Play

Phnom Penh

Capital of CambodiaPhnom Penh stands in south-central Cambodia, at the meeting point of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers, which is also where the Bassac River begins.

Why it's the capital

King Ponhea Yat first made Phnom Penh the capital in the 15th century, when he moved the court from Angkor Thom. The city regained that role during the French colonial era and has been the national capital since 1865.

Fun facts

  1. The name means "Penh's hill". A legend says a rich widow named Penh found Buddha statues inside a tree floating down the river, raised a hill and built a shrine on it, later called Wat Phnom.
  2. Its old name, Krong Chaktomuk, is short for a very long name given by King Ponhea Yat that loosely means "the place of four rivers".
  3. Its French colonial, New Khmer and Art Deco buildings earned the city the nickname "Pearl of Asia".

Finding it on the globe

Aim at the southern half of Cambodia: Phnom Penh is southeast of the big Tonlé Sap lake, on the Mekong River.

Sources: Wikipedia: Phnom Penh