Joanna James
The Mekong River is one of the longest rivers in the world and spans several countries and cultures. Here are some interesting facts to shed light upon one of the mightiest rivers on earth!
Father Gaspar da Cruz is believed to be the first European person to describe his travels along the Mekong. During the middle of the 19th century, French colonialists had the idea to use the river as a pathway to gain access from Southeast Asia to China. However, all this turned out awry during an expedition in the 1890s. Headed by Francis Garnier, they learned that with many waterfalls and its rushing currents travelling the Mekong is anything but easy!
The Mekong begins its descent from the Tibetan Plateau and travels via the Himalayas to southern China and Southeast Asia. The river runs 4,500 kilometres from its origin and drains an extent of 800,000 sq km. It runs across six nations including China, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Mekong is a significant common ground between the people of these countries, their livelihoods and cultural beliefs. Nourished by the watery snow of the Tibetan Himalayas, it starts its voyage along the captivating mountain canyons of China's Yunnan province. Then, it gathers force from various tributaries along its course before rushing into the Golden Triangle.
The Mekong gets separated into 2 major parts: Upper Mekong and Lower Mekong.
The upper expanse of the river runs 2,200 kilometres, running mostly via Laos and China and descending shortly into Myanmar and Thailand. This stretch is the most picturesque region of the Mekong's travels. A luxury Mekong River cruise along the Upper stretch of the river will be filled with natural sceneries of mountain peaks, forests, and untouched landscapes. In contrast, the Lower Mekong is livelier, with vibrant depictions of locals who live close to the river. This stretch of river stirs with a great vitality of bright floating markets, and busy waterways transporting goods in every direction.
Lower Mekong holds incredible vistas of natural scenery. Expect luxuriant jungles, leafy orchards, and mangrove woodlands of astonishing diversity, sheltering one of the richest bio-diversities in the world! You can try the likes of the Mekong Kingdoms to experience the best of both these worlds!
The Mekong travels through many homelands so it is no wonder that it has multiple expressions to refer to it. Every phrase reflects a certain quality of the river and demonstrates its significance to people of many cultures and ethnicities. The Chinese call it Lancang Jiang, meaning "turbulent river"; it is named Mae Nam Kong and Mae Kong in Laos and Thailand, meaning "mother water"; in Vietnam, it's dubbed Cuu Long, which denotes "Nine Dragons" because of the numerous tributaries on its delta. In addition, many titles are added to identify the Mekong, like River of Stone, Dragon Running River and Big Water.
The river plays a significant part in the lives of at least 60 million people who live close to it. Many rely on the river as their primary source of revenue via agriculture or fishing. They also depend on the river for their fresh water supply and transportation. The Mekong River holds the largest inland fishery, supplying a means of sustenance for people living in Vietnam and Cambodia.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
