The Royal Thai Academic Council has announced a change in the official foreign name of the country's capital from Bangkok to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon.

The announcement was made in a statement issued by the agency on Wednesday.

The document stressed that both names - Bangkok and Krung Thep Maha Nakhon - can be used. The day before, the Cabinet approved a draft to update the names of countries, territories, administrative areas and capitals. The new Bangkok name is not expected to be adopted until a special committee verifies it.

The council has updated the spelling of countries, territories, administrative zones and capitals in the dictionary of international place names to be consistent with the current situation.

If Krung Thep Maha Nakhon becomes the official foreign name for the capital, Bangkok will be bracketed. At the same time, the spellings of capitals and place names in some other countries have also been changed.

The capital of Thailand has always been called Krung Thep Maha Nakhon in Thai, while the English name has historically been Bangkok. In November 2001, the council announced the use of Bangkok as the official name.