What is the longest river in Asia?
The Yangtze River in China is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world, at about 6,300 kilometers. It flows from the Tibetan Plateau to the East China Sea near Shanghai.
The Yangtze, called Chang Jiang in Chinese, meaning long river, flows entirely within China. About a third of China's population lives in its basin, and it is vital for farming, shipping and industry. Major cities along it include Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai.
The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, completed in 2006 with full operation in 2012, is the world's largest hydroelectric power station by capacity. It controls floods and generates electricity but required more than a million people to relocate and changed the river's ecosystem.
Wildlife
The Yangtze is home to the critically endangered Chinese alligator and the Yangtze finless porpoise. The baiji, or Yangtze river dolphin, was declared functionally extinct in 2006. China banned commercial fishing on the river for ten years starting in 2021 to help wildlife recover.
Did You Know?
The Yellow River, China's second-longest, is called the cradle of Chinese civilization and gets its name from the yellow silt it carries.