Kampot (Khmer: ក្រុងកំពត, "Krong Kampot") is a city in southern Cambodia and the capital of Kampot Province. It is situated at the Praek Tuek Chhu river southeast of the Elephant Mountains and around 5 km (3 mi) from the Gulf of Thailand. Kampot was the capital of the Circonscription Résidentielle de Kampot under French rule and Cambodia's most important sea port after the loss of the Mekong Delta and before the establishment of Sihanoukville. Its center is unlike most Cambodian provincial capitals composed of 19th century French colonial architecture. The region and town are well known for the high quality pepper, which is being exported worldwide.