Kikori River

The Kikori River is a major river in southern Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea. With a total length of 445 km (277 mi) long and flows southeast into the Gulf of Papua, with its delta at the head of the gulf. The settlement of Kikori lies on the delta.[1]

Kikori
Physical characteristics
MouthGulf of Papua
 • location
Kikori Delta
 • coordinates
7°39′S 144°17′E
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length445 km (277 mi)
Basin size17,800 km2 (6,900 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average3,274 m3/s (115,600 cu ft/s)
 • maximum5,000 m3/s (180,000 cu ft/s)

Geography

The catchment area extends from alpine grasslands of the Southern Highlands to mangrove wetlands of the mouth at Papua Gulf. The Kikori arises at the confluence of the Hegigio with the Mubi (river) or Digimu, into witch the Lake Kutubu drained.

The city of the same name Kikori is located on the right bank just before its confluence with the delta.

Economy

The Kikori river basin is home to large oil and gas fields that have been mined since the 1990s. A pipeline for oil and gas removal ( Papua New Guinea LNG Project) runs in the Kikori River system from Lake Kutubu over to Papua Gulf.

Biodiversity

The Kikori river system is known for its biodiversity. Mount Bosavi, which is well-known in this respect, lies on the western edge of the Kikori river basin. The catchment area of the Kikori is with more than 100 species of fish, of which 14 percent are endemic, along with the western, and much longer Fly River, it is the most species rich river in New Guinea. However, most of the endemic fish do not live in the rivers, but in Lake Kutubu. Furthermore, in the Kikori Basin there are three species of cherax, an endemic blind cavern Oxyeleotris caeca and six species of freshwater turtles.[2]

See also

References
    • Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1997. ISBN 0-87779-546-0 p. 592.
  2. Richards, S.J. (Editor) Rapid biological assessments of Wau Creek, Uro Creek and Lake Kutubu: documenting biodiversity values to promote forest conservation in the Kikori River basin, Papua New Guinea. ExxonMobil PNG Limited. Port Moresby. 2018 ISBN 978-0-6484933-1-0
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.