Bangkok Metropolitan Area
Encyclopedia
Royal Thai General System of Transcription
The Royal Thai General System of Transcription is the official system for rendering Thai language words in the Latin alphabet, published by the Royal Institute of Thailand...
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Lae Parimonthon; Literally: Bangkok and surrounding provinces), also known as Greater Bangkok, is the urban conglomeration of Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, which includes the city and the 5 adjacent provinces of Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom Province
Nakhon Pathom ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi...
, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi
Nonthaburi Province
Nonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom....
, Samut Prakan
Samut Prakan Province
Samut Prakan is one of the central provinces of Thailand. It is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Neighboring provinces are Bangkok, to the north and west, and Chachoengsao to the east....
and Samut Sakhon
Samut Sakhon Province
Samut Sakhon ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok.- Etymology :...
.
Area and population
The Bangkok Metropolitan Region covers an area of 7,761.50 km² and has an estimated population of 11,971,000 (January 1, 2008), with a population density of 1,301.42 per km². Due to the success of the service and tourism industry in Bangkok, the city has gained in popularity for work not only among provincial Thais from the rural areas but with people from many countries in the Indochina region as well as many South Asian countries. In the past 20–30 years, there has been a large influx of Indians , Pakistanis, Persians, Burmese, Cambodians, Laotians and others emigrating to Bangkok. The city is now home to nearly 3-4 million illegal foreigners. There are large numbers of workers who reside outside the metropolitan area and travel into the city for day jobs. The population swells to 15-20 million in the city during the day. However, during New Year's Break, Songkran Break and other long weekends, the capital often seems deserted of many taxi drivers, side street vendors and other unaccounted forms of informal services in which many illegal residents engage in.Urban build-up
Many consider Bangkok's built up area limited only within the Bangkok province, however, large communities and centers are currently cropping up throughout the metropolitan area. The rapid growth of suburban development is increasingly connecting these city centers. Much similar to Los Angeles, the city's many urban centers are now turning into cities in themselves and certain Bangkokians no longer enter the city core area due to businesses basing their headquarters at different city centers of the city. The built up area consists primarily of Bangkok province, parts of Samut Prakan province, parts of Nonthaburi province, parts of Pathum Thani province, and the border areas of Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom to the Bangkok province. Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Sakhon all have a city center and downtown core as they were once separate cities and due to the large growth of suburbs along the outskirts of Bangkok, have created an extremely large conglomeration of the urban area. Bangkok's freeways are one way for many middle class workers to commute to city centers. However, lower class workers normally work in areas of their residence unless they are employed by companies, they would use the city's extensive bus routes or carpool with tens of workers in the early hours of the morning.Currently, the city's growth is not stricken to a certain area. The land value of the downtown core in each city is skyrocketing especially in the Bangkok downtown giving rise to a Manhattanization
Manhattanization
Manhattanization is a neologism coined to describe the construction of many tall or densely situated buildings which transforms the appearance and character of a city. It was a pejorative word used by critics of the highrise buildings built in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s, who claimed...
in city core areas. The outskirts of each city is growing and the boundaries are no longer visible between each province and city center. Due to the speed of this urban sprawl over the past twenty years, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has sought to tackle rising problems of commute times, pollution and deteriorating air quality. Recent administrations have been relatively successful in conserving the air quality, however the city still lacks an effective mass transit network and a clean and resolving plan on implementing environmental practices. This form of urbanization is not only limited to Bangkok but traces can be found in metropolitan areas where there has been a quick surge in population. The Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area
Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area
Pattaya-Chonburi metropolitan area is a conurbanation in Chonburi Province of Thailand. It comprises Pattaya City, eight town municipalities, and 25 township municipalities in eight districts with 1,183,604 registered inhabitants as of 2010...
is a prime example due to the increase in residential high rise living and the rush for commercial office space, in the Nakhon Ratchasima Metropolitan Area
Nakhon Ratchasima Metropolitan Area
The Nakhon Ratchasima Metropolitan Area is the urban sprawl of the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. It covers in Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima district , parts of Kham Thale So district , and parts of Sung Noen district with 767.98 km² of land...
, Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area
Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area
The Greater Hatyai–Songkhla Metropolitan Area is an urban corridor in Southern Thailand's Songkhla Province between two cities--Hat Yai, the commercial center of the province and the region, and Songkhla, the provincial capital. Located 30 km apart, the twin cities are complementary to each...
and Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area
Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area
The Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area is the urban sprawl of the twin cities of city of Chiang Mai and town of Lamphun. It has an area of around 2,905.13 km² in 2 Province, 2,302.88 km² in Chiang Mai and 602.25 km² in Lamphun. There are 1,099,473 inhabitants in the metropolitan area. The population...
.
Provinces
| Province | Area km² |
Population (2008) |
Pop.Density Inh/km² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom... |
1,568.737 | 8,249,117 | 5,258.6 |
| Nonthaburi Nonthaburi Province Nonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom.... |
622.30 | 1,333,623 | 2,143.1 |
| Samut Prakan Samut Prakan Province Samut Prakan is one of the central provinces of Thailand. It is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Neighboring provinces are Bangkok, to the north and west, and Chachoengsao to the east.... |
1,004.50 | 1,828,044 | 1,820.6 |
| Pathum Thani | 1,525.90 | 1,326,617 | 869.4 |
| Samut Sakhon Samut Sakhon Province Samut Sakhon ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok.- Etymology :... |
872.30 | 885,559 | 1015.2 |
| Nakhon Pathom Nakhon Pathom Province Nakhon Pathom ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi... |
2,168.30 | 942,560 | 434.7 |
| Total | 7,761.50 | 14,565,520 | 1,876.64 |