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Where does the Mekong River begin?
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Mekong River
The Irrawaddy and Mekong river basins and their drainage networks.
The Mekong River begins in the Tibet Autonomous Region and southeastern Qinghai province, China. Its principal headstream, the Za Qu River, rises at an elevation of more than 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) on the north slope of the Tanggula Mountains in Qinghai province.12
The river also originates within the Plateau of Tibet, where it rises between the Salween and Yangtze rivers. As it flows through the Qamdo region of Tibet, the Za Qu joins other headstreams to form the main river, which is known as the Lancang in Chinese.32