Battambang

Battambang

Battambang (Khmer: បាត់ដំបង, UNGEGN: Bătdâmbâng [ɓatɗɑmɓɑːŋ]) is the capital of Battambang Province and the third largest city in Cambodia. Founded in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is the leading rice-producing province of the country. For nearly 100 years, it was a major commercial hub and the capital of the Siamese province of Inner Cambodia (1795–1907), though it was always populated by Khmer people, with some ethnic Vietnamese, Lao, Thai, and Chinese. Battambang remains the hub of Cambodia's northwest, connecting the region with Phnom Penh and Thailand.