People
Like capital cities throughout the world, Bangkok is
populated by people from all over the country, drawn to the city in search
of wealth and a better life. The city also claims a large population of
immigrant communities, either recently arrived or culturally tied to
ancestral homelands. The largest ethnic group in Bangkok is the Chinese,
center most prominently in the Chinatown district of Yaowarat. Because most
Bankokians claim some Chinese heritage, the Chinese are not seen as a
separate entity in Thailand. Thailand's population can be loosely divided
into the following geographic categories: Central, Northern, North Eastern
and Southern. The Central Thais of the Chao Phraya River basin control most
of the wealth in the country and are politically and culturally dominant
with their dialect recognized as standard or official "Thai". Northern Thais
are descended from the rulers of the first Thai kingdom during the
13th-century Lanna Period. Aside from the larger group of northern Thais,
who have their own distinct language, there are many smaller ethnic groups
and hill tribes in Northern Thailand, including the Mon, Karen, Hmong, Akha,
Lahu and Lisu. The people of Northeastern Thailand (Isan) have a
distinctive culture which is closely related to the Laotians and Cambodians
across the nearby borders.
