Q. Consider the following statements regarding the Mekong and Yellow River systems:
1.The Mekong River originates on the Tibetan Plateau and flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
2.The lower Mekong forms a fertile delta in Vietnam that ranks as one of the world’s premier rice-producing agricultural zones.
3.The Yellow River is the absolute longest river system in China, rising from the Loess Plateau highlands.
4.The Yellow River is termed China’s Sorrow because its low sediment load causes severe coastal water deficits along the Bohai Sea.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: A
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: The Mekong River has its source in the Tibetan Plateau and flows southeast through six nations, acting as a crucial regional economic lifeline for mainland Southeast Asia.
- Statement 2 is correct: The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is an incredibly flat, nutrient-rich alluvial plain. The extensive irrigation network here makes it a global hub for intensive wet-rice cultivation.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: The Yellow River is the second-longest river in China; the longest river in China (and all of Asia) is the Yangtze River. Additionally, the Yellow River rises in the Tibetan Plateau and later flows through the Loess Plateau, rather than rising directly from it.
- Statement 4 is incorrect: The Yellow River is called China’s Sorrow because it carries an exceptionally high sediment load of fine yellow loess silt. This silt settles on the riverbed, raising the water level over time and causing catastrophic, unpredictable floods that have historically devastated the surrounding plains.
