The Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang is the longest
river in Asia, and the third longest in the world. It flows for
6,418 kilometres from the glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China
before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also
one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume in the world. The
Yangtze drains one-fifth of the land area of China and its river
basin is home to one-third of the population.Along with the
Yellow River, the Yangtze is the most important river in the
history, culture and economy of China. The prosperous Yangtze
River Delta generates as much as 20% of the PRC's GDP. The
Yangtze River flows through a wide array of ecosystems and is
itself habitat to several endemic and endangered species
including the Chinese alligator and the Yangtze sturgeon. For
thousands of years, people have used the river for water,
irrigation, sanitation, transportation, industry,
boundary-marking and war. The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze
River is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world.In
recent years, the river has suffered from industrial pollution,
agricultural run-off, siltation, and loss of wetland and lakes,
which exacerbates seasonal flooding. Some sections of the river
are now protected as nature reserves. A stretch of the Yangtze
flowing through deep gorges in western Yunnan is part of the
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
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