According to legend, Phnom Penh is named after Lady Penh, who built a hilltop pagoda (Wat Phnom) around 1372. The city became the capital in the 15th century after the decline of Angkor, but was later abandoned as a capital, and King Norodom re-established it in 1866.
It grew during the French protectorate, was emptied of its residents in 1975 under the Khmer Rouge, and was repopulated after 1979.
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia, with more than two million residents.
Angkor Wat was constructed during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century.
The Khmer Empire was a powerful Southeast Asian state that began in 802 CE when Jayavarman II declared himself universal monarch.
The Water Festival, or Bon Om Touk, is celebrated on the full moon of the Khmer month of Kadeuk, usually in October or November.
Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II of the Khmer Empire.
Cambodia gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 under King Norodom Sihanouk.
