CASESTUDY Managing the Mekong River
Following the Mekong River from the Tibetan Plateau to southern Vietnam, you journey through six South-East Asian countries. The Mekong, the world’s twelfth-longest river and Asia’s third-longest, serves as a vital trade route and provides essential irrigation for agriculture, despite its navigation challenges.
FIGURE8 The Mekong River winds its way through six South-East Asian countries, ending in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
100°E
110°E
Key
Mekong River Wetland City Country border
Elevation
Height in metres
1000 2000 4000 6000
30°N
0 200 500
0
200 1000 2000 4000 6000
Depression
Depth in metres
C H I N A
Jinghong, Xishuangbanna
M Y A N M A R
Golden Triangle
Luang Prabang
20°N
Gulf of Tonkin
L A O S
Vientiane
Gulf of Martaban
T H A I L A N D
Siem Reap
ANDAMAN
C A M B O D I A
SEA
V I ETNAM
Phnom Penh
Ho Chi Minh City
Gulf of Thailand
10°N
SOUTH
CH I NA
0
200
400km
SEA
Source: Based on data from Natural Earth and ETOPO1: doi:10.7289/V5C8276M. Map drawn by Spatial Vision.
TOPIC13 Landforms and landscapes – diversity, significance and management 341
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