CAMBODIA

Tonle Sap Lake

The Tonle Sap has abundant supplies of fresh water fish. For centuries the Great Lake people have been able to catch 10 tons of fish per square kilometer and provide the major source of Khmer sustenance. Moreover, for astute bird? watcher, the aquatic habitats attract thousand of birds and fish? eating waterfowl, which flock to the wetlands before the rain begins in June.

Species inhabiting the Lake include carp, catfish (weighing up to 135kg), mussel, herring, climbing perch and gourami.

On the banks of the mighty Great Lake and Mekong Rivers, people have celebrated for over two hundred years the clanging of the Rivers flow. During the rainy season the Tonle Sap River reverses its direction, flooding the lake, increasing its size almost tenfold, making it the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia.

During the flood season, water engulfs the surrounding forest, regulating agricultural production by ensuring that the countryside is covered with fresh, fertile silt for rice cultivation.
The combination of soil fertility and the abundance of silt in the Mekong River, makes agriculture in Cambodia an important and high yielding activity.

Tonle Sap's natural wonder offers visitors insights into the centuries? old traditions of riparian life and the natural splendor of the country.