Sepik

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 / 5.217°S 141.817°E / -5.217; 141.817
• elevation	2,170 m (7,120 ft)
Mouth
• location	Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea
• coordinates	3°50′30″S 144°32′30″E / 3.84167°S 144.54167°E / -3.84167; 144.54167
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	1,146 km (712 mi)
Basin size	80,321 km2 (31,012 sq mi)[1]
Depth
• maximum	35 m (115 ft)
Discharge
• location	Bismarck Sea (near mouth)
• average	7,000 m3/s (250,000 cu ft/s)[2]
• 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)[3] 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)[3]
• maximum	10,963 m3/s (387,200 cu ft/s)[3]
Discharge
• location	Ambunti (Basin size: 40,922 km2 (15,800 sq mi)
• average	4,208 m3/s (148,600 cu ft/s)[5] (Period of data: 1967-1994)3,615 m3/s (127,700 cu ft/s)[4]
• minimum	1,702 m3/s (60,100 cu ft/s)[4]
• maximum	5,448 m3/s (192,400 cu ft/s)[4]
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Yellow
• right	April, Karawari, Yuat, Keram

The Sepik (/ˈsɛpɪk/)^[6] is the longest river on the island of New Guinea, and the second largest in Oceania by discharge volume after the Fly River.^[7] 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.

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.^[8] But, in fact, numerous fish and plant species have been introduced into the Sepik since the mid-20th century.