Government & Economy

Bangkok, from the original settlement of Ban Makok or 'Village of Wild Olives', is known by the Thais as Krung Thep, which means 'City of Angels'. Actually, the city's full jaw-breaking name is:

"Krungthep Mahanakhon Amornratanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilok Phopnoppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amornphiman Awatanasathit Sakkathathiya Witsanukamprasit".

Roughly translated, this is:
"City of Angels, Greatest of Cities, Immortal Precious Jewel, All Powerful, Ancient, Nine-Jeweled Heavenly City, Built by Vishnukarma, Architect of Indra."

Bangkok is administered by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which has the only elected governor in the nation (provincial governors are appointed). The city is sub-divided into 37 districts or 'khets':

Bangkok, with around 10% of the national population, accounts for around 40% of gross national product. More than 65% of bank deposits and 75% of bank loans are held in the city. Over half of the country's telephone lines are in Bangkok and more than 60% of passenger car registrations. The Bangkok urban conurbation is the center for the country's administrative, finance, real estate, transportation, tourism, wholesale and retail, and service sectors. Even the bulk of Thai industry and the energy sector is located in Bangkok and its adjoining provinces. The concentration of development in Bangkok has overstretched the city's infrastructure, leading to overcrowding and congestion. Bangkok's traffic is particularly notorious.

The government has introduced measures to decentralize investment in Thailand through provincial investment promotion zones. The development of the Eastern Seaboard industrial zone centered on the provinces of Rayong and Chonburi is the most successful example of decentralized industrial development to date.

In recent years, more public spending has been channeled into infrastructure development in and around the city to keep pace with the private sector. New expressway systems and an elevated mass transit system have alleviated congestion to some extent, and an underground transport system is under construction to serve down-town areas of the city. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has implemented a program to beautify the city and hundreds of thousands of plants and trees have already been planted in an effort to spruce up the environment and promote tourism into the new millennium.

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