{"id":15573,"date":"2023-12-01T23:45:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T22:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=15573"},"modified":"2023-12-01T23:45:18","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T22:45:18","slug":"what-sea-does-the-yangtze-river-flow-into","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/what-sea-does-the-yangtze-river-flow-into\/","title":{"rendered":"What Sea Does The Yangtze River Flow Into"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is the Yangtze River?<\/h2>\n

The Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang, is the longest river in China and East Asia. It is the third-longest river in the world, spanning 6,300 km (3,915 miles). Located in the east and south of China, it flows south-eastwards for 800 km (497 miles) between two mountainous regions, eventually emptying into the East China Sea. It has been a major source of transportation, agriculture, and energy for more than 4,000 years and is the primary artery of China’s modern economy.<\/p>\n

What Sea Does the Yangtze River Flow Into?<\/h2>\n

The Yangtze River flows into the East China Sea at the large port of Shanghai in the city of Wusong. It is the largest port in the country and handles in excess of 1 billion tons of cargo each year. This makes it one of the busiest ports in the world and a major gateway for goods entering and leaving China.
\nThe River widens as it approaches the sea, the shallows and rapids giving way to a flat coastal plain which runs for several km along the coast. Here the River empties into the East China Sea on its final leg, a stretch of 600 km (373 miles). The East China Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded to the north and east by the Korean peninsula, to the west by the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, and to the south by the Chinese mainland.<\/p>\n

The Impact of the Yangtze River on China<\/h2>\n

The Yangtze River has been used for thousands of years for transportation, irrigation, flood control and hydropower. Its importance to the economy and culture of China has been immense, and it is estimated that close to 40 percent of China’s population live in the Yangtze’s catchment area.
\nThe Yangtze has been dredged and widened to create major shipping lanes, which has enabled the flow of goods and people throughout China. It has also been a vital source of agricultural irrigation and has enabled crops to be grown in large swathes of land. These crops have enabled the country’s population to feed and sustain itself for many centuries.
\nThe Yangtze has also been a major source of hydropower, with numerous hydropower plants built along its length. These have provided a much-needed source of electricity to power cities and industrial complexes. In addition, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, has further increased the Yangtze’s importance to the country.<\/p>\n

Environmental Impact of the Yangtze River<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, the Yangtze’s importance to the Chinese economy has come at a great cost to its environment. Pollution in the River has been a major issue over the years, with toxic levels of heavy metals and sewage being discharged directly into the water. Pollution levels were so high in some stretches of the River that communities eventually had to move away from them.
\nIn addition, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam has affected the environment in several ways. It has disrupted the ecosystems of the Yangtze River, as well as the thousands of animal and plant species that were living in and around it. The displacement of huge amounts of water has led to devastating soil erosion, which has caused huge amounts of silt to enter the River. This has had a major impact on aquatic life and has further decreased the amount of water available in the River.<\/p>\n

Government and NGO Efforts to Protect the Yangtze<\/h2>\n