Some Facts of Mekong Delta May Surprise You

Mekong River is situated in Southeast Asia, starting from the Tibetan Plateau to the Mekong Delta into the South China Sea (about 2,703 miles). It is Asia’s 7th longest river and the world’s 12th longest river. It is very hard to navigate on the river due to its rapid and various flow. The river, nevertheless, is a significant trade route between the Asian nations and others. It has been given many names throughout years, but the river has always been known as its own meaning: “the mother of water”. The following information is some facts about the Mekong River.

Interesting Mekong River Facts:

The Mekong River has different names and various meanings. In Chinese, it is “Lancang Jiang” which means “Turbulent River”. Thai and Lao people call it “Mae Nam Kong” which means “Mother Water” while Vietnamese call it “Cuu Long” which means “New Dragons”.

The earliest civilization known along the Mekong River dates to the 1st century A.D. Europeans, nonetheless, did not explore the river until 1540 when Antonio de Faria arrived from Portugal.

The river flows through many nations, including China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, before discharging into the South China Sea.

There are a few cities, where the river flows through, such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, and Can Tho.

The river originally starts from the source of the Lasagongma Spring on the Tibetan Plateau in China.

About 50% of the Mekong River’s sediment comes from the Upper Basin, which only accounts for 24% of the Mekong River’s total watershed, but the soil erosion is those regions is the main reason why there is a high percentage of sediment in the river.

The flood season of the river yearly starts from July to October.

The Mekong River offers a large number of large fish species, even more than any other river in the world, in which it has the giant river carp, the Giant Pangasius, the Siamese Giant Carp, the Mekong Giant Catfish, and the Mekong Freshwater Stingray.

Mekong River Basin has the world’s largest inland fishery.

It houses approximately 430 mammal species, 1,200 bird species, 800 reptile species, 20,000 plant species, and at least 850 fish species.

The river has been using for many purposes, including irrigation, domestic water, industrial water, transportation, fisheries, and power generation.

Over 60,000 residents living along the river’s basin.

Cambodia is the country which mainly depends on the Mekong River for survival. In fact, 80% of their diet nutrient comes from fish in the Mekong Delta River.

Vietnamese farmers are dependent on the river too, in which 50% of the water from the river is used for irrigation.

The Mekong River region can be considered as the second most diverse in the world, following the Amazon River.

Reference: Mekong River Facts – Softschools