What are the major rivers and lakes of China? Rivers of China The name of large water bodies in China.

Territory China, stretching from east to west for 5,700 km, and north to south for 3,650 km, is 9.6 million km 2 (third place in the world after Russia and Canada). Such a vast (but compact!) territory led to the existence of borders with many countries. Some of them pass through the highlands and therefore are not very accessible, while others, although they stretch for the most part in the mountains, but the presence of convenient intermountain basins does not interfere with interstate relations. A truly "God's" gift for the PRC is a wide outlet to the Pacific Ocean and huge opportunities for ties with outside world. The surface of China has a general slope from west to east, descending in gigantic steps from Tibet to the Pacific Ocean. The relief is marked by great diversity. Structural directions running from north to south and from east to west intersect each other, dividing China into separate parts, without creating their great isolation. Three relief zones can be distinguished: southwestern, northwestern and eastern. The first includes the Tibetan Plateau (the highest on Earth), which is a combination of plains raised to 4000 - 4500 m and ridges reaching 5000 - 6000 m. The highlands are framed by high mountain systems - the Himalayas (over 8,000 m), Karakoram, Kunlun, Nanshan. In the eastern part of the highlands is the Sichuan Basin. The second zone is represented by the Kashgar and Dzhungar plains, separated by the Tien Shan mountains, the Gobi, Alashan, and Ordos deserts. South of Ordos is loess plateau, cut by ravines and canyons. The third, eastern, zone is a combination of large plains, mountain ranges and their spurs. In the northeast is the densely populated Dongbei Plain, surrounded by the mountain systems of the Greater and Lesser Khingan and Changbaishan. Along yellow sea the vast Great Chinese Plain extends. It is connected to the Dongbei Plain by the Shanghaiguan Corridor, which stretches along the Liaodong Bay of the Yellow Sea. The southeastern region of China is occupied by mountain ranges and hills, which alternate with basins and river valleys. There are many rivers in China. Most of them, following the terrain, flow eastward and empty into the Pacific Ocean. Among the largest are the Yangtze, Huanghe, Heilongjiang, Zhujiang, Liaohe, Haihe. The country also has many lakes, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and in the north of the Tibetan Plateau. There are few forests in China. They cover only a tenth of the country's territory. All eastern zone is in the area monsoon climate. In winter, a stream of very cold air comes here from Siberia and Mongolia. Despite the fact that these areas lie at the latitude of Italy and North Africa, the winter is cold here (for example, in Shenyang, located at the same latitude as Rome, it is colder in January than in Moscow; Beijing has a winter similar to St. Petersburg; even in Guangzhou, lying south of the Northern Tropic, snow sometimes falls). Summer air temperatures are not so contrasting. Changes affect not in the latitudinal, but in the longitudinal direction - from the ocean coast to the interior of the country. China is rich in variety minerals. In terms of the reserves of many of them, the country stands out on a global scale. The highest degree of provision with fuel and energy resources. Among them, coal dominates sharply. The largest coal basins are located in the north, northeast and central part of the country. In the northeast, as well as in the coastal provinces and on the shelf of the Yellow Sea, there are large reserves of oil, which, however, are not enough for a rapidly developing economy. Along with oil, there are natural gas outlets. The country also has large reserves of oil shale and nuclear fuel. Significant reserves iron ore(they are often combined with deposits hard coal, including coking), manganese and especially tungsten. Molybdenum resources are great. In terms of the reserves of the listed raw materials, China occupies a leading position in the world. Meanwhile, stocks of such important alloying metals as chromium and nickel are negligible. China has a lot of raw materials for non-ferrous metallurgy. The country ranks first among foreign countries in terms of tin and antimony reserves, there are large deposits of copper, polymetallic, mercury and other ores. Significant reserves of aluminum raw materials. Uranium deposits have been discovered. At the same time, such important metals as cobalt, titanium, zirconium, tantalum, bismuth, gold, silver, and platinum are not enough. Colossal deposits stand out among non-metallic minerals table salt. Large deposits of magnesite, phosphorite and graphite. From others natural resources China has huge reserves hydropower resources. In terms of hydropower potential, the country occupies a leading position in the world. Meanwhile, China has very little land resources per capita.

