Bangkok by The Chao Phraya, Thailand
23 February 2012

Note: The area of coverage in this WorldView-2 image is 1.5 km x 1.5 km.
The reduced resolution image on display has undergone compression and so does not represent the true resolution of the original satellite image.

Bangkok is extending skyward, especially along the Chao Phraya flowing south. The bridge over the river is Thanon Krung Thanburi carrying multiple lanes of busy traffic in both directions. East of the bridge, a skytrain is pulling out of Saphan Taksin station. On the Bangkok side of the river, Phayathai-Bangkhlo Expressway runs north-south. Old low buildings are being replaced by skyscrapers in this prime location, many functioning as hotels, government offices or shopping centres. The highrise with the gold dome in the centre of the image is the State Tower. Hotels are crowding the waterfront. The tall curved buildings of Shangri-La, immediately to the north of the Thonburi Bridge, provide a prime example. The second large building upstream from Shangri-La is the heritage hotel of Bangkok, the Oriental. Quite a few other well known hotels, several with swimming pools visible on top, rise above the general rooftop height. The river is busy with boats of various sizes and shapes, a number of which are ferries shuttling between many piers on both banks.