Baram River
Encyclopedia
The Baram river is a river in Sarawak
, East Malaysia
on the island of Borneo
. The river originates in the central Iran Mountains and flows westwards through tropical rainforest to the South China Sea
.
The Baram river basin has been part of Sarawak since it was ceded to the White Rajah of Sarawak
by the then sultan
of Brunei in 1882, an area of some 10000 square miles (25,899.9 km²), for a perpetual annual payment of 6000 dollars.
The river is crossed not far from its mouth by the Miri-Baram Highway
, Federal Route , on the Batang Baram Bridge
opened in 2003. Some 100 km upstream lies the town of Marudi
.
epoch or Mesolithic
period about 10,000 years ago, there was a 5 degrees Celsius drop in the global temperature. At mountaintops, rainfall as snow and accumulated as huge icy sheets (including Mount Kinabalu
), thus making a break in the global hydrological cycle. Due to lack of water discharge into the sea, there was a 120-meter drop of sea levels from the present time. The South China Sea dried up, exposing the Sunda Shelf
and previous deep trenches became huge ancient rivers called the North Sunda River.
Asian Mainland, Malay Peninsular, Sumatra
and Java became connected to Borneo
via the landbridge of exposed Sunda Shelf. The North Sunda River provided vital connection to Mekong River in Vietnam and Chao Phraya River
in Thailand to the north, Baram and Rajang
rivers in Sarawak
to the east and Pahang River
and Rompin River
to the west of the massive land mass. Freshwater catfish
es and barbs
from those rivers migrated and mated to exchange their genetic materials about 10,000 years ago. Thus, after the Holocene
, when the temperature increased, the landbridges and Sunda River were inudated and the catfish populations were isolated. However, their genetic motives are still in the DNA
as an evidence of the previous connections of Baram River to other isolated rivers in Indochina and Borneo.
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, East Malaysia
East Malaysia
East Malaysia, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia located on the island of Borneo. It consists of the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan. It lies to the east from Peninsular Malaysia , which is located on the Malay Peninsula. The two are...
on the island of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. The river originates in the central Iran Mountains and flows westwards through tropical rainforest to the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
.
The Baram river basin has been part of Sarawak since it was ceded to the White Rajah of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
by the then sultan
Abdul Momin
Abdul Momin was the sultan of Brunei from 1852 until his death. He was the son of a nobleman named Pengiran Shahbandar Pengiran Anak Abdul Wahab. Pengiran Anak Abdul Momin succeeded his father in law Omar Ali Saifuddin II as sultan upon the latter's death, having previously served as regent for...
of Brunei in 1882, an area of some 10000 square miles (25,899.9 km²), for a perpetual annual payment of 6000 dollars.
The river is crossed not far from its mouth by the Miri-Baram Highway
Miri-Baram Highway
Miri–Baram Highway, Federal Route , also known as Jalan Kuala Baram-Sungai Tujuh, is a major highway in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. This highway is part of the Pan Borneo Highway .- List of Interchanges :...
, Federal Route , on the Batang Baram Bridge
Batang Baram Bridge
The Batang Baram Bridge or ASEAN Bridge is the longest bridge in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The bridge is located along Miri-Baram Highway '. The official opening ceremony of the bridge was held on 30 August 2003 by The Right Honourable the Chief Ministers of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan...
opened in 2003. Some 100 km upstream lies the town of Marudi
Marudi, Sarawak
Marudi is a town on the Baram River in the north of Sarawak which borders the state of Sabah in Malaysia and the small country of Brunei. Marudi is a quiet river town situated inland from Miri, similar in size to Kapit though nowhere near as busy. Its main attraction is yet another of the Brooke...
.
Environmental History: Tributary of the prehistoric Sunda River
During the PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
epoch or Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
period about 10,000 years ago, there was a 5 degrees Celsius drop in the global temperature. At mountaintops, rainfall as snow and accumulated as huge icy sheets (including Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is located in the East Malaysian state of Sabah and is protected as Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site. Kinabalu is the tallest peak in Borneo's Crocker Range and is the tallest mountain in the Malay...
), thus making a break in the global hydrological cycle. Due to lack of water discharge into the sea, there was a 120-meter drop of sea levels from the present time. The South China Sea dried up, exposing the Sunda Shelf
Sunda Shelf
Geologically, the Sunda Shelf is a south east extension of the continental shelf of Southeast Asia. Major landmasses on the shelf include the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Madura, Bali and their surrounding smaller islands. It covers an area of approximately 1.85 million km2...
and previous deep trenches became huge ancient rivers called the North Sunda River.
Asian Mainland, Malay Peninsular, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and Java became connected to Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
via the landbridge of exposed Sunda Shelf. The North Sunda River provided vital connection to Mekong River in Vietnam and Chao Phraya River
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital city, and then empties into the Gulf of Thailand.-Etymology:...
in Thailand to the north, Baram and Rajang
Rajang River
The Rajang River is a river in Sarawak, Malaysia. The river is located in northwest of Borneo and it originates in the Iran Mountains. The river flows approximately 563 km to the South China Sea, making it the longest river in Malaysia....
rivers in Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
to the east and Pahang River
Pahang River
Pahang River or is a river in the state of Pahang, Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula. With 459 km in length, it is the longest river on the Malay Peninsula...
and Rompin River
Rompin River
Rompin River is a river in the Malaysian state of Pahang. It flows through the southeastern part of Pahang before emptying into the South China Sea....
to the west of the massive land mass. Freshwater catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
es and barbs
Barbonymus
Barbonymus is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae, containing some barb species. The genus was only established in 1999, with the Tinfoil Barb as type species; thus, these fish are sometimes collectively called tinfoils...
from those rivers migrated and mated to exchange their genetic materials about 10,000 years ago. Thus, after the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
, when the temperature increased, the landbridges and Sunda River were inudated and the catfish populations were isolated. However, their genetic motives are still in the DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
as an evidence of the previous connections of Baram River to other isolated rivers in Indochina and Borneo.