Introduction to the Yellow River

The Yellow River has a total length of approximately 5,464 kilometers. It is the second longest river in China and the birthplace of Chinese civilization. It is also affectionately called the ‘Mother River’.

The Yellow River originates from the Bayan Har Mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is shaped like a "ji" and flows from west to east through 9 provinces (autonomous regions) including Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong, and finally flows into the Bohai Sea.

Because the middle section of the Yellow River flows through China's Loess Plateau, it carries a large amount of sediment, so it is also known as the river with the most sediment in the world. 1.6 billion tons of sediment are produced every year, of which 1.2 billion tons flow into the sea, and the remaining 400 million tons remain in the lower reaches of the Yellow River for many years, forming alluvial plains, which are very conducive to planting and produce a large amount of food.

Extended information

Hydropower resources of the Yellow River

The results of the 1979 National Water Resources Census: The theoretical reserves of water resources in the Yellow River Basin are 40.548 million kilowatts, and the average annual power generation 355.2 billion kWh, accounting for 6% of the country’s theoretical hydropower resource reserves of 5.92218 billion kWh. 73.3% of the water resources are distributed on the main stream of the Yellow River. The theoretical reserve of tributary hydropower resources is 10.782 million kilowatts, and the average annual power generation is 94.45 billion kilowatt hours.

***100 hydropower stations with an installed capacity of more than 10,000 kilowatts may be developed in the entire basin, with a total installed capacity of 27.277 million kilowatts and an average annual power generation of 113.72 billion kilowatt hours, accounting for 10% of the country's developable hydropower resources. 6.1%, ranking second among the seven major rivers in the country.

Reference materials

Baidu Encyclopedia-Yellow River