The Mekong River is one of the longest rivers in Asia, flowing through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It supports 60 million people through fishing and agriculture. The Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia uniquely changes direction during the wet and dry seasons, expanding and contracting dramatically in size. This makes it one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, providing most of the protein for Cambodia. The Mekong River Commission was established to manage the cooperation and sustainable development of the Mekong River Basin.

1. MEKONG RIVER
THE LIFE-GIVING RIVER
http://www.google.com/imgres?
q=Mekong+River+fisherman&um=1&hl=th&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1020&bih=635&tbm=isch&tbnid=dmA2_xSjN7FijM:&imgrefurl=http://
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2. What do you know about the
Mekong River?
✤ Group Work
✤ Make a list of facts and information
you think you know about the
Mekong River

3. Facts:The Mekong
✤ The longest river of SEA
✤ 4,900 kilometers / 3,000 miles
✤ From Yunnan to South China Sea
✤ 12th longest & 10th largest river in
the world
✤ China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam
✤ 44% of its course is in China.

4. The Mekong River
http://www.yunnanadventure.com/UploadFiles/Yunnan-Tour-Photos/TPRT005/Lancang-River-Grand-Canyon1.jpg
The Source of the
Mekong River in
Yunnan Province
in China

5. The Mekong River

6. The Mekong River
Moon River of
Thailand
combining with
Mekong River

7. The Mekong River
Khone Falls,
southern Laos
near the border
with Cambodia
Area is named “Si Phan Don”
or “4,000 islands”

8. The Mekong River
Not fully navigable into China
The French constructed the railway on Don Det and Don Khone islands

9. The Mekong River

10. The Mekong River

11. The Life-Giving River
2 %
16 %
35 %
18 %
18 %
11 %
✤ 60 million people
✤ Lower Mekong Basin - Laos,
Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam
✤ Connected to river’s natural cycles
✤ 80% of protein needs
✤ Diverse, productive inland fisheries
✤ 2.6 million tons a year
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEASTASIAPACIFIC/Resources/
226262-1151703454492/Mekong_MWRAS_hydromap.gif

12. What makes the Mekong
special?
✤ Rise and fall of water levels during
wet/dry seasons
✤ Flood carries fertile silt.
✤ Horticulture, agriculture in Mekong
Delta
✤ Productive rice farming in Thailand,
Vietnam

13. Tonle Sap
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5039980
✤ The largest freshwater lake in SEA
✤ A combined lake and river system
✤ UNESCO biosphere, 1997
✤ Its flow changes directions.
✤ Lake expands and shrinks with
seasons.

14. Tonle Sap
✤ Natural flood during rainy season
✤ The river rises enough to reverse its
course.
✤ Water flows backward into the lake.
✤ Lake’s size shrinks from 2,500 sq.km
to 16,000 sq.km.
✤ Enormous wetland area

15. Tonle SapWetland
http://www.srisiamholidays.com/images/stories/Cambodia/Maps/cambodia%20wetland.gif
✤ Wetland- area that soil is
saturated with water
permanently or seasonally
✤ Support diversity of plants and
animals
✤ Breeding ground for fish &
aquatic animals

16. Tonle Sap ✤ Large flood plain
✤ Rich biodiversity
✤ Fertile sediment
✤ Most productive inland fisheries
✤ 230,000 tons of fish yearly
✤ 3 million people
✤ 60% protein for Cambodian
✤ The flow reverses at the end of
rainy season.
✤ 300-500 species support the locals

17. Video Clip
✤ What is water festival like?
✤ How do the local people fish?
✤ In what ways are the Mekong River
and the Tonle Sap important to the
Cambodians?
✤ What kinds of fish are found in the
Mekong region and the Tonle Sap?
✤ What kinds of animals are found?
“Where there is water,
there is fish”
Sunset at the Tonle Sap

18. Mekong River Commission (MRC)
http://worldinsidepictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/914.jpghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD206UnYmB4&feature=player_embedded
Where there is water, there is fish.Video Clip
http://worldinsidepictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/914.jpg

19. http://www.mrcmekong.org/about-the-mrc/
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url=http://www.britannica.com/bps/media-view/92881/1/0/0&docid=oAm2SyrwTYRwNM&imgurl=http://
media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media//
21/93121-050-878F4D70.jpg&w=1600&h=1097&ei=6_m_TvHJMonLrQfv9IW_AQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=710&vpy=306&dur=2164&hovh=
http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/the-mekong-river-survival-for-millions
http://tonlesap.net/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5039980
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEASTASIAPACIFIC/Resources/226262-1151703454492/Mekong_MWRAS_hydromap.gif
http://www.cambodiancommunityday.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=80
http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20070307&t=2&i=444980&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=444980
http://thailand.prd.go.th/thailand_illustrated/content.php?s_id=287
http://www.laos-guide-999.com/vientiane-boat-racing-festival.html
http://www.parish-without-borders.net/cditt/cambodia/culture/waterfest2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TonleSapMap.png
http://www.srisiamholidays.com/images/stories/Cambodia/Maps/cambodia%20wetland.gif
http://images.smh.com.au/2010/06/25/1644221/Mekong-Fishing-net-420x0.jpg
References