Fred Bower Jr., age 14, of Barre, Vt. for his question:
HOW LONG IS THE YANGTZE RIVER?
The Yangtze River in China is the longest river of Asia and the third longest river in the world. It originates in the Kunlun Mountains and empties into the East China Sea after traveling 3,434 miles.
Only the Nile River in Africa (4,187 miles long) and the Amazon River in South America (4,000 miles long) surpass the Yangtze.
The Yangtze is sometimes called the Chang Jiang or the Ch'ang Chiang.
The headwaters of the Yangtze are situated at an elevation of about 16,000 feet above sea level. In its descent to the sea, the river falls to an altitude of about 1,000 feet at Yibin, the head of navigation for river boats, and to 630 feet at Chongqing. Between Chongqing and Yichang, at an altitude of about 130 feet and a distance of about 200 miles, the river passes through the spectacular Yangtze Gorges which are noted for their natural beauty but are dangerous to shipping.
Yichang, which is about 1,000 miles from the sea, is the head of navigation for river steamers. Oceangoing vessels may navigate the river to Hankou, a distance of almost 600 miles from the sea. For about 200 miles inland from its mouth, the river is virtually at sea level.
More than 650,000 square miles of territory are drained by the Yangtze and its branches. Floods caused by the river occasionally have caused great destruction of life and property. In the 20th century, devastating floods have occured in 1905, 1980 and 1981.
With its numerous tributaries and feeders, the Yangtze provides a great transportation network through the heart of some of the most densely populated and economically important areas in China.
Although the entire river is known as the Yangtze to foreigners, the Chinese apply that name only to the last 300 or 400 miles of its course.
The mouth of the Yangtze is about 14 miles north of the city of Shanghai.
The high mountains at the Yangtze's source cause it to flow rapidly for most of its length. In places, mountains over one mile high form the river's banks.
Just above Yichang is perhaps the largest potential hydroelectric site in the world.
About half of China's ocean trade is distributed over the Yangtze and its branches.
Thousands of Chinese live on the Yangtze on sailing craft called Junks. Millions of Chinese also live on the banks of this great river.
Among the great cities along the Yangtze River are Shanghai, Nanking, An ch'ing, Yichang, Chungking and the twin cities of Hankow and Wu ch'ang.
The principal tributaries of the Yangtze are the Han, Yalong (Ya lung), Jailing (Chia ling), Min and Tuo He (T'o Ho) on the north and on the south the Wu. At Zhenjiang (Chinkiang), the Grand Canal links the Yangtze to the Huang He (Huang Ho). During periods of heavy rains, Lake Dongting (rung T'ing) and Poyang (P'o yang) receive some of the overflow of the Yangtze.