Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, the city has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic activities. The city has grown to become the industrial, commercial, cultural, tourist and historical center of Cambodia. Once known as the “Pearl of Asia”, it was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920s. Phnom Penh, along with Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, are significant global and domestic tourist destinations for Cambodia.