Once known as Krong Chaktomuk, meaning 'City of Four Faces', Phnom Penh is located at the junction of four large rivers where the Mekong flows in from the north and away toward the delta, the Tonle Sap flows in opposite directions in wet and dry seasons taking overflow from the flooded Mekong, and the Bassac breaks from the Mekong and flows south to the coast. These rivers provide potential freshwater, fish, transport, trade routes and other resources.
