Mekong

Mekong (Chin. Lan-tsang-Kiang; Tibet. Dukio), a river in farther Asia, which takes its rise near Chiamdo, in Tibet, flows S. through the peninsula of Siam, and, after a course of about 2,800 miles, discharges itself into the China Sea in Cochin China or Cambodia. It carries down vast quantities of silt, and the delta of Cochin China, through which it makes its way in several channels, is formed of its alluvium. The river has acquired some notoriety since 1892, as the French claim it to be the eastern boundary of Siam. The current is extremely languid near the mouth, but rapids and shoals soon check navigation higher up. Serious floods occur in the rainy season, and are swelled towards the mouth by the Semun, Udong, Attopen, Sekong, and other affluents.