4. Formation of writing in China. Another important feature of the Chinese language is the presence of very different dialects. This is due to the fact that the Han people have long settled on very large area, separate parts of which for centuries were loosely connected with each other in political and economic terms. Until recently, these dialects were divided into seven large groups, But latest research allowed to increase their number to 10. All of them differ in phonetics, vocabulary and grammar, and such differences can be so great that people speaking different dialects often do not understand each other at all or at all. Therefore, in order to communicate with each other, the Chinese usually use hieroglyphic writing, common to all dialects and dialect groups. It is the hieroglyphic writing that ensures the cultural and linguistic unity of China to the greatest extent. For this, there is a single written language, Wenyan, based on the ancient Chinese language of the 4th century BC. BC BC, and the newer literary language Baihua, based on the northern dialects of the Middle Chinese language of the 14th-16th centuries. Chinese hieroglyphic writing originated a very long time ago, back in the middle of the second millennium BC. At first, the drawing of each hieroglyph resembled the concept that it was supposed to reflect. Such writing, characteristic of many ancient languages, is called pictographic. Over time, as concepts became more complex and the vocabulary of the language was enriched, pictographic (pictorial) writing began to be replaced by ideographic(figurative), which received the most complete expression in Chinese hieroglyphics. Usually the hieroglyph consists of two parts: "key" and "phonetics". In this case, the "key" determines its belonging to a certain group of concepts. So, the “key” “water” is part of the hieroglyphs denoting such words as “sea”, “lake”, “river”, “wine”, “liquid”. "Phonetician" shows how to read a hieroglyph. It can be added that earlier the Chinese arranged hieroglyphs on the page in columns, and from right to left (accordingly, the spine of the book was on the right - like the Arabs and Jews). But in the 1950s they switched to lowercase writing from left to right. Hieroglyphic writing remains extremely complex. In any case, much more complex than the European alphabet, in which each letter denotes a specific sound. It is impossible not to take into account the complexity of writing individual hieroglyphs, because in some of them the number of strokes can reach 25–30. That is why China has long been undergoing a writing reform in order to simplify it - abandoning the use of some hieroglyphs and reducing the number of strokes in others. This reform was especially intensified after the formation of the PRC, when the mass liquidation of illiteracy began. An even more radical path found expression in attempts to create a fundamentally different language for the Chinese language. alphabet letter, based on Latin script. 1958 - an alphabetic script was adopted, developed on a Latin basis, taking into account all the previous movement for the "alphabetization" of the Chinese language ("pinyin zimu") It was assumed that it would gradually replace the hieroglyphic. But that did not happen. Alphabetical writing has become only auxiliary and is used mainly in information systems, advertising, and especially in the transcription of place names and proper names of the Chinese into other languages. At the same time, the complete unification of the recording of Chinese words in Latin letters did not happen.

One of the remarkable features inherent in a huge state called China is a great many fresh water bodies. These are numerous deep 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 who 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 its waters, which reflected the blue sky, were holy. 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. Yellow these waters are given permanent 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. The last largest lake of the state is Chao, which is not connected to 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.

It abounds in rivers - more than 50,000 rivers. Almost all major rivers in China belong to the external river system flowing directly or indirectly into the sea.

The terrain of China is highland in the west and low in the east, most of its rivers flow east and flow into, including the Yangtze, Liaohe and Haihe rivers.
Major rivers in China:

• Yangtze - 6300km (3915 miles)
• huanhe, Yellow River- 5464km (3395 miles)
• Heilongjiang - 4370km (2715 miles)
• Songhua - 1927km (1197 miles)
• Zhujiang - 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles)

1. Yangtze River (Yangtze, 长江)
Yangtze River - No China tour is complete without a cruise on the Yangtze River - the journey will present a rapidly changing panorama of China. The Yangtze River is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world. It originates from the snow-capped peaks of the Geladandong mountain range - the main peak of Tangla Qinghai and the Tibetan Plateau, flows through Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and flows into the sea in Shanghai. The 6,300-kilometer route of the Yangtze River has eight major tributaries and a catchment area of ​​1.8 million square kilometers, equivalent to 1/5 of China's total land area.


Cruises on the Yangtze have become a must for visitors to China. The Yangtze River winds its way through high mountains and deep valleys with numerous tributaries. The cruise includes exciting excursions to historical sites. The main splendor of the Yangtze River is the famous Three Gorges and Dams.

