Phnom Penh

views updated May 14 2018

Phnom Penh (Phnum Pénh) Capital of Cambodia, in the s of the country, a port at the confluence of the rivers Mekong and Tonle Sap. Founded in the 14th century, the city was the capital of the Khmers after 1434. In 1865, it became the capital of Cambodia. Occupied by the Japanese during World War 2, it was extensively damaged during the Cambodian civil war. After the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, the population was drastically reduced when many of its inhabitants were forcibly removed to work in the countryside. Industries: rice milling, brewing, distilling. Pop. (1998) 999,804.