The Yangtze River in China is the longest river on the continent of Asia, and places third in the world. Such a coincidence that the third longest river is in the third biggest country! It flows 6,418 kilometres from the glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai eastward across south-west, central and eastern China. The mouth is at the East China Sea in Shanghai. For thousands of years, people have used the river for water, sanitation, transportation, irrigation, boundary-marking, industry, and war. The Yangtze runs through several cities and has hundreds of tributaries. Also read about the wonderful Yangtze River Delta.
The river flows through many cities in China: Yibin, Luzhou, Chongqing, Wanzhou, Yichang, Jingzhou, Yueyang, Wuhan, Jiujiang, Anqing, Tongling, Wuhu, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Nantong, and Shanghai.
It has over 700 tributaries, some are listed below.
It has over 700 tributaries, some are listed below.
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Some of these tributaries even have their own tributaries!
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Yangtze River Delta
The Yangtze River Delta, also called Golden Triangle of the Yangtze, includes the triangular-shaped territory of Wu-speaking Shanghai, the southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of China. Having fertile soil, the Yangtze River Delta produces plenty of grain, cotton, hemp and tea.
Some major cities in the Yangtze River Delta are listed below.
Some major cities in the Yangtze River Delta are listed below.
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The Yangtze River Delta (green), which includes Shanghai and parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Now some cities outside the green area on the map, shown in yellow, are also considered as in the greater Yangtze River Delta because of mutual economic development.
This area is one of the most populated regions on Earth. The population of the Yangtze River Delta is approximately 105 000 000 as of 2010. Since the ninth century, this region has been the most populous area in China and East Asia. It covers an area of 99.6 thousand km².
However, the Yangtze River Delta isn't all that glorious. The large population, factories, farms, and other cities upriver, causes a lot of pollution. In fact, the World Wide Fund for Nature also known as World Wildlife Fund or World Wildlife Federation says the Yangtze Delta is the biggest cause of marine pollution in the Pacific Ocean.
This area is one of the most populated regions on Earth. The population of the Yangtze River Delta is approximately 105 000 000 as of 2010. Since the ninth century, this region has been the most populous area in China and East Asia. It covers an area of 99.6 thousand km².
However, the Yangtze River Delta isn't all that glorious. The large population, factories, farms, and other cities upriver, causes a lot of pollution. In fact, the World Wide Fund for Nature also known as World Wildlife Fund or World Wildlife Federation says the Yangtze Delta is the biggest cause of marine pollution in the Pacific Ocean.