Mekong River

A brief intro on the mekong river.

1. Mekong river Loh Ang (19) Tony Ng (20 )

2. 1. Geography 2. History 3. Benefits and Problems 4. Impact 5. Different Views 6. Environmental Aspects 7. References Content

3. Mekong River A trans-boundary river 12th longest river in the world 7th longest river in Asia Length : 4350 km Drainage Area: 795,000 km 2 Annual discharge of water: 457 km 3

4. Geography

5. Runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand , Cambodia & Vietnam

6. Source of Mekong River A glacier stream Found in the North side of Guosangmucha Mountain (China) Elevation of 5514 m Lasagongma Spring

7. Mouth of Mekong River Is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean Encompasses an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 km 2 South China Sea

8. Tributaries and Distributaries Tributaries Distributaries Nam Ta Tien Nam Ou Ham Luong Nam Soung Co Chien Nam Khan Bassac

9. Known as Dzi Chu Steep Descends Swift Rapids Upper Course

10. Forms as Mekong River tumbles from the Tibetan plateau Makes the Mekong River one of the strongest rivers in the world (Toptenz) Rapids

11. Known as Latsan Chiang Place where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos converge Middle Course

12. Area of around 950,000 km 2 Overlaps the mountains of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand Designates the confluence of the Ruak River and the Mekong River Golden Triangle

13. Used for irrigation One third of the combined population for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Lower Course

14. The largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia An ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997 From November to May: Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh When the year's heavy rains begin in June: the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake Tônlé Sap

15. Is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries Encompasses an area of about 39 000 km 2 Recently been dubbed as a 'biological treasure trove' Mekong Delta

16. The highlights of the Mekong delta Central markets in the delta People can buy fruit and vegetables from local production The goods are sold directly from the boats Owners hang the available products on long poles, so that people can see what’s on offer from far away Small sampans serve as mobile cafés Floating Markets

17. History

18. Earliest known settlement: Ban Chiang (2100 BC) Earliest recorded civilisation : Indianised-Khmer culture of Funan (1st Century) Last great Indianised state: Khmer Empire of Angkor The French used this river to take control of the region History

19. Benefits Problems Benefits Problems

20. Provides Cambodia with water via the annual floods Tonle Sap is a tourist attraction Its high-quality water can fetch a high price Benefits

21. Floods Major Cities 2000: Floods killed more than 480 people across the Delta region 2001: More than 300 people died when the Mekong overflowed its banks 2011: At least 150 people in Cambodia and Southern Vietnam died due to Mekong flooding and flash floods Problems

22. Impact

23. 60 million people live at the Mekong Lower Basin 40 % live at the 15 km corridor of Mekong River People

24. The Mekong River acts as the region's highway and provides access to trade, food security and livelihoods How are their lives affected?

25. Different Views

26. Most feel that it is worth it to visit Mekong River (Tripadvisor) People’s View

27. Important place for buddhist temples such as Bén Lúc temple Religious View

28. Students are being educated on the benefits and problems created by the Mekong River and how to preserve the natural environment of Mekong River Educational View

29. The floating market and the Mekong Delta are famous tourist attraction that boost the economy of the region Economical view

30. Environmental Aspect

31. Environmental Aspect The Mekong River supports many species of life such as fish serving as a migration path Many animals live at the Mekong River drainage basin

32. Forests Great Mekong Subregion lost just under a third of its forest cover between 1973 and 2009 Freshwater Mekong river basin contains one of the most productive and diverse river systems on Earth Ecosystem

33. More than 1,100 freshwater species of fish are found in Mekong River Second only to the Amazon River in terms of fish biodiversity Organisms include the last remaining populations of the Irrawaddy dolphin, giant freshwater stingray, and the Mekong giant catfish Organisms

34. Waste material discharged by factories pollute and threaten the life in Mekong River Construction of big hydropower dams on the Mekong River may be a great threat to the future of the river Threats

35. “ River” , Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River “Mekong”, Wikipedia http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong “South China Sea” , Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Sea “ Mekong River ”, tripadvisor, http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293921-d325305-Reviews-Mekong_River-Vietnam.html “Greater Mekong ”, WWF, http://worldwildlife.org/places/greater-mekong “ Advantages of Mekong River in Phnom Penh”, Sunnarin’s blog , http://sunnarin.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/advantages-of-mekong-river-in-phnom-penh/ References

36. References “The Source of the Mekong River, Qinghai, China”, http://www.shangri-la-river-expeditions.com/1stdes/mekong/mekongsource/mekongsource.html “Tonle Sap”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonl%C3%A9_Sap “ Physiography”, Mekong River Commission, http://www.mrcmekong.org/the-mekong-basin/physiography/ “ Mekong Delta”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_Delta “ Mekong Delta: Wonderful Water World” http://www.mekong-delta-travel-guide.com/en/activities-attractions/floating-markets

37. References “ Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia)”, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia) “ Top ten most powerful rivers in the world” , Toptenz, http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-most-powerful-rivers-in-the-world.php#wux1xeTdQmr3kVzj.99 “ Ecosystems in the Greater Mekong: past trends, current status, possible futures”, WWF, http://wwf.panda.org/?208456/Ecosystems-in-the-Greater-Mekong-past-trends-current-status-possible-futures

38. References Images from: http://environews.ph/biodiversity/dugong-irrawaddy-dolphin-face-extinction-in-phl/ www.relievearth.com www.crusaders.biz http://www.shangri-la-river-expeditions.com/1stdes/mekong/mekongsource/mekongsource.html commons.wikimedia.org mekong-river-geography-ispl.blogspot.com http://wallpapers.free-review.net/19_~_Home_Environment_-_desktop_background.htm

39. References Images from : http://www.lifelibertythepursuit.com/organisms-of-our-own-creation/630/ mrbelloblog.com www.marketingpilgrim.com www.pickywallpapers.com newsamnews.ioe.ac.uk interaction.dundee.ac.uk www.hdwallpaperstop.com footage.shutterstock.com footage.shutterstock.com www.123rf.com