealth of cultural sites makes it one
of the world's most popular tourist destinations.
Topography
and Climate
Bangkok
province covers 1,568.7 km², making it the 68th largest province in
Thailand. Much of the area is considered the city of Bangkok therefore
making it one of the largest cities in the world. The Chao Phraya
River which stretches 372 km is its main geographical feature along
with being Thailands longest river. The Chao Phraya River basin, the
area surrounding Bangkok and nearby provinces are the series of plains
and river deltas that lead into the Bay of Bangkok about 30km south of
Bangkok City Center. This has given rise to Bangkok's name as 'Venice
of the East' due to the number of canals and passages that divide the
area into separate patches of land. The city once used these canals
which were so plentiful within Bangkok itself as divisions for city
districts, however as the city grew in the second half of the 20th
century to enormous extents, the plan was abandoned and a different
division was uptaken.
Bangkok lies
about 2m above sea level. This low ground level causes problems for
the protection of the city against floods during monsoon season. Often
after a downpour, water in canals and the river overflow the banks,
resulting in massive floods. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
(BMA) has recently installed higher planks alongside some canals to
keep water levels from reaching street level. The Khlong Saen Saeb is
perhaps one of the city's most notorious canals, the largest and most
useful especially for commuting into the city. There are however some
downsides for Bangkok's extensive canal routes, the city is rumored to
be sinking an average of 2 inches a year as it lies entirely on a
swamp.
Bangkok has a
tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification
system. Bangkok is said to have the highest average temperature of any
city in the world...
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
Avg
high °C
(°F) |
32.0
(89.6) |
32.7
(90.9) |
33.7
(92.7) |
34.9
(94.8) |
34.0
(93.2) |
33.1
(91.6) |
32.7
(90.9) |
32.5
(90.5) |
32.3
(90.1) |
32.0
(89.6) |
31.6
(88.9) |
31.3
(88.3) |
32.7
(90.9) |
Avg
low temperature °C
(°F) |
21.0
(69.8) |
23.3
(73.9) |
24.9
(76.8) |
26.1
(79.0) |
25.6
(78.1) |
25.4
(77.7) |
25.0
(77.0) |
24.9
(76.8) |
24.6
(76.3) |
24.3
(75.7) |
23.1
(73.6) |
20.8
(69.4) |
24.1
(75.4) |
Precipitation
centimeters
(inches) |
1
(0.4) |
2
(1.1) |
3
(1.2) |
7
(2.8) |
19
(7.5) |
15
(6.0) |
15
(6.2) |
18
(7.4) |
32
(12.6) |
23
(9.1) |
5
(2.3) |
1
(0.4) |
145
(57.1) |
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