Rivers of Malaysia

The rivers of Malaysia can not match their size with the major rivers of Thailand, Myanmar , Indonesia and Vietnam - the occurrence of such here was simply impossible because of the characteristics of the terrain. However, the country still does not experience a lack of water in the reservoirs: there are a lot of them here due to the large amount of precipitation, and they are usually deep throughout the whole year.

During the rainy season, their level becomes even higher, so floods on the rivers of Malaysia - a phenomenon quite frequent. In the area of ​​mountain ranges, rivers have a rapid current, they meet rapids and waterfalls. On plains the current is much slower, and often in the mouths of the river from sand and silt are formed shoals that prevent normal navigation.

The rivers of peninsular Malaysia

The total potential of the rivers of Malaysia is about 30 million kW; while the peninsular Malaysia accounts for only about 13%. The largest rivers of western Malaysia are:

  1. Pahang is the longest river in this part of the country. Its length is 459 km. The river flows through the state of Pahang and flows into the South China Sea. She looks very grand because of the big width. On its shores are located such large cities as Pekan and Gerantut. Traveling along the Pahang River, you can see many historical attractions , plantations of rubber and coconut palms, vast tracts of the jungle.
  2. The Perak River flows through the territory of the same state. The word "perak" is translated as "silver". This name was given to the river due to the fact that on its shores for a long time extracted tin, which in color resembles silver. It is the second largest river of peninsular Malaysia, its length is 400 km. On its banks, as it should be a relatively large waterway, there are also cities, including the "royal city" of Kuala-Kangsar, in which the residence of the sultan of the state is located.
  3. The Johor River flows from north to south; it originates in Mount Gemurukh, but flows into the Straits of Johor. The length of the river is 122.7 km.
  4. Kelantan (Sungaim Kelantan, Sunga-Kelate) - the main river of the Sultanate Kelantan. Its length is 154 km, it feeds the north-eastern part of the country, including the Taman-Negara National Park . River flows into the South China Sea.
  5. Malacca flows through the territory of the city of the same name . In the heyday of the Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century, the river was its main trade route. European seafarers visited its waters. They called it "Venice of the East". Today, along the river, you can go on a 45-minute cruise and admire its numerous bridges.

The Borneo Rivers

The rivers Borneo (Kalimantan) are longer and fuller. Suffice it to say that it is on the rivers of North Kalimantan that 87% of the electric potential is accounted for. Only the rivers of the Governorate of Sarawak can produce about 21.3 million kilowatts (however, according to other estimates, their resource is 70 million kW).

The largest rivers of the island of Malaysia are:

  1. Kinabatangan. It is the longest of the Malaysian rivers in Borneo. Its length is 564 km (according to other sources its length is 560 km, and it yields to the superiority of the river Rajang). The river flows into the Sulu Sea and has a common delta with several other rivers. In the upper reaches the river is very winding, it has many rapids. In the lower reaches, it flows smoothly, but forms bends.
  2. Rajang. Its length is 563 km, and the pool area is 60 thousand square meters. km. Rajang is full of water throughout the year, and navigable from the mouth to the city of Sibu.
  3. Baram. The river originates in the Kelabit Plateau, and, after running 500 km along the rainforest, flows into the South China Sea.
  4. Lupar. It flows through the state of Sarawak. The river is known for the fact that during the tide the seawater fills the mouth for 10 minutes, turning it backwards.
  5. Padas. This river, flowing in the south-western part of the city of Kota Kinabalu, is famous for its fourth-grade thresholds, making it very popular with rafters.
  6. Labuk (Sungai Labuk). This river flows through the territory of the State of Sabah and flows into the Labuk bay of the Sulu Sea. The length of the river is 260 km.