The Mekong River

The Mekong River is the heart and soul of mainland Southeast Asia.It flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Along its 4,350-kilometer length, there exist vibrant cultures, traditions and many tribes of people. It provides the world's largest inland diverse fisheries, and impacts the livelihoods of over 70 million people who live along its lower stretches. Travelling along the river will make you happy and lively. You can enjoy biodiversity of flora and fauna, its riverside views are capturing and inspiring. People in each country that the river flow through are very nice, kind and generous.


Its large river's size has more space and more food to accommodate large fish. The productivity of the Mekong basin ecosystem, including the floodplains and flooded forests provide an abundance source of food for many species of fish especially during the rainy season. We can  find the diversity of large fishes such as giant catfish, dog-eating catfish, stingray, and giant barb.Its length may be 3 meters,and weigh up to 300 kilograms.But now these species are critically endangered, they have suffered from overfishing, dam building, and habitat destruction. Many species of Mekong fishes have complex life cycles that involve long-distance migrations. Their migratory pathways to spawning and rearing grounds are crucial. Moreover, local people have invented all manner of ingenious ways of catching fishes and most of these methods are adapted to a specific site, flow, and time of year.

คำศัพท์ที่น่าสนใจ
biodiversity   ความหลากหลายทางชีวภาพ
space    พื้นที่/ที่ว่าง
accommodation    อำนวยความสะดวก/ชัดหาให้
be critically endangered     มีอันตรายใกล้สูญพันธุ์
basin   ลุ่มน้ำ
migration    การอพยพ/ย้ายถิ่น
pathways   เส้นทางเดิน
ingenuous   เป็นไปตามธรรมชาติรู้จักคิดรู้จักทำ
complex life cycles   วงจรชีวิตที่ซับซ้อนยากที่จะเข้าใจ
spawning and rearing grounds    สถานที่วางไข่และเลี้ยงดูลูกอ่อน

A few pictures of The Mekong River's scenery: