Yangtze

The Yangtze River or Chang Jiang is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world, after the Nile in Africa, and the Amazon in South America. The river is about 3,964 miles (6,380 km) long and flows from its source in a glacier in Qinghai Province, eastwards into the East China Sea at Shanghai, receiving water from over 700 tributaries along the way. It has traditionally been considered a dividing line between North and South China, although geographers consider the Qinling-Huai River line to be the official line of geographical division.

The Yangtze is one of the world's busiest waterways, flanked with industrial belts and high-tech development zones, and is a major transportation artery for China, connecting the interior with the coast. Cargo transportation on the river reached 795 million tons in 2005. Rapid modernization and economic development has accelerated problems such as industrial pollution, erosion and deforestation, and is accelerating the loss of native species. The Three Gorges Dam, officially opened in May, 2006, is the largest hydroelectric power dam in the world. It was conceived as a means of controlling floods, improving shipping, and providing electricity to millions of people, but may cause serious damage to the economy and the environmental health of the region.

Geography

The river originates in a glacier in the Dangla Mountains on the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau. It runs through the eastern part of Qinghai, turning southward down a deep valley at the border of Sichuan and Tibet to reach Yunnan. In the course of this valley, the river's elevation drops from above 16,404 ft (5,000 m) to less than 3,281 ft (1000 m).

It enters the basin of Sichuan at Yibin. While in the Sichuan basin it receives several mighty tributaries, increasing its water volume significantly. It then cuts through Mount Wushan, bordering Chongqing and Hubei, to create the famous Three Gorges. Eastward of the Three Gorges, Yichang is the first city on the Yangtze Plain.

After entering Hubei, the Yangtze receives more water from thousands of lakes. The largest of these lakes is Dongting Lake, which is located on the border of Hunan and Hubei provinces, and is the outlet for most of the rivers in Hunan. At Wuhan it receives its biggest tributary, the Han River, bringing water from its northern basin as far as Shaanxi.

At the northern tip of Jiangxi, Lake Boyang, the biggest lake in China, merges into the river. The river then runs through Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, receiving more water from innumerable smaller lakes and rivers, and finally reaches the East China Sea at Shanghai.

Four of China's five main freshwater lakes contribute their waters to the Yangtze River. Traditionally, the upstream part of the Yangtze River refers to the section from Yibin to Yichang; the middle part refers to the section from Yichang to Hukou, where Boyang Lake meets the river; the downstream part is from Hukou to Shanghai.

History

The river originates in a glacier in the Dangla Mountains on the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau. It runs through the eastern part of Qinghai, turning southward down a deep valley at the border of Sichuan and Tibet to reach Yunnan. In the course of this valley, the river's elevation drops from above 16,404 ft (5,000 m) to less than 3,281 ft (1000 m).

It enters the basin of Sichuan at Yibin. While in the Sichuan basin it receives several mighty tributaries, increasing its water volume significantly. It then cuts through Mount Wushan, bordering Chongqing and Hubei, to create the famous Three Gorges. Eastward of the Three Gorges, Yichang is the first city on the Yangtze Plain.

After entering Hubei, the Yangtze receives more water from thousands of lakes. The largest of these lakes is Dongting Lake, which is located on the border of Hunan and Hubei provinces, and is the outlet for most of the rivers in Hunan. At Wuhan it receives its biggest tributary, the Han River, bringing water from its northern basin as far as Shaanxi.

At the northern tip of Jiangxi, Lake Boyang, the biggest lake in China, merges into the river. The river then runs through Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, receiving more water from innumerable smaller lakes and rivers, and finally reaches the East China Sea at Shanghai.

Four of China's five main freshwater lakes contribute their waters to the Yangtze River. Traditionally, the upstream part of the Yangtze River refers to the section from Yibin to Yichang; the middle part refers to the section from Yichang to Hukou, where Boyang Lake meets the river; the downstream part is from Hukou to Shanghai.

Credited to new world encyclopedia and flickr:Nightshade Valerian,yuan2003,ben124