What is the Mekong Basin?

The Upper Mekong River Basin comprises the Tibetan Plateau, the Three Rivers Area and Lancang Basin in China and Myanmar. The Lower Mekong River Basin is made up of the Northern Highlands, the Khorat Plateau, the Tonle Sap Basin and the Mekong Delta. It covers Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

How was the Mekong formed?

Granite samples collected from the Mekong River Valley reveal that the river’s path was incised roughly 17 million years ago, most likely by increased erosion from monsoon precipitation.

What are the physical characteristics of the Mekong Delta?

The delta comprises a vast triangular plain of approximately 55,000 km2. It extends for about 270 km from its apex at Phnom Penh to the coast. The width of the delta near the coast is some 350 km, the coastline has a length of about 600 km.

What is unique about Mekong River?

MEKONG RIVER IS A TROVE OF INCREDIBLE BIODIVERSITY The Mekong River is considered the second most diverse area on earth, just after the Amazon River Basin. There are 20,000 plant species, 430 mammals, 1,200 birds, 800 reptiles and approximately 850 fish species.

Why is the Mekong basin important?

Winding almost 3,000 miles from the Tibetan plateau down to the South China Sea, the Mekong River boasts the world’s largest inland fishery. It accounts for up to 25 percent of the global freshwater catch and provides livelihoods for tens of millions of people.

Where does the Mekong River originate from?

Lasagongma SpringMekong River / Source

Is the Mekong River saltwater or freshwater?

Where does the sediment come from in the Mekong River?

The sediment transport in the Mekong is affected by existing and ongoing large hydropower development in the mainstream and its tributaries and other activities such as river bed mining, deforestation, and development both in the floodplains and the Mekong Delta.

Is the Mekong River Tidal?

At the mouths of the Mekong River, the maximum and mean tidal ranges are 3.8 m and 2.5 m, respectively (Saito et al., 2015). The average tide range decreases with distance upstream (Gagliano and McIntire, 1968).

Why is the Mekong Basin important?

Why is Mekong River called the Mother of waters?

The Mekong River is called the “mother of waters” because it is such a tremendous resource for such a large number of people.

What tributaries drain into the Mekong River?

The Tonle Sap Basin: Beginning in southern Laos just north of Pakse, this area includes northern and central Cambodia and the 3S Basin, which is made up of the three major tributaries Se Kong, Se San, and Sre Pok rivers and the Tonle Sap Great Lake, which also drains into the Mekong.

What is the mouth of the Mekong River?

Mekong River DeltaMekong River / Mouth

What is the mother of water?

For centuries, the Mekong river has been the life and soul of mainland Southeast Asia. The “Mother of Water”, as her name loosely translates, is the lifeblood of some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, and home to more than 300 million people from over one-hundred ethnic groups.

Why is the Mekong River so important?

The Mekong and its wildlife have strong cultural significance too. The Mekong River is a major river in Southeast Asia. It is important because it is used for food, water, and transportation. It is also Southeast Asia’s longest river, and it supports over 60 million people.

Where is Mekong River on a map?

– Vietnamese: Sông Cửu Long, (九龍 Nine Dragons River [ʂə̄wŋm kɨ̂w lāwŋm] ). – Khmer: ទន្លេធំ Tônlé Thum [tɔnlei tʰum] (lit. “Big River” or “Great River”). – Khmuic: [ŏ̞m̥ kʰrɔːŋ̊], ‘ ŏ̞m̥ ‘ means ‘river’ or ‘water’, here it means ‘river’, ‘ kʰrɔːŋ̊ ‘ means ‘canal’. So ‘ ŏ̞m̥ kʰrɔːŋ̊ ‘ means ‘canal river’.

What is the Mekong River used for?

The Vietnamese people rely on the Mekong River for almost half the water used to irrigate their crops. The Mekong River serves as a significant transport channel for the Vietnamese people. It is also a trading centre; as the Vietnamese hold their floating markets on the river. About 60 million people live in the Mekong River basin.

Which does the Mekong River generally flow?

The Mekong River The Mekong River is one of the world’s largest rivers, flowing from the Tibetan Plateau in China to the South China Sea, crossing PR China, PDR Lao, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam on its path. Its length is approximately 4,350 km and the catchment drainage area is approximately 800,000 km2 (Figure 1A).