The Mun River ( th, แม่น้ำมูล, , ), sometimes spelled ''Moon River'', is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of 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 annuall ...

. It carries approximately of water per year.

Geography

The river begins in the

Khao Yai National Park Khao Yai National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาใหญ่, , ) is a national park in Thailand. Established in 1962 as Thailand's first national park, it is the third largest national park in Thailand. Descri ...

area of the

Sankamphaeng Range The Sankamphaeng Range, also Sankambeng Range or Sungumpang Range ( th, ทิวเขาสันกำแพง, , ) is one of the mountain ranges separating eastern Thailand from the northeast or Isan. It is in Nakhon Nayok, Prachinburi, Sa ...

, near

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...

in northeast

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. It flows east through the

Khorat Plateau The Khorat Plateau ( th, ที่ราบสูงโคราช) is a plateau in the northeastern Thai region of Isan. The plateau forms a natural region, named after the short form of Nakhon Ratchasima, a historical barrier controlling access ...

in southern

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

(

Buriram Buriram (, , , 'city of happiness') is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in Thailand, capital of Buriram Province, about northeast of Bangkok. The town occupies ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Buriram District. In 2012 it had a population of 27,862 ...

, Surin, and

Sisaket ) , leader_title1 = , leader_name1 = , leader_title2 = , leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = , leader_name3 = , leader_title4 ...

Provinces) for , until it joins the Mekong at Khong Chiam in

Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani ( th, อุบลราชธานี, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan (with Khorat/Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen), also known as the "big four of Isan." The city is on the Mun River in the south ...

. The Mun River's main tributary is the

Chi River The Chi River (, , ) is the longest river flowing wholly within Thailand. It is long but carries less water than the second longest river, the Mun. The name of the river is "Mae Si" () in the Isan and Lao languages of the region, being translite ...

, which joins it in the Kanthararom District of Sisaket Province.

History

Thanks to the

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

hit song, the Mun River was called "Moon River" by

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

personnel stationed at

airbase during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The spelling is still fairly common. The controversial

Pak Mun Dam The Pak Mun Dam ( th, เขื่อนปากมูล, , ) is a barrage dam and run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun and Mekong Rivers in Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thail ...

, which is charged with causing environmental damage,"Rivers of the World - the Mun River in Thailand", Radio Netherlands Archives, November 1, 2002
/ref> is near the river's confluence with the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

Tributaries

Lam Dom Noi Lam Dom Noi ( th, ลำโดมน้อย, ) is a tributary of the Mun River. It originates in the Dongrek mountains and flows northwards. The watercourse passes Buntharik District and is stopped by the Sirindhorn Dam in Chong Mek Subdistric ...

Lam Takhong Lam Takhong ( th, ลำตะคอง, ) is a watercourse in Thailand and a tributary of the Mun River in northeastern Thailand. It is impounded by the Lam Takhong Dam The Lam Takhong Dam ( th, เขื่อนลำตะคอง, , ) is an ...

References

External links

Rivers of Thailand Tributaries of the Mekong River Isan Geography of Nakhon Ratchasima province Geography of Buriram province Geography of Surin province Geography of Sisaket province Geography of Ubon Ratchathani province {{Thailand-river-stub