The Yangtze

Facts

Location

The Yangtze is often known as the Chang Jiang. it is the third largest river in the World. It has its source high in the snow-capped mountains of western China. The snow melts in the summer months because the weather is warmer. This water trickles down the mountains where it enters small streams. The streams join together to make the Yangtze river.

The Yangtze has more than 700 small tributaries. The Yangtze flows through a series of narow gorges. As it reaches the flatter land of the floodplain, it becomes much wider. The mouth of the Yangtze is at Shanghai where it enters the Yellow Sea.

The Yangtze and flooding

The Yangtze often floods, particularly after the heavy rains in the monsoon season. In two thousand years, there have been over a thousand serious floods. The last flood was in 1998 after there had been heavy rainfall over several weeks.

Several dams have been built in the gorges to try to control the problem of flooding. A famous dam is the Gezhouba dam at the end of the Xiling Gorge. The dams also provide hydro-electricity for the people of China.

Agriculture

Almost half of the crops eaten by people in China are grown along the fertile banks of the Yangtze river. Rice, barley, beans, wheat and maize are grown, as well as cotton and hemp. The soils of the floodplain are very fertile.

Using the river for transport

The Yangtze is an important waterway for boats and cargo ships. Large ships can navigate up the river for 2400 kilometres to the city of Chungking. Shanghai, by the mouth, is an important port for cargo ships. Smaller boats can travel along the rest of the Yangtze and its smaller tributaries.

Wildlife

There are many different fish which live in the Yangtze. The Yangtze is also home to rare species of river dolphin and alligators. Special reserves to try and protect these species have been set up.