Facts about the Yangtze

1. 08

   Seasonal flooding along the Yangtze historically killed over 1 million people during the 1931 China floods, the deadliest natural disaster of the twentieth century.

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2. 07

   Approximately 30 million people live within the Yangtze River basin's flood plain, making it one of the world's most densely populated river regions vulnerable to seasonal inundation.

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3. 06

   Ancient Chinese dynasties used the Yangtze River as a natural boundary, with the Yangtze dividing northern and southern China for over 2,000 years of political separation.

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4. 05

   Sediment deposits from the Yangtze River created the Yangtze River Delta, which covers approximately 36,000 square kilometers and produces roughly 20 percent of China's GDP.

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5. 04

   Yangtze River dolphins, a freshwater species called baiji, were declared functionally extinct in 2002 after fewer than 50 individuals remained in the river.

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6. 03

   Over 400 million people depend on the Yangtze River for drinking water, making it the primary freshwater source for nearly one-third of China's population.

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7. 02

   At 3,915 miles long, the Yangtze River is Asia's longest waterway and the third-longest river globally after the Nile and Amazon.

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8. 01

   China's Three Gorges Dam, completed in 2006, spans the Yangtze River and generates approximately 22,500 megawatts of hydroelectric power annually.

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