Cambodia: A French cannon-boat moored on the Mekong River in Phnom Penh in 1890. Two...

Situated on the banks of the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers, Phnom Penh is an ideal location for a trading centre and capital city. It is today home to more than 2 million of Cambodia's 14 million population. Phnom Penh first became the capital of Cambodia after Ponhea Yat, the last king of the Khmer Empire, was forced to flee Angkor Thom after it was seized by the Siamese army in 1393. Phnom Penh remained the royal capital until 1505 when it was abandoned for 360 years due to internal fighting between royal pretenders. It was not until 1866, under the reign of King Norodom I, that Phnom Penh became the permanent seat of government and capital of Cambodia. Beginning in 1870, the French colonialists turned a riverside village into a city where they built hotels, schools, prisons, barracks, banks, public works offices, telegraph offices, law courts and health services.