You might think that Bangkok is also called “Bangkok” in Thai but no Thais refer to their capital city as “Kruntep” They never call the city Bangkok –
In remote and rural parts of the country some Thais provinces may never have even heard of the western name of the capital. In Thai it is called Krung Thep (กรุงเทพ), which aproximately translates to The ‘City of Angels’. The naame Bangkok means ‘village of wild plums’ and refers to the original designated location for the capital of Thailand which was located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river (Now Thonburi).
In 1782, King Rama I made the decision to move to a more secured locatione and moved across the river to found his new capital, Krung Thep.
For some reason, foreigners never caught up with new name and the old name of Bangkok stayed. In more recent years, Krung Thep/Bangkok has dramatically expanded, at such a fast rate that it now speards over a very large area of land on both the sides of the Chao Phraya Rver and has absorbed the once independent Thonburi.
The Thai name for the city of Bangkok is actually an abbreviated version of the ceremonial full name, as shown below:
กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์
It’s pronounced something like:
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.
This is certified as the longest place name in the world in the Guinness book of records.
