The Khone Falls and Pha Pheng Falls ( lo, ນ້ຳຕົກຕາດຄອນພະເພັງ; km, ល្បាក់ខោន, ''Lbak Khaon'') together form a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

located in Champasak Province on the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...

in southern

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...

, near the border with

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

. At 10,783 metres (35,376 feet or 6.7 miles) in width from one edge of its multiple channels to the other, it is the widest waterfall in the world. The Khone Falls are the largest in

southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

, and are the main reason that the Mekong is not fully navigable into

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. The falls are characterised by thousands of islands and countless waterways, giving the area its name

Si Phan Don The Si Phan Don ( lo, ສີ່ພັນດອນ; meaning '4,000 islands') is a riverine archipelago in the Mekong River, Champasak Province in southern Laos. Si Phan Don is part of Khong District, including the islands and part of the mainlan ...

or 'the 4,000 islands'. The highest falls reach to ; the succession of

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade' ...

stretch of the river's length. The average discharge of the cataract is nearly , with the highest flow on record at over . __NoTOC__

Navigable efforts

Because the Khone Falls stop the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...

river from carrying boat traffic to and from China, in the late 19th century French colonialists made repeated attempts to navigate the falls. Their efforts failed, which led to the construction of the

Don Det – Don Khon narrow gauge railway Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places * County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vil ...

Don Det Don Det ( lo, ດອນເດດ), is an island in the Mekong River in the Si Phan Don ("Four Thousand Islands") archipelago in Champasak Province of southern Laos. History The Don Det–Don Khon railway was a -long narrow-gauge portage rail ...

and

Don Khon Don Khon ( lo, ດອນຄອນ), is an island in the Mekong River in the Si Phan Don ("Four Thousand Islands") archipelago in Champasak Province of southern Laos. History The Don Det–Don Khon railway was a -long narrow-gauge portage railw ...

islands.

Wildlife

Hemimyzon khonensis ''Hemimyzon khonensis'' is a species of hillstream loach in the genus '' Hemimyzon''. It is known from a single specimen collected in the Mekong at the Khone Falls in Laos, near the Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ព� ...

'', a species of

hillstream loach The hillstream loaches or river loaches are a family, the Balitoridae, of small fish from South, Southeast and East Asia. The family includes about 202 species. They are sometimes sold as "lizardfish" or (in Germany) "flossensaugers". Many of ...

, is known from a single specimen collected in the Mekong at the Khone Falls. The falls are home to the

plabuck The Mekong giant catfish (''Pangasianodon gigas''; th, ปลาบึก, , ; km, ត្រីរាជ /''trəy riec''/; vi, cá tra dầu), is a large, threatened species of catfish (order Siluriformes) in the shark catfish family (Panga ...

, an endangered species of

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

said to be the largest freshwater fish in the world. The plabuck is alleged to reach lengths of and weights of up to .

References

* * * {{Refend

External links

Mekong Express Laos Photo Album: Khone Falls

Waterfalls of Laos Mekong River Geography of Champasak province

Navigable efforts

Wildlife

See also

References

External links