Maro River flows in Merauke Regency

Merauke Regency

Merauke is a regency in Papua Province, Indonesia.It includes the following districts:* Distrik Ulilin* Eligobel* Jagebob* Kimaam* Kurik* Merauke* Muting* Okaba* Semangga* Sota* Tanah Miring...

, Papua Province, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. The Maro flows from north-east to south-west, into the Arafura Sea

Arafura Sea

The Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea.-Geography:The Arafura Sea is bordered by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, the Timor Sea to the west and the Banda and Ceram...

. The river is strongly tidal for most of its length and its lower reaches are affected by salt water. Associated with the river is a complex system of swamps and oxbow lake

Oxbow lake

An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...

s which are of great importance for a large number of birds and reptiles. The Maro river borders the northern side of Wasur National Park

Wasur National Park

The Wasur National Park forms part of the largest wetland in Papua province of Indonesia and has been the least disturbed by human activity. The high value of its biodiversity has led to the park being dubbed the "Serengeti of Papua"...

.