Executive summary by darmansjah
The Yangtze Riveror Chang Jiangis the longest river in Asia
and the third-longest in the world. It flows for 6,418 kilometers (3,988 mi)
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 the People's Republic
of China (PRC) and its river basin is home to one-third of the PRC's
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 hydro-electric 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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