Sepik
The Sepik (/ˈsɛpɪk/) is the longest river on the island of New Guinea, and the second largest in Oceania by discharge volume after the Fly River. The majority of the river flows through the Papua New Guinea (PNG) provinces of Sandaun (formerly West Sepik) and East Sepik, with a small section flowing through the Indonesian province of Papua.
| Sepik | |
|---|---|
Sediment plumes at the mouth of the Sepik (right) and Ramu (left) rivers | |
Sepik River watershed (Interactive map) | |
| Location | |
| Country | Papua New Guinea, Indonesia |
| Region | Sandaun, Papua, East Sepik |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Victor Emanuel Range, Papua New Guinea |
| • coordinates | 5°13′S 141°49′E |
| • elevation | 2,170 m (7,120 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea |
• coordinates | 3°50′30″S 144°32′30″E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 1,146 km (712 mi) |
| Basin size | 80,321 km2 (31,012 sq mi) |
| Depth | |
| • maximum | 35 m (115 ft) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Bismarck Sea (near mouth) |
| • average | 7,000 m3/s (250,000 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 26,000 m3/s (920,000 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Sepik-Ramu (Basin size: 100,243 km2 (38,704 sq mi) |
| • average | 7,663 m3/s (270,600 cu ft/s)
8,000 m3/s (280,000 cu ft/s) 240 km3/a (7,600 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 4,363 m3/s (154,100 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 10,963 m3/s (387,200 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Ambunti (Basin size: 40,922 km2 (15,800 sq mi) |
| • average | 4,208 m3/s (148,600 cu ft/s) (Period of data: 1967-1994)3,615 m3/s (127,700 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 1,702 m3/s (60,100 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 5,448 m3/s (192,400 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Yellow |
| • right | April, Karawari, Yuat, Keram |
The Sepik has a large catchment area, and landforms that include swamplands, tropical rainforests and mountains. Biologically, the river system is often said to be possibly the largest uncontaminated freshwater wetland system in the Asia-Pacific region. But, in fact, numerous fish and plant species have been introduced into the Sepik since the mid-20th century.
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