The Yangtze River. The regime of the Yangtze River. Description of the Yangtze River

Yangtze (in translation from the Chinese "long river") - the most extensive and extensive water flow of the continent of Eurasia. It flows through the territories of China. Its length is 6,3 thousand kilometers. The basin of the Yangtze River is about 2 million square kilometers, it covers the fifth part of China, which is home to about a third of the total population of the country. The average water discharge is 31.9 thousand m ³ / s. Thus, the river occupies the 3rd place in the world in terms of length and water content (after the Amazon and the Congo). Together with the second largest river of the Middle Kingdom, the Yellow River, the Yangtze is the basic one, both in history and in modern China. The source of the river is in the mountain range of Tibet - to the west of Mount Geladandun. And the Yangtze flows into the East Korean Sea.

Life of the Yangtze River

The official description of the Yangtze River reports that the yellow color of its waters is due to a large number of impurities. Stocks of solids a year exceed 280 million tons. For this reason, the delta progressively grows, about 1 kilometer every 40 years. The tides of the East Korean Sea enter the waterway for 700 kilometers. The regime of the Yangtze River is monsoon. In the old days, in the plains in the summer, water rose to 15 meters, and in the Sichuan basin could exceed the normal level by 20 meters. The lakes of Dongting and Poyang take water, but this does not solve the problems completely. The most severe floods: two in the XIX century (1870 and 1898) and four in the XX (1931, 1949, 1954, 1998). To protect against devastation after flooding, a dam system has been created, which extends more than 2,7 thousand kilometers. Two dams were built at the Yangtze - Gezhouba and the Three Gorges, the third is under construction, and three more are under construction.

Meals of the Yangtze

Type of food Yangtze River - mixed. The main water receives the object from monsoon rains. Additional food Yangtze River - 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 Han Shui (1,532 km). The source is located at an altitude of 5.6 kilometers above sea level in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. The river flows through Qinghai Province and turns to the south, where it serves as the natural boundary between Tibet and Sichuan. Further it flows along the Sino-Tibetan mountains, where the main discharge occurs (the water drops 4 km). And then flows at an altitude of thousands of meters above sea level. The Yangtze River in these places changes direction many times and has formed deep gorges over the millennia.

Geography of the river

At the entrance to the Sichuan Basin, the Yangtze River flows at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level. Here from the city of Yibin begins shipping. In the basin, two large tributaries flow into the river: Jialingjiang and Minjiang. The Yangtze becomes wider and fuller. Further, before Ichan, the river descends to 40 meters above sea level. She is still making her way through the deep gorges, difficult to navigate, but extraordinarily beautiful. Flowing between the provinces of Hubei and Chongqing, the water flow serves as their natural boundary. On this stretch, the world's largest hydrotechnical structure "Sanxia" was erected. Leaving on the Jianhuan Plain, the river is replenished with water from numerous lakes. In the heart of Hubei in the Yangtze River flows its largest tributary - Han. In the north of Jiangsu, it takes fresh water from Poyang Lake. Then passes the province of Anhui and flows into the East Korean Sea, near Shanghai. Here the river formed a giant delta - about 80 thousand square kilometers.

Economic importance

The Yangtze River is considered one of the busiest waterways in the world. Its shipping segment is 2850 kilometers. The volume of annual transportation varies within 800 million tons. The total length of the routes in the basin exceeds 17 thousand kilometers. The Yangtze water is used for drinking needs, for supplying settlements and industrial enterprises, for irrigation of fields and generation of electric energy. The delta area is maximally prosperous and produces up to 20% of the country's GDP. Agricultural enterprises along the Yangtze River channel produce more than 50% of crop products. Also here are the largest industrial centers. The Yangtze Basin is the most populated on the Earth. The river feeds its water more than 200 million people.

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. Measures taken by the government do not have a tangible effect. The river has been in an extremely dangerous state for several years now. In the Yangtze are dumped more than 3 hundred different substances, and every year this figure is steadily increasing. On the banks there are more than 400 thousand industrial enterprises, of which 7 - large-scale oil refineries, 5 - the largest metallurgical complexes and petrochemical bases. A lot of cleaning facilities have been constructed on the river, but only 30% of them function normally because of insufficient funding. The latest data on water in the Yangtze report that it contains a lot of heavy metals. The figure is a hundred times higher than the norm.

Vegetation and fauna

The Yangtze River passes through many different ecosystems, inhabited by a variety of plants and animals. And the river itself is inhabited. It has preserved endangered species of animals and those that can live only in this area: Chinese sturgeon, alligators and river dolphins. Here is located a huge world-famous park "Three Parallel Rivers", which is included in the UNESCO list. As a result of human activities in the area of the river, such plants as the giant sequoia, gingko balboa, and the rarest species of yew are endangered. Chinese sturgeon and dolphin suffocate in the muddy waters of the river, and on the shores more and less often there is a golden monkey and a large panda. The area, once covered by forest, was 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 the hydraulic structures built more than two thousand years ago. The journey through the Yangtze begins with Sichuan - the homeland of 2 great rivers, 2 great Chinese poets and 2 great generals. Here you can taste dishes of classical Chinese cuisine (this is considered throughout the country). In the early 70's in these places archeologists discovered traces of an ancient civilization, 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 only the beginning of the journey. And there are many kilometers ahead and many curious and entertaining places ahead.