Yangtze river

Yangtze River

The Yangtze River (pronunciation: /ˈjæŋtsi/ or /ˈjɑːŋtsi/), also known as the Chang Jiang in Chinese, is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world.

Etymology

The name "Yangtze" comes from the name of the ancient fiefdom of Yang, which was located in the area of the river's drainage basin. "Chang Jiang" literally means "Long River" in Chinese.

Geography

The Yangtze River flows for over 6,300 kilometers from the glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume in the world.

Tributaries

The Yangtze River has numerous tributaries including the Min River, Han River, Jialing River, Gan River, and Huangpu River.

Flora and Fauna

The Yangtze River is home to a large variety of species. It has a significant impact on the agriculture, transport, and biodiversity of the region. It is also the habitat of several endangered species including the Yangtze River Dolphin and the Chinese Alligator.

Human Impact

The Yangtze River plays a crucial role in the history, culture and economy of China. The fertile lower Yangtze region is responsible for more than half of China's crop production and is the home of many major cities, including Nanjing and Shanghai.

The river is also the site of many large and controversial engineering projects, such as the Three Gorges Dam, which is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity.

This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.