Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh, also spelled  Pnom Penh  or  Phom Penh, Khmer  Phnum Pénh ,  capital and chief city of Cambodia. It lies at the confluence of the Basăk (Bassac), Sab, and Mekong river systems, in the south-central part of the country.

Phnom Penh was founded in 1434 to succeed Angkor Thom as the capital of the Khmer nation but was abandoned several times before being reestablished in 1865 by King Norodom. The city formerly functioned as a processing centre, with textiles, pharmaceuticals, machine manufacturing, and rice milling. Its chief assets, however, were cultural. Institutions of higher learning included the National University of Phnom Penh (founded in 1956 as the Royal Khmer University), with schools of engineering, fine arts, technology, and agricultural sciences, the latter at Chamcar Daung, a suburb. Also located at Phnom Penh were the Royal University of Agronomic Sciences and the Agricultural School of Prek Leap.