Yangtze River Facts

Yangtze River Facts introduce the basic information of the Yangtze River, How Many Provinces and Major Cities along Yangtze River, Population along Yangtze River, Majestic Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River and some interesting facts of Yangtze River, such as Longest River in Asia, Natural Dividing Line of North and South China, Most Prosperous and Populous Area-Yangtze River Delta, Most Popular Yangtze River Cruise Tour, etc. Check this page if you want to learn more about the longest River in Asia, the third longest river in the world and the longest river to flow entirely in one country.

Basic Information

The mighty Yangtze, largest river in China, is said to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. The ‘Wan Li Changjiang’ flows 6,300 kilometers from the snowy heights of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the East China Sea, just north of Shanghai. It goes by many local names, but to the Chinese it is most famous simply as Chang Jiang (Long River).

Name	Chinese Name:长江/扬子江 English Name: Yangtze River, Longjiang River, Yangzi River
Length	over 6,300 kilometers (3,915 miles)
Source	Glacier of Jianggendiru, southwest to Geladandong Peak, the main peak of Tanggula Mountain
Source elevation	5,820 m (19,095 ft)
Location	24°30′-35°45′N, 90°33′-112°25′E
Influx into	East China Sea
Average runoff in estuary	33,980 cubic meters per second (1,200,000 cubic feet per second)
River basin	1,800,000 square km (694,983 square miles)

How Many Provinces and Major Cities along Yangtze River

Major Provinces

Major Cities

Map of Major Cities along Yangtze River

Population along Yangtze River

Thirty major cities line the Yangtze’s shores and tributaries, including Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan and Shanghai — four of China’s 10 Largest Cities. The Yangtze basin is home to 400,000,000 people. Shanghai is the world’s largest city proper with 24,000,000 people and the world’s largest container port.

Majestic Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River

The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydropower project and most notorious dam. The massive project sets records for number of people displaced (more than 1.2 million), number of cities and towns flooded (13 cities, 140 towns, 1,350 villages), and length of reservoir (more than 600 kilometers). The project has been plagued by corruption, spiraling costs, environmental impacts, human rights violations and resettlement difficulties.

Interesting Facts about Yangtze River

Longest River in Asia

The Yangtze River is called ‘Chang Jiang’ in Chinese, which means ‘long river’. The lower part of the river had once only been referred to as Chang Jiang but eventually it became the name for the entire river. Yangtze River is as long as 6,397 km (3,975 miles). It is the longest river in Asia and the third longest river in the world, just after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. It runs across central China from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the west to East China Sea in the east. This fact of Yangtze River makes it great among numerous rivers.

Natural Dividing Line of North and South China

Northern China(中国北方) and southern China(中国南方), are two approximate mega-regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions is not precisely defined. Nevertheless, the self-perception of Chinese nation, especially regional stereotypes, has often been dominated by these two concepts, given that regional differences in culture and language have historically fostered strong regional identities of the Chinese people. Strictly, the geographical dividing line of North-South China is the Qinling Mountains-Huai River. However, the Yangtze is also regarded as the natural boundary of South and North China.

Most Prosperous and Populous Area-Yangtze River Delta

The Yangtze River Delta, situated in southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang provinces, covers 100,000 square kilometers. Fourteen cities in the two provinces are located in the region, which has a population of about 100 million. Shanghai is the main terminus for the delta. With its fertile soil, the Yangtze River Delta produces abundant grain, cotton, hemp and tea. The Grand Canal, 1,794 kilometers long, flows from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province, in the south. The canal once linked northern and southern China, and facilitated the flow of goods and materials across imperial China. Nearby, the Taihu Lake area in southern Jiangsu Province is known as a land of plenty because it is richly endowed by nature with abundant water and fish resources. Many cities in the Yangtze River Delta have distinguishing features. Shanghai is a center for metallurgy, machine and ship building, textile and chemicals, and serves as China’s leading industrial and technological base. About 80 percent of all things made in Shanghai are shipped to other parts of china. Shanghai now plays a leading role in the delta’s economic development.

Most Popular Yangtze River Cruise Tour

Taking a Yangtze cruise tour is a popular way to discover China. Every year, millions of travelers worldwide come to China to enjoy this fantastic experience. There is an old saying: “on a slow boat to China”. Well, why not relax on a slow boat in China, on the beautiful Yangtze River. A Yangtze River Cruise will take you through the center of China, while giving you the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable.

Tributaries of Yangtze River

It’s an amazing Yangtze River fact that it has over 700 tributaries. Among these tributaries, 8 have the basin area of over 50,000 square kilometers (19,305 sq mi), and 5 have a length of more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). The tributary with the largest runoff is the Minjiang River. The tributary with the largest basin is the Jialing River. The tributaries with the longest length are Hanjiang River and Ya-lung River. Other large tributaries of Yangtze River include Wujiang River, Ruanjiang River, Xiang River and Ganjiang River. The principal tributaries are the following: