Salween River

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Salween watershed.png Image:Salween delta.jpg

The Salween River (also spelled Salwin) rises in Tibet, after which it flows through Yunnan, where it is known as the Nujiang river (Template:Zh-cp), although either name can be used for the whole river. The river is long 2815 km. It then leaves China and meanders through Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand on its way to emptying in the Andaman Sea by Mawlamyine (Moulmien). For most of its route the river is of little commercial value, and it passes through deep gorges and is often called China's Grand Canyon. It is home to over 7,000 species of plants and 80 rare or endangered animals and fish. Unesco said this region "may be the most biologically diverse temperate ecosystem in the world" and designated it a World Heritage Site in 2003.

The Nu people (Chinese: 怒族; pinyin: nù zú), one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, are named after this river.

On April 1, 2004, the Chinese premier halted the construction of 13 dams on the Salween in Yunnan.

Contents

Geography

Watershed, Ecology

History

Sources

Issues

The most controversial issue is the building of a dam on this river. It is to be larger than the widely controversial Three Gorges Dam. On April 5th the Thai and Myanmar governments signed a 6 billion dollar agreement to build the dam (From ENN found via scruffydan.com)

See also

Template:China-geo-stub Template:Myanmar-geo-stub Template:Thailand-geo-stubca:Salween de:Saluen no:Salween pl:Saluin zh:怒江