The northwest capital of Khmer Empire

Battambang is Cambodia's second-largest city and the capital city of Battambang province in the far northwestern Cambodia and this province which founded by the Khmer Empire in the 11th century. It is the former capital of Monton Khmer and lies in the heart of the Northwest of Cambodia. Until the war years, in which almost every infrastructure was destroyed.

The name Battambang or Batdambang, literally means "loss of stick" referring to a legend of the Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung (Kranhoung Stick King). It's a riverside town, home to some of the best-preserved, French colonial architecture in the country ( source: Cambodia Tourist Information). The Bordering provinces are Banteay Meanchey to the north, Pursat to the east and south, Siem Reap province to the northeast, and Pailin to the west. One part of this province is near the Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest lake in asia. Battambang province is well known for being the mainly leading rice-producing as big agricultural industry production in the country.

1. Area                : 293Km²
2. Weather           : 30⁰C, Wind S at 5km/h, 65%Humidity
3. Local time       : Sunday 11:48 AM
4. Population       : 250,000 (2009)

Recently Battambang was off the map for road travellers, but facilities have recently been improved and it makes a great base for visiting the nearby temples, such as Phnom Banon and Wat Ek Phnom, as well as the closed by villages. In addition, it is so interesting which visitor is remarkable is Bamboo Train where is outside of the city. The visitor can explore the daily activity of villager, rice field view and livelihood activity of villager. Battambang city is a peaceful and pleasant place these days. The main parts of the city are situated closed to the Sangker River, a tranquil, small body of water that winds its way through Battambang Province. It is a nice, picturesque setting. As with much of Cambodia, the French architecture is an attractive bonus of the city.

In conclusion the main reasons to visit Battambang City are country-side activities such standard living of villager and rice field harvesting, relaxation with popular and luxurious hotel and temple to get know about history of Khmer Culture.