The Yangtze (translated from Chinese as “long river”) is the most watery and longest water flow of the continent of Eurasia. It flows through the territories of China. Its length is 6.3 thousand kilometers. The Yangtze River basin is about 2 million square kilometers, it covers a fifth of China, which is home to about a third of the country's population. The average water consumption is 31.9 thousand m 3 / s. Thus, the river occupies the 3rd place in the world in terms of length and high water content (after the Amazon and Congo). Together with the second largest Middle Kingdom river, the Yellow River, the Yangtze is the base, both in history and in the modern economy of China. The source of the river is located in the mountain range of Tibet - west of Mount Geladandun. And the Yangtze flows into the East Korean Sea.
Yangtze River Life
An official description of the Yangtze River reports that the yellow color of its waters is due to a large amount of impurities. The stock of solids per year exceeds 280 million tons. For this reason, the delta is growing progressively, about 1 kilometer every 40 years. The tides of the East Korean Sea enter the water artery for 700 kilometers. The regime of the Yangtze River is monsoon. In the old days, on the plains in the summer, water rose to 15 meters, and in the Sichuan basin could exceed the normal level by 20 meters. Lakes Duntinghu and Poyanhu take in the water, but this does not solve the problems completely. The most severe floods: two in the 19th century (1870 and 1898) and four in the 20th (1931, 1949, 1954, 1998). To protect against devastation after floods, a system of dams has been created, which extends over more than 2.7 thousand kilometers. Two dams were built on the Yangtze - Gezhzhouba and the "Three Gorges", the third is only under construction, in addition, three more are under construction.
Yangtze Food
The type of nutrition of the Yangtze River is mixed. The object receives the main water from monsoon rains. Additional nutrition of the Yangtze River is a product of melting mountain glaciers. More than 700 tributaries flow into it. The largest of them are: Yalongjiang (1187 km), Minjiang (735 km), Jialingjiang (1119 km), Tuo (876 km) and Hanshui (1532 km). The source is located at an altitude of 5.6 kilometers above sea level in the eastern part of the Tibet Plateau. The river flows through Qinghai province and turns south, where it serves as a natural border between Tibet and Sichuan. Then it flows along the Sino-Tibet mountains, where the main discharge occurs (water drops 4 kilometers). And then it flows at an altitude of thousands of meters above sea level. The Yangtze River in these places changes direction many times and over the millennia formed deep gorges.
River geography
At the entrance to the Sichuan basin, the Yangtze River flows at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level. Here, shipping begins from the city of Yibin. In the basin two large tributaries flow into the river: Jialingjiang and Minjiang. The Yangtze is becoming wider and more modern. Further, to Ichan, the river drops to 40 meters above sea level. She still makes her way through the deep gorges, difficult to navigate, but unusually beautiful. Flowing between the provinces of Hubei and Chongqing, the water stream serves as their natural border. On this stretch, the world's largest hydraulic structure, Sansya, was erected. Emerging on the Jianhaan plain, the river is replenished with water from numerous lakes. In the center of Hubei, the Yangtze flows into its largest tributary - Han. In northern Jiangsu, she takes fresh water from Poyanghu Lake. Then it passes Anhui Province and flows into the East Korean Sea, not far from Shanghai. Here the river formed a giant delta - about 80 thousand square kilometers.
Economic value
The Yangtze River is considered one of the busiest waterways in the world. Its navigable segment is 2850 kilometers. The volume of annual traffic varies within 800 million tons. The total length of routes in the river basin exceeds 17 thousand kilometers. Yangtze water is used for drinking needs, for supplying settlements and industrial enterprises, for irrigation of fields and generation of electric energy. The delta region is the most prosperous and produces up to 20% of the country's GDP. Agricultural enterprises located along the Yangtze channel produce more than 50% of crop products. Also here are the largest industrial centers. The Yangtze basin is the most populated on the globe. The river feeds more than 200 million people with its water.
Ecology
The Yangtze River suffers from industrial pollution. Every year, up to 30 billion tons of waste are dumped into it, which contain hundreds of harmful and toxic products. The measures taken by the government do not bring tangible effect. The river has been in extremely dangerous condition for several years. More than 3 hundred different substances are discharged into the Yangtze, and this figure is steadily increasing every year. More than 400 thousand industrial enterprises are located on the banks, of which 7 are large-scale oil refineries, 5 are the largest metallurgical complexes and petrochemical bases. A lot of treatment facilities have been built on the river, but due to insufficient funding, only 30% function normally. Recent data from water research in the Yangtze indicate that it contains many heavy metals. The figure is a hundred times higher than normal.
Vegetation and wildlife
The Yangtze passes through many different ecosystems in which a variety of plants and animals live. And the river itself is inhabited. It has endangered species of animals and those that can only live in this area: Chinese sturgeons, alligators and river dolphins. There is also a huge world-famous park "Three parallel rivers", which is included in the list of UNESCO. As a result of human activities in the river area, plants such as giant sequoia, gingko balboa, and the rarest varieties of yew are endangered. Chinese sturgeon and dolphin are suffocating in the muddy waters of the river, and along the banks there is less and less common a golden monkey and a large panda. The area once covered by forest became 22% deserted.
sights
The Yangtze is interesting in many aspects. On its shores, many thousands of years ago, Chinese civilization was born. Until now, on the river you can see hydraulic structures built more than two thousand years ago. The journey through the Yangtze begins with Sichuan - the birthplace of 2 great rivers, 2 great Chinese poets and 2 great generals. Here you can taste classic Chinese cuisine (as they say throughout the country). In the early 70's, archaeologists discovered traces of an ancient civilization in these places, unlike anything previously known. For example, gold masks weighing 200 kilograms each, bronze figurines of animals and birds, as well as a stone "wheel of life." And this is just the beginning of the journey. And there are still many kilometers ahead and many interesting and interesting places.