The basins of more than one and a half thousand rivers exceed 1000 square meters. km. The average annual flow of rivers in China is about 2.7 trillion cubic meters, ranking sixth in the world after Brazil, Russia, Canada, the United States and Indonesia. More famous rivers in China: Yangtze, Huanghe, Heilongjiang, Yalutsangpo, Zhujiang, Huihe, etc. The Tarim River in Xinjiang is the longest inland river in China, with a length of 2,100 km.

Main rivers

The Yangtze, the largest river in China, originates in snowy mountains Geladandong mountain system Tangla, flows through 11 provinces, autonomous regions and cities of central subordination and flows into the East China Sea, its total length is 6300 km, it ranks 3rd in length in the world and 1st in Asia. The Yangtze has many tributaries, the main ones are: Yalongjiang, Minjiang, Jialingjiang, Hanjiang, Wujiang, Xiangjiang, Ganjiang, etc. The basin area is 1.8 million square meters. km, or 18.8% total area territory of China. The Yangtze is an important shipping route in China. On the stretch of the Yangtze River from Fengjie County in Chongqing to Yichang in Hubei Province, the Sanxia Canyon is 193 km long. The construction of the famous Sanxia Hydroelectric Complex began in 1994 and completed in 2009, which can curb rare floods, and the annual electricity generation will be 84.7 billion kWh, the hydroelectric complex will also improve the fairway, provide water to cities and towns on average and lower reaches of the river, for irrigation of field lands.

The Yellow River is the second largest river in China, originates in the northern spurs of the Baiangla Mountains in Qinghai Province and flows through nine provinces and autonomous regions, flows into the Bohai Sea. The length of the Yellow River is 5464 km, its basin covers an area of ​​more than 750 thousand square meters. km. The number of its main tributaries is more than 40. The main ones are Fenhe and Weihe. The soil of the Loess Plateau, through which the Yellow River flows, contains a lot of calcium carbonate, which is very hard when dry, but when it rains, it instantly turns into a liquid, easily washed off with water. A large number of silt and sand, together with water, enter the Yellow River, turning it into the river with the highest content of silt in the world, as a result, the height of the Yellow River increases by 10 cm annually. upstream Many hydropower facilities have already been built on the Yellow River, such as Longyangxia, Lujiaxia, Qingtongxia.

Heilongjiang flows through the northern part of the country, the border river between China and Russia, its basin covers an area of ​​more than 900 thousand square meters. km, the length of the river within China is 3420 km.

Yalutsangpo originates from the Kimayangzom glacier in the northern spurs of the Himalayas in Zhongba County, the length of the river within China is 2057 km, the basin area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is 240480 square meters. km, the average height above sea level of the basin is about 4500 m, is the river with the highest altitude in the world above sea level.

Zhujiang is the largest river in South China, the total length is 2214 km, the basin area is 453.69 thousand square meters. km, in terms of water resources, it ranks second in China, second only to the Yangtze.

Huihe: basin area - 269.238 thousand square meters km, total length - 1000 km.

Songhuajiang: basin area - 557.18 thousand square meters km, total length - 2308 km.

Liaohe: basin area - 228.96 thousand square meters. km, total length - 1390 km.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was dug in the 5th century BC. e., leads from Beijing to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. It pulls from north to south for 1800 km, flows through the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang provinces, links the Haihe, Huanghe, Huaihe, Yangtze and Qiantangjiang rivers, making it the earliest and longest artificial canal in the world .

lakes

China is rich in lakes, with 2,800 lakes over 1 sq. km each and 130 lakes with an area of ​​more than 100 km each. In addition, many artificial lakes and reservoirs are also scattered throughout the country. These lakes can be divided into fresh and salty. Large lakes scattered mainly in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The largest freshwater lake in China is Poyang, the largest salty lake is Qinghaihu.

In China great amount rivers, lakes and reservoirs. It is not possible to disassemble even some of them, so today we will consider only the largest rivers in China. There are two main rivers in China - the Yangtze (blue river) and the Yellow River (yellow river). Let's talk about them briefly. This review is part of a comprehensive guide to China.

Rivers of China

Meaning water resources for China, as well as for other countries of the world, it is difficult to overestimate. China is one of the ten most full-flowing countries, annually transporting millions of tons of cargo and food through its waterways. Recent years China is actively changing the direction of rivers, building barrier dams and changing the natural landscape in every possible way. In the future, this cannot but have a negative impact on the development of the country. Nevertheless, today, as in many years to come, China's rivers will serve as a critical component of economic success.

The largest rivers in China

Judging by the length, fullness and economic importance, two main rivers in China stand out clearly. They are called the Yangtze, which is commonly called the blue river and the Yellow River, the second name of which is the yellow river in China. In turn, these two rivers are ranked fourth and fifth in the list of the longest rivers in the world.

The Yangtze River in China is the longest, even the literal translation of the Yangtze means long river. It stretches for a distance of about 6,000 kilometers along a large territory of China. Originating from the peaks of Tibet, the blue Yangtze River flows through more than ten provinces and flows into the sea near Shanghai. For several millennia, one of China's two main rivers, the Yangtze, has been the source of life for millions of Chinese and other peoples who inhabit the territory of modern China.

Continuing the story of the largest rivers in China, one cannot fail to mention one of the longest rivers in the world, the Yellow Yellow River. The Huang He received its second name for the characteristic yellow color of the water. The Yellow River in China, the Yellow River, as well as the Yangtze, is the most important water artery China. She gave and continues to give life to a huge number of people living on its shores. The length of the Yellow River is about 5500 kilometers, which makes it one of the longest rivers in the world and one of the two largest rivers in China.

