The city we call Bangkok, the capital and largest city of Thailand, is known as Krung Thep by the people who live there.
Its official name is “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”. But this, too, is a shortening of an older name, which consists of those two words and 10 others.
Some believe that “Bangkok” derived from either Bang Kok, kok being the Thai name for one or more olive-bearing fruits (olive in Thai is makok); or Bang Koh, koh meaning “island,” a reference to the city’s surrounding landscape.
The full, 12-word name of Bangkok consists of 167 letters! No other place on earth has ever had a longer name.
The full name of Bangkok that was given by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke is “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit”.
