The Mekong Delta (Vietnamese: Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit. ‘Nine Dragon River Delta’ or simply Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, ‘Mekong River Delta’), also known as the Western Region (Vietnamese: Miền Tây) or South-western region (Vietnamese: Tây Nam Bộ), is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong Riverapproaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of south-western Vietnam of over 40,500 km2 (15,600 sq mi). The size of the area covered by water depends on the season. Its wet coastal geography makes it an important source of agriculture and aquaculture for the country.