Lots of rivers. The rivers of China can be large and small, calm and rather turbulent, short and long. In short, they are as different as China itself.

Yangtze

The largest river in China total length 6300 kilometers, second only to the Amazon and the Nile in this indicator. It originates in the mountains of Geladandong and makes its way through eleven provinces. The landscapes of the river are constantly changing, for which locals call it the "river of contrasts."

The Yangtze is navigable for almost its entire length and is the most convenient waterway in the country. In addition, it conditionally divides China into two parts: northern and southern. On the banks of the river are Largest cities countries: Nanjing; Wuhan; Chongqing; .

Zhujiang

Zhujiang (also called the Pearl River) passes through the territory of eight provinces. Such unusual name gave the river an island on it. The water polished its shores so carefully that they became surprisingly smooth and in this way resemble the surface of a pearl.

The Pearl River is enjoyed by guests of the country special interest. It is extraordinarily beautiful at night, when the numerous bridges connecting its banks are illuminated. The banks of the river surprise big amount attractions located here.

Huanghe

This is the second largest river in the country (5464 kilometers), taking its source in the Tibetan Plateau. The Yellow River is translated as "Yellow River" because of the special color of its water. IN summer time there is a huge amount of silt in its waters. It is during this period that the river is especially full of water and often overflows its banks.

Liaohe

Liaohe - major river northeast China. The very first mention of it dates back to 475-221. BC. The river has two sources at once. One is located in the east, the other in the west.

heilongjiang

Heilongjiang runs along the border of the territory and China. And if for the Chinese this river is called Heilongjiang, then for us it is our native Amur. The river bends the territory of China from the east and flows into the waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The total length of Heilongjiang is 4370 kilometers and it is the eleventh longest river on the planet.

The Heilongjiang riverbed passes through amazingly picturesque places. If you look at it from a bird's eye view, it surprisingly resembles a black dragon. Which, in fact, is reflected in its name.

Hangang

Hangang (or Hanshui River) is one of the powerful tributaries of the Yangtze, with a length of 1532 kilometers. According to historians, it was she who gave the name to the kingdom of Han and one of the royal dynasties - also Han.

The Yangtze is longest river in china and throughout the Eurasian continent. Its length is about six thousand kilometers, which can allow it to compete with such big rivers like the Nile and the Amazon. The source of the river is in the center of the Tibetan plateau.

The river most likely got its name from the ancient ferry crossing, whose name was the Yangtze. This was usually the first word that merchants from Europe who arrived here could hear, so this name stuck to the river. However, in China, the name Yangtze has long been outdated, and now only poets use this name in their poems and poems. And the current name of the river - chang jiang, and it translates as long river».

Based on the fact that yangtze river very long, then the locals called it differently in different parts of it, because the times were ancient and there were no special movements of peoples, so everyone called their section of the river as they saw fit and took it for the truth. For example, in its upper reaches the river was called Dangku (which means swamp river). A little further downstream, the locals gave the river the name Tuotuo, and further down, Tongtian (it's more of a philosophical name, which means a river that runs through the sky).

And there are many such names. And this is no coincidence. After all, the river emerges from the Himalayan ice, at an altitude of more than five thousand meters above sea level, then it makes a relatively short distance and reaches a mark of a thousand meters above sea level. Naturally, such differences and peculiarities could not pass by the inhabitants who settled along the banks of the river, and they gave this great river their names.

Flowing like a storm among mountains, Yangtze It is very well fed from its tributaries, after which its channel expands noticeably. And reaching the borders of the Yangtze mountain range, it collides with the greatest hydraulic structure in the world - a dam called "Sanxia". I must say that the Chinese use the potential of this river, as they say to the fullest. A number of dams have been built here, and several more are in the planning and development stage.

The Yangtze is longest river in china and throughout the Eurasian continent. Its length is about six thousand kilometers, which can allow it to compete with such large rivers as the Nile and the Amazon. The source of the river is in the center of the Tibetan plateau.

The river most likely got its name from the ancient ferry crossing, whose name was the Yangtze. This was usually the first word that merchants from Europe who arrived here could hear, so this name stuck to the river. However, in China, the name Yangtze has long been outdated, and now only poets use this name in their poems and poems. And the current name of the river - chang jiang, and it translates as long river».

Based on the fact that yangtze river very long, then the locals called it differently in different parts of it, because the times were ancient and there were no special movements of peoples, so everyone called their section of the river as they saw fit and took it for the truth. For example, in its upper reaches the river was called Dangku (which means swamp river). A little further downstream, the locals gave the river the name Tuotuo, and further down, Tongtian (it's more of a philosophical name, which means a river that runs through the sky).

And there are many such names. And this is no coincidence. After all, the river emerges from the Himalayan ice, at an altitude of more than five thousand meters above sea level, then it travels a relatively short distance and reaches a thousand meters above sea level. Naturally, such differences and features could not pass by the inhabitants who settled along the banks of the river, and they gave this great river their names.

Flowing like a storm among mountains, Yangtze It is very well fed from its tributaries, after which its channel expands noticeably. And reaching the borders of the Yangtze mountain range, it collides with the greatest hydraulic structure in the world - a dam called "Sanxia". I must say that the Chinese use the potential of this river, as they say to the fullest. A number of dams have been built here, and several more are in the planning and development stage.