Short answers, pulled from the story.
The official ceremonial name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, which contains 168 letters. This name is recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest place name in the world and translates to City of Angels, Great City, Immortal Jewel, Divine City, Grand Palace, Royal Capital, Divine Abode, and City of God.
Bangkok was officially founded as the capital on the 21st of April 1782 when the City Pillar was erected. This date remains the city's official birthday and marks the foundation of modern Bangkok as the capital following the establishment of Rattanakosin in 1782.
Bangkok currently houses 11.4 million people and was the world's most prominent primate city by 1980. The population grew from an estimated 50,000 in 1822 to fifty-one times that of Hat Yai and Songkhla by 1980, driven by migration and economic development.
The rate of subsidence in Bangkok decreased to 1 centimeter per year in the early 2000s after reaching 20 centimeters per year in 1981. Groundwater subsidence was first discovered in the 1970s and has caused parts of the city to fall below sea level.
Bangkok has 581 skyscrapers over 150 meters tall and ranked as the world's eighth-tallest city in 2016. The business district on Si Lom and Sathon Roads contains many of these skyscrapers which house major corporate headquarters.
The BTS Skytrain system began operation in 1999 and the MRT Metro system began operation in 2004. These systems have become indispensable to commuters with the BTS reporting an average of 600,000 daily trips in 2012.