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The Mekong is one of the world’s
major rivers. It is the world's 12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia.
Its estimated length is 4,350 km (2,703 mi), and it drains an area of 795,000
km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually.
From the Tibetan Plateau this
river runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and
Vietnam. Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River
Commission in 1995 to assist in the management and coordinated use of the
Mekong's resources. In 1996 China and Myanmar became "dialogue partners" of the
MRC and the six countries now work together within a cooperation framework.
The extreme seasonal variations in
flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in this river have made
navigation extremely difficult.
