The two main rivers of China. What are the major rivers and lakes of China? The main rivers of China on the map

China is being made an attractive country for tourism - an abundance of attractions, an interesting culture, and a history dating back to antiquity. On the territory of China there are many picturesque mountains, rivers, waterfalls and gorges.

One of the largest rivers in China is the Yangtze, with a length of 6300 kilometers. In the snow-capped mountains of Geladandong, it originates and flows through eleven provinces. It is called the river of contrasts. It flows first through the fields, then through the foothills, turning into mountains and gorges, changing into hills.

In length, it is second only to the Nile and the Amazon. The Three Gorges Dam, one of the world's largest hydroelectric dams, was built on this river. It flows through deep valleys and high mountains. The river is fraught with rich water resources.

The Yangtze is the country's main and most convenient shipping route, which runs from west to east. It is called the "golden transport artery", it seems that nature itself has adapted it for navigation.

Warm and humid climate, abundance of rainfall and fertile soil are excellent conditions for the development Agriculture. The main granary of the country is located here.

The Yangtze River has long been famous for its beauty. There are many legends about local sights. This is the main highway of China, the most abundant and long river Eurasia. The Yangtze River divides northern and southern China into two parts. On the Yangtze are Largest cities China - Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing. The city of Shanghai is located in the river delta.

Huanghe

Talking about the two main rivers of China, it should be said that the second largest river of the state, with a length of 5464 kilometers, is the Yellow River, originating in the Tibetan Plateau. It means "yellow river". It rushes in a stormy stream to the east, down from the plateau through the gorges, further through the highlands of Gansu province.

Especially in summer, it carries a huge amount of silt, when the river is at its fullest. Often there are floods, for which the river is called "the grief of China." Then it goes to the North China Plain. When leaving the gorge, it flows into the Bohai Bay. Right now in upstream This river has built many waterworks. Where the river loses speed, and Chinese civilization was born.

One of the remarkable features inherent in a huge state called China is a great many fresh water bodies. These are numerous full-flowing rivers that stretch for thousands of kilometers in length. They can be both deep, rich in underwater vegetable and animal world, and small, but at the same time incredibly beautiful and acceptable for swimming. Along with them, there are large lakes in China, which simply amaze with their beauty and purity. Therefore, we will now try to tell in great detail about what remarkable and famous reservoirs this country is famous for.

Chinese water "grid"

The large rivers and lakes of China are a whole water system, which is considered one of the largest in the world. In terms of full-flowing water, this state ranks sixth on the planet, following Brazil, Russia, Canada, the United States and Indonesia. Here there are both internal water bodies that do not go beyond the borders of the country with their channels and bays, and external ones that cross the borders of other powers and flow into the Indian, Pacific or Arctic Ocean. Mostly everything major rivers and lakes of China are located in the eastern part of the country, but many of them stretch to other regions. In total, all the river channels of the state make up 220 thousand kilometers, of which 64% is occupied by external waters, and the rest is inland water bodies, which are mainly shallow and small.

Brief information about the water bodies of China

In general, over 5,000 rivers flow in this country. The largest of them belong to external waters, and it is they that flow into the oceans. Among these rivers, it is worth mentioning the Yangtze, the Huang He (the two largest rivers and part of the symbolism of the country), the Zhujiang, Heilongjiang and others. The rest, which we will name a little below, are internal. China's major rivers and lakes are not always interconnected, but smaller bodies of water tend to flow into vast reservoirs. So, all the rivers that flow inside the country often do not flow into the oceans, but into local lakes. It is also considered an important aspect that it is in the valleys of the country's largest rivers that a huge number of people live. Here the population density is much higher than in other regions. But the lakes of the country are rather a magnet for tourists. They are very beautiful here, clean and simply unique.

