Mekong
From ArticleWorld
The Mekong River is one of the longest and largest rivers in the world. It is ranked 12th and 10th respectively in the world. The river originates in the Qinghai province of China in the autonomous region of Tibet. It is about 4,500 km long and flow at an altitude of 5,200m above the sea level. It is divided in to Upper Mekong and Lower Mekong at Golden Triangle where it is joined by the Ruak River. 90 million are believed to be benefited by this river. The movie Apocalypse Now is based on expedition along the river in to the country of Cambodia.
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Course
Nearly 50% of the river flow through China. After coming out of China, it flows between Myanmar and Laos. The river then flows between Laos and Thailand. The next stretch of the river is across Laos through Vientiane. The Khone falls is found near the Cambodian border. The Cambodian stretch is interrupted by rapids like Sambor. It is joined by Tonle Sap before entering Vietnam where it bifurcates into Bussac and Mekong proper. The river ends in the Mekong delta.
Historical aspects
The earliest civilization of the Mekong delta was the Funan civilization during the first century whose culture was a mix of Indian and Malay cultures. Coins of the Roman Empire were excavated at Oc Eo near Rach Gia.This civilization was followed by Khmer Chenla. The Angkor Empire of the Khmer was the last important state of the Mekong Delta.
Exploration
The Europeans discovered the area in 1540. It was first discovered by the Antonia de Faria of Portugal. The European made a map of the river in 1563 which had details about the delta region only. Gerrit van Wuysthoff had an adventurous expedition upstream in 1641 without knowing any details about those areas. It reached up to the Vientiane. The French revived the interests in that region in 1861 by taking control of Saigon and later went on to control the whole of Cambodia. Earnest Doudard de Lagree and Francis Garnier take the credit of exploring the entire length of the river by a well planned expedition in between 1866 and 1868. They were the first to report that Mekong River cannot be used for navigation because of the numerous water falls and the turbulence of the river. The origin of the river was discovered separately by Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov in 1900. Because of the exploration the French were able to take control of Laos in 1893.Later they formed a French Indochina colony in the early years of the 20th century. The colonial rule lasted till the two Indochina Wars and the Vietnam War.
Natural Phenomena
Naga fire balls or the balls of light are seen to rise from the surface of the river near Vientiane. The local people call these as Phaya Naga or the Mekong fire dragons.The low tide levels at Cambodia, the inversion with tides at Vietnam and the flat Delta all make the regions of An Giang and Dong thap very susceptible to floods. The Giant Mekong Fish is one of the endangered species of the large collection of giant fishes found in Mekong River.
The Controversies
The building of dams across the river by countries like China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia are opposed for the fear of damage to the ecology and to the people along the banks. A few dams like Pak Mun dam in Thailand, Manwan and Dachaoshan in china are already completed and a few others are under construction. The removal of rocks along the river for aiding navigation is feared to cause erosion and subsequent damage to fishes.