The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Bangkok (original) (raw)
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The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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In 1941, Bangkok (100.529E 13.734N), capital of Thailand, was the only significant metropolis in this otherwise backwards and rural country. It is located on the shallow Chao Phraya River and is surrounded by marshy terrain. The city has many canals connected to the river.
Bangkok has been the national capital of Thailand since 1782 and was built up as a riceand teak export center by King Chulalongkon. By 1937 the population was about 530,000 persons.
Though well upstream of the Gulf of Bangkok, the city had significant port facilities at Klong Toi, south of the city center. The port handled some 650,000 tons of cargo in 1940, mostly rice but also a significant amount of rubber, and the port had berths for at least two dozen ships. There was also a modern military airfieldat Don Muang.
Bangkok was occupied by the Japanese on 9 December 1941, who pressured the Thais into a nominal alliance. The city remained under Axiscontrol for the duration of the war, though the city was the target of the first combat mission by B-29s on 5 June 1944. The city later came under air attack by B-24 Liberators and even by P-51 Mustangs, which strafed aircraft at the airfield.
Rail connections
Climate Information:
Elevation: 7'
Temperatures: Jan 89/68, Apr 95/77, Jul 90/76, Oct 88/75, record 106/52
Rainfall: Jan 1/0.3, Apr 3/2.3, Jul 13/6.3, Oct 14/8.1 == 55.0" per
References
Craven and Cate (1950; accessed 2012-6-29)
Ouyyanont (1998; accessed 2014-6-8)
Saunders (1954; accessed 2012-6-29)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2011-2012, 2014 by Kent G. Budge. Index