Water pride of Eurasia

When they talk about the largest rivers in China, the first thing they call a water artery called the Yangtze. In addition to the fact that the river has been a nurse and a mystical symbol of the country from time immemorial, it is also the first largest and full-flowing river in all of Eurasia. In the world, it ranks third in this data. Translated into Russian, "Yangtze" means "Long River". In fact, the length of this waterway is 6300 km, and it is she who occupies a fifth of the territory of all of China. Along the Yangtze, the greatest population density can be traced, megacities, dams, factories and factories are being built here. In ancient times, it was thanks to the waters of this river that the Chinese were able to invent an irrigation system. Then her waters, which reflected in themselves blue sky were saints. The river had a second name - Blue or Blue, and its "brother" was the Yellow River, which was called Yellow.

clear yellow waters

Listing the largest rivers in China, it is impossible to lose sight of the famous Huang He, which in translation into Russian sounds like the “Yellow River”. The length of this natural vein of the country is 5464 km, and it originates at the foot of the Tibetan mountains. The Yellow River flows into the river without crossing the border of the state. The yellow color of these waters is given by the constant sediments of various rocks, which are completely environmentally friendly and do not pose a danger to humans. Unlike the Yangtze, on the banks of which megacities, towns and cities are now growing, along the Yellow River there are quiet provincial towns. It was here that the Chinese ethnos, its culture and traditions were formed in ancient times.

Lakes - the beauty of the country

Now we will consider exactly the case when the large rivers and lakes of China are interconnected. Poyang Lake is considered the largest freshwater reservoir that does not have a current. It is it that is connected with the big river the state of the Yangtze by a small strait. This lake is located in Jiangxi province, that is, on the right bank of the river. It is believed that this reservoir is not only the largest in the country, but also one of the most beautiful and interesting. In summer, the water here has a slightly greenish tint, but it is very clean and transparent. In winter, many birds fly here and create their families here. By the way, another lake that is connected to Dongting is considered. It is very large, but shallow. It was in its valleys that the famous Chinese "dragon boats" were born.

Other lakes in China

But a part of it is considered to be Lake Hongzehu, which is completely different from it. Its waters are by no means cast yellow, but transparent blue, surrounded on all sides by rich greenery. The lake itself repeatedly overflowed, thereby blocking the Yellow River, after which the two reservoirs began to coexist as one. Last largest lake state is considered Chao, which is not connected with any river. A notable feature of the reservoir is Laoshan Island - a small green area where many trees and shrubs grow.

Conclusion

All major rivers and lakes in China are a great pride for the country. Here they meet clear waters, and polluted, but, despite this, locals proud of the history of their rivers, their power and greatness.

Yangtze- the largest river in China, originates in the snow-capped mountains of Geladandong of the Tanggla mountain system, 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. 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. Its total flow is 951.3 billion cubic meters, or 52% of the country's total flow. As the country's largest river, the Yangtze is an important shipping route for 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. Construction of the well-known Sanxia hydroelectric complex began in 1994 and will be completed in 2009, which will be able to curb rare floods, and generate electricity per year will be 84.7 billion kWh. , the hydroelectric complex will also improve the fairway, ensure the provision of water for cities and towns in the middle and lower reaches of the river, for irrigation of field lands.

Huanghe- 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 annual flow reaches 66.1 billion cubic meters. 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, along with water, enter the Yellow River, turning it into the river with the largest silt content in the world, as a result, the height of the Yellow River increases by 10 cm annually. At present, many hydroelectric facilities have already been built in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, such as Longyangxia, Lujiaxia, Qingtongxia. And in the middle reaches of the river, within the province of Henan, the Xiaoland hydroelectric complex is being built.

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.

Songhuajiang: pool area - 557.18 thousand square meters. km, total length - 2308 km, annual flow - 76.2 billion cubic meters.

Liaohe: pool area - 228.96 thousand square meters. km, total length - 1390 km, annual flow - 14.8 billion cubic meters.

Zhujiang is the largest river in South China, the basin area is 453.69 thousand square meters. km, total length - 2214 km, annual flow - more than 333.8 billion cubic meters, 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, annual flow - 62.2 billion cubic meters.

Grand Canal Beijing - Hangzhou 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, making it the earliest and longest artificial canal in the world.

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. 'Cause the river comes out 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 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.

China has a huge number of 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 a huge number people living on its banks. 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.