River Systems of Thailand - Mekong River System

Mekong River System

The Mekong River, one of the world’s major rivers, drains into the South China Sea. It is the 11th-longest river in the world, and the 12th-largest by volume (discharging 475 cubic kilometres (114 cu mi) of water annually). Its estimated length is 4,880 kilometres (3,030 mi), and it drains an area of 810,000 square kilometres (310,000 sq mi). From the Tibetan Plateau it runs through China's Yunnan province, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. All except China and Myanmar belong to the Mekong River Commission. The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls have made navigation extremely difficult. Approximately half the river's length is in China, where it is known as the Lancang Jiang (澜沧江 Láncāng Jiāng) or Meigong in Chinese (Chinese: 湄公河; pinyin: Méigōng Hé). The river next forms the border between Myanmar and Laos for 200 kilometres (120 mi), at the end of which it meets the tributary Ruak River at the Golden Triangle. This point also marks the division between the Upper and Lower Mekong. The river then divides Laos and Thailand, before a stretch passing through Laos alone. It is known as Maè Nam Khong (Mother of all rivers) in both Lao and Thai (แม่น้ำโขง). The river again marks the Lao-Thai border in the stretch which passes Vientiane, followed by a short stretch through Laos alone. In Cambodia, the river is called the Mékôngk or Tonle Thom (great river). Just above Phnom Penh is the confluence with the Tonle Sap, the main Cambodian tributary. Below Phnom Penh, it divides into the Bassac and the Mekong proper, which both flow into the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, the river as a whole is known as Mê Kông. In Vietnam, the river divides into two major branches, the Tiền Giang (Front River) and Hậu Giang (Back River). These in turn enter the South China Sea through nine estuaries.