2. Yellow River (Huang He, 黄河)
Yellow River - The Yellow River, with a total length of 5464 kilometers, is the second longest river in China. The Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese civilization. It comes from the Bayanhar mountain range of Qinghai Province. Winding riverbeds pass through 9 provinces and finally flow into the sea, which is also called the Yellow. (Bohai Bay) is a river delta in Kenli, Shandong Province.
The unique natural scenery of the forest plateaus looks extremely attractive. Tourists can fully enjoy the breathtaking natural scenery of the Yellow River.

3. Heilongjiang River (Heilongjiang, 黑龙江)
Heilongjiang River - Sino-Russian border river Heilongjiang (also called Amur), runs east through northern China and flows into. Its entire length is 4370 km. The 11th longest river in the world, the Heilongjiang River flows through forests, lush green grasslands and waterlands. The river has the shape of a black dragon, which is reflected in the river's Chinese name: Heilongjiang means "Black Dragon".

4. Sungari river (Sungari, 松花江)
Sungari River - Sungari river in northeast China, largest tributary Heilongjiang River, flows about 1927 km from Changbaishan through the provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin. In winter, beautiful frost lies on the banks of the river. A unique feature of the river is the white fabulous winter.

5. Pearl River (Pearl River, 珠江)
Pearl River Zhujiang (the length of the Pearl River) is the third longest among the rivers of China (2200 km, after the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers), and the second in volume (after the Yangtze). This is the most big river in southern China, flowing into, between Hong Kong and Macau. Its tailwater forms the Pearl River Delta. The Pearl River is formed by the confluence of three rivers - Xijiang, BeiJiang and Dongjaing. The river flows through most areas of the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou, and parts of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, forming 409,480 km² - The Pearl River Basin has a network of rivers, with fertile soil.

6. Brahmaputra (Yaluzangbujiang, 雅鲁藏布江)
Brahmaputra River - Brahmaputra is a transboundary river and one of the largest rivers in Asia. With its source in Tibet, an autonomous region of China, the Brahmaputra River runs first to the east, then to the south and flows into. About 1,800 miles (2,900 km) long, the Brahmaputra boasts the Grand Canyon (the largest canyon in the world, 504.6 km long and 6,009 m deep). The river is an important source of irrigation and transportation.

7. Lancang River (Lancang Jiang, 澜沧江)
Lancang River - Lancang River is also known as the longest river in Southeast Asia, with a total length of 2354 kilometers. It originates from the springs of the Tanggula mountain range in Qinghai Province. The Lancang River runs south until it leaves China at Nanla Bayout, Yunnan Province, where it changes its name from the Lancang River to the Mekong River. The river finally flows into the Pacific Ocean in southern Vietnam. Lancang River - main artery China is the carrier of water in the countries of Southeast Asia, has a reputation as the “Danube of the East”. It is a fantastic river with over ten ethnic minorities living along the river.

8. Nujiang River (Nujiang, 怒江)
Nujiang River - The Nujiang River originates from the southern slope of Tanggula - a mountain range in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Nujiang flows from north to south through the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province, with a total length of 2,816 kilometers and a catchment area of ​​324,000 square kilometers. The name of the river changes to the Salween River after passing into Burma from China. The river then flows into the Moulmein.

9. Hanjiang River
Hanjiang River - The Hangang River, also called the Han Shui River, is one of the most important tributaries of the Yangtze, with a total length of 1,532 km. It rises in southwestern Shaanxi and then moves to Hubei. The Hangang River merges with the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The name of the Kingdom of Han and the Han Dynasty apparently comes from this river.

The basins of more than one and a half thousand rivers exceed 1000 square meters. km. The average annual flow of rivers in China is about 2.7 trillion cubic meters, ranking sixth in the world after Brazil, Russia, Canada, the United States and Indonesia. More famous rivers in China: Yangtze, Huanghe, Heilongjiang, Yalutsangpo, Zhujiang, Huihe, etc. The Tarim River in Xinjiang is the longest inland rivers China, its length is 2100 km.

Main rivers

The Yangtze is the largest river in China, originates in the snow-capped mountains of Geladandong of the Tangla 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 place in the world and 1st place in Asia. 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% of the total area of ​​China. The Yangtze is an important shipping route in 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. The construction of the famous Sanxia Hydroelectric Complex began in 1994 and completed in 2009, which can curb rare floods, and the annual electricity generation will be 84.7 billion kWh, the hydroelectric complex will also improve the fairway, provide water to cities and towns on average and lower reaches of the river, for irrigation of field lands.

