Mamberamo River

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Mamberamo
River
Mamberamo River NASA.jpg
Mamberamo entering the sea, seen from space.
Country Indonesia
Region Papua
Source confluence of Tariku and Taritatu
- coordinates 255'30?S 13826'30?E
Mouth
- location Pacific
- coordinates 128'S 13754'ECoordinates 128'S 13754'E
Discharge
- average 4,580 m3s (161,740 cu fts)
The Mamberamo is a large river on the island of New Guinea, in the Indonesian
province of Papua. It is the largest river in Indonesia by volume of discharge, and
also the widest.[1]

The source of the river is formed from the confluences of its upper tributaries,
the Tariku and Taritatu Rivers. From there it flows northwards in a great valley
through the Van Rees Range (Pegunungan Van Rees), to reach the lowland marshes of
its broad river delta. The Mamberamo discharges into the Pacific Ocean at the
northern point of Point D'Urville (Tanjung D'Urville).

The river's huge valley is home to various uncontacted peoples and incredible
biodiversity. In the 1990s, the Indonesian Government had plans to construct a
large hydroelectric dam on the Mamberamo that would have submerged much of the
area. This plan was shelved after the Indonesian financial crisis from 19981999,
but there are concerns by environmental groups that it could be resurrected
sometime in the future. At present, the Mamberamo remains the second largest river
in the world to be completely unfragmented by dams in its catchment, behind only
the relatively nearby Fly.[1]

The Mamberamo area also broadly refers to several nearby mountain ranges, including
the Van Rees and Foja Mountains (also known as Foya), which were the subject of a
recent rapid biological assessment conducted by Conservation International, the
Indonesian Institute of Sciences, and Cenderawasih University. The scientific team
discovered the first new bird species from New Guinea in 60 years, and a wealth of
other new plants and animals. The Foya Mountains appear to be a globally
outstanding repository of biodiversity.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Mamberamo Bridge
3 References
4 External links
History[edit]

The upper Mamberamo River photographed during the Central-North New Guinea
Expedition led by Le Roux
In 1545, the Spanish navigator Iigo Ortiz de Retes sailed along the northern coast
of the island as far as the mouth of this river that he charted as San Agustn. At
this spot, on 20 June 1545, he claimed the territory for the Spanish Crown, and in
the process bestowing the name to the island (Nueva Guinea) by which it is known
today.

The first European to enter the mouth of the Mamberamo was Dutchman Dr D. F. van
Braam Morris in 1883. The resident from the northern Moluccas (Ternate) rowed up
the river to ascertain that it was navigable by steamer.[2] The following year in
1884 Van Braam Morris returned in the steamship Havik and travelled 60 mi (97 km)
(as the crow flies) along its course.[3]

Mamberamo Bridge[edit]
The Mamberamo Bridge was the second longest cable stayed span in Indonesia after
Kutai Kartanegara Bridge with 235 meters and 270 meters respectively until the
latter bridge collapsed in November 2011.

References[edit]
^ Jump up to a b Fragmentation and Flow Regulation of the Worlds Large River
Systems
Jump up ^ Souter (1963) p. 145
Jump up ^ (in Dutch) 'Nieuw Guinea', in de De Locomotief, donderdag 5 maart 1885
no. 57. Visited 2 July 2013
External links[edit]
Souter, Gavin (1963). New Guinea The Last Unknown. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0-207-
94627-2.
[show] v t e
Rivers of Papua (province)
[show] v t e
Notable Rivers in Indo