The Mekong River has many names. Most often you can hear that this river is the Danube of Asia. However, not everyone knows why she got such a name. The Mekong River is by far the largest not only in Vietnam, but also in East Asia.
River development
So why can the Mekong River be called the Danube of Asia? The development of its territories began in ancient times. In the Middle Ages, part of the Mekong, or rather the delta, was the property of Cambodia. This region, according to many historians, is the place where Khmer civilization was born. At that time, this site was very boggy. There was a dense forest, but the Vietnamese gradually populated places and eventually became the main nationality. The king of the Nguyen dynasty organized the construction of transport as well as irrigation canals.
Today, not only Vietnamese live in the Mekong Delta. There are chams, and Chinese, and Khmers. This fact is due to the presence in this place of completely different religions, among which Islam, Hoahao, Kaodaism, Catholicism and Buddhism.
Such a different river
Not everyone understands why the Mekong River can be called the Danube of Asia. For most, this is an ordinary unremarkable stream of water. However, the banks of this river unite more than one people. It is enough to swim downstream and we can say that we have seen all of Asia. After all, the Mekong, like the Danube, flows through the territories of many countries. This river is characterized by everything connected with the East. There are dense tropics, yellow streams of water, huge rice fields and a fairly high population density.
Probably, many have already understood why the Mekong River can be called the Danube of Asia. Indeed, in its delta in Vietnam there are about 17 million people. Its flows unite many cities.
River delta
The length of the Mekong River is simply impressive. This figure is 4350 kilometers. It flows through 12 provinces of Vietnam. The delta area is about 70 square meters. It is worth noting that this section of the river remains in some places still marshy. Mekong Delta includes 4 large sleeves. The width of each of them is about two kilometers. In addition, the delta also includes smaller channels in width. Of these, 8 flows into the ocean.
When a river spills, it floods very large areas. Retreating, the Mekong leaves behind a layer of fertile silt. However, landslides often occur on the shores of a reservoir. And this, in turn, significantly reduces the size of sown areas.
Mekong Gifts
The Mekong River on the map looks no less impressive than the Danube. Maybe due to the large size of these ponds and compare. Both rivers supply fish in many countries. It is worth noting that in the Mekong Delta, approximately 90% of the world catch of fish such as pangasius, which is often confused with the marine language, is concentrated.
It is worth noting that the Danube of Asia is also a large rice granary. Very often, the symbol of Vietnam is drawn in the form of a rocker arm, on both ends of which hang baskets filled with rice. Delta accounts for approximately 95% of rice exports from Vietnam. Now you know why the Mekong River can be called the Danube of Asia.