The Yellow River is 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 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 amount of silt and sand, along with water, enter the Yellow River, turning it into a river with the largest silt content in the world, as a result, the height of the Yellow River's channel rises by 10 cm annually. At present, many hydroelectric facilities have already been built in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, such , like Longyangxia, Lujiaxia, Qingtongxia.

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.

Yalutsangpo originates from the Kimayangzom glacier in the northern spurs of the Himalayas in Zhongba County, the length of the river within China is 2057 km, the basin area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is 240480 square meters. km, average height above sea level of the basin - about 4500 m, is the river with the most high altitude in the world above sea level.

The Zhujiang is the largest river in South China, with a total length of 2,214 km and a basin area of ​​453.69 thousand square meters. km, by 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.

Songhuajiang: basin area - 557.18 thousand square meters km, total length - 2308 km.

Liaohe: basin area - 228.96 thousand square meters. km, total length - 1390 km.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was 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, links the Haihe, Huanghe, Huaihe, Yangtze and Qiantangjiang rivers, making it the earliest and longest artificial canal in the world .

lakes

China is rich in lakes, with 2,800 lakes over 1 sq. km each and 130 lakes with an area of ​​more than 100 km each. In addition, many artificial lakes and reservoirs are also scattered throughout the country. These lakes can be divided into fresh and salty. Large lakes scattered mainly in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The largest freshwater lake in China is Poyang, the largest salty lake is Qinghaihu.

In China a large number of rivers; basins of more than one and a half thousand rivers exceed 1000 sq. km. km. The sources of the main rivers are in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, from where their waters rush to the plains. Large elevation differences create favorable conditions for the use of hydropower resources, the reserves of which amount to 680 million kW and occupy the first place in the world.

The rivers of China form external and internal systems. Total catchment area outer rivers, with access to the sea or ocean, covers 64% of the country. These include the Yangtze, Huanghe, Heilongjiang, Zhujiang, Liaohe, Haihe, Huaihe and other rivers flowing from west to east and emptying into the seas Pacific Ocean; the Yalutsangpo River, originates from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and flows into the Indian Ocean, in its channel is the world's largest canyon 504.6 km long and a unique depth of 6009 m; The Ertsis (Irtysh) River flows through Xinjiang to the north and flows into the Arctic Ocean. Inland rivers empty into lakes in the hinterland or get lost in salt marshes and deserts. Their catchment area covers 36% of the country's territory. The Tarim in Xinjiang is the longest of China's inland rivers, with a length of 2,179 km.

The largest river in China - the Yangtze, in length - 6300 km - is second only to the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. upstream The Yangtze runs through high mountains and deep valleys. It harbors rich water resources. The Yangtze is the country's main and most convenient shipping route, running from west to east. Its fairway is adapted by nature for navigation, it is not for nothing that the Yangtze is called the "golden transport artery" in China. The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze are warm and humid climate, abundance of rain and soil fertility, which creates ideal conditions for development Agriculture. It is here that the main granary of the country is located. The second largest river in China is the Yellow River, with a total length of 5464 km. The Huang He basin is rich in fertile fields, rich pastures, and the subsoil conceals huge deposits of minerals. The banks of the Yellow River are considered the cradle of the Chinese nation, from here the origins of ancient Chinese culture can be traced. Heilongjiang is a major river in northern China. The total length is 4350 km, of which 3101 km are in China. The Pearl River is the deepest in South China, with a total length of 2214 km. In addition to natural water arteries, China has a well-known man-made Grand Canal connecting the water systems of the Haihe, Huanghe, Huaihe, Yangtze and Qiantangjiang rivers. It was built in the 5th century BC. e., stretches from north to south from Beijing to the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province for 1801 km, this is the oldest and longest artificial canal in the world.

China is rich in lakes. Most of the lakes compared with other areas are on the plain of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Lakes in the plains are usually freshwater. The largest of them - Poyanghu, Dongtinghu, Taihu, Hongzehu, the largest freshwater lake in China - Poyanghu is located in the north of Jiangxi province, its area is 3583 square meters. km. The lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are mostly salty, these are Qinghaihu, Namtso, Selling, etc. The largest salt lake in China is Qinghaihu in the northeast of Qinghai Province, its area is 4583 square meters. km.