what changed the course of the huang he river

Full Answer

Where does the Huang He River start and end?

The Huang He basin and the Yangtze River basin and their drainage networks.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The river rises in southern Qinghai province on the Plateau of Tibet and crosses six other provinces and two autonomous regions in its course to the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli), an embayment of the Yellow Sea of the North Pacific Ocean.

Why does the Huang He River flood so frequently?

The extensive silt deposition in the river’s lower reaches across the North China Plain and the expansive stretches of flat land surrounding it have always made the area extremely prone to flooding. As the world’s most heavily silted river, the Huang He is estimated to have flooded some 1,500 times since the 2nd century bce,...

Why is Huang He valley called the Mother River?

Huang He Valley (or in English, Yellow River Valley) was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and for that reason is often called “Mother River.” The valley surrounds the principal river of northern China and is at the center of thousands of years of Chinese history. At over 5,400 kilometers (3,300 miles) long, the Huang He is ...

What is Huang He valley known for?

Huang He Valley (or in English, Yellow River Valley) was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, and for that reason is often called “Mother River.” The valley surrounds the principal river of northern China and is at the center of thousands of years of Chinese history.

When did the yellow river change course?

The Yellow River more or less adopted its present course during the 1897 flood. The 1931 flood killed an estimated 1,000,000 to 4,000,000, and is the worst natural disaster recorded (excluding famines and epidemics).

What is a problem of the Huang He river?

Part of the problem lies with the region's high silt content: millions of tons of yellow mud frequently cause the river to overflow and change course. In its lower reaches, the riverbed has actually become higher than the level of the surrounding countryside.

How did Huang He river contribute to the growth of the Chinese civilization?

How did the Huang He River contribute to the growth of the Chinese civilization? The fertile soil led to food surpluses, which supported a larger group of people. The New Kingdom began to decline around 1200 BCE, but what event ultimately brought the era to a close?

What caused the Yellow River flood in 1938?

The 1938 flood was caused by the destruction of the dikes near Kaifeng (Henan province) by Chinese Nationalist forces under Chiang Kai-shek in an effort to halt the advance of the invading Japanese troops during the Sino-Japanese War of 1937–45.

How has the Yellow River changed over time?

The lower Yellow River has changed course radically throughout its geologic history. The river's decreased gradient and velocity on the plain cause its suspended load of silt to settle. As the riverbed builds up, the stream shifts course to occupy a lower level.

What happened Yellow River?

The Yellow River Delta has wandered up and down several hundred kilometers of coastline over the past two thousand years. Since the mid-nineteenth century, however, the lower reaches of the river and the delta have been extensively engineered to control flooding and to protect coastal development.

How did the Huang River affect the ancient Chinese?

How did the Huang River affect China? Overflowed their banks each spring, bringing fertile topsoil to the land; They built their farming villages along the river.

How did the Huang River civilization develop differently from other river valley civilizations?

How did the Huang River civilization develop differently from other river valley civilizations? Its trade with India brought it goods as well as new ideas. Its mining industry allowed it to create iron weapons and tools. Its location limited its contact with other advanced cultures.

Why is the Huang He river valley important to the history of China?

The areas surrounding China's second-longest river were home to the oldest dynasties of ancient China, making the Huang He Valley the birthplace of Chinese civilization.

How did the 1887 Yellow River Flood end?

Despite measures being taken by farmers near the river, the heavy rains overcame the dikes and caused flooding that had never been seen before. Due to the low lying nature of plains near the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province, the waters of the Yellow River are thought to have broken the dikes in Huayankou.

What caused the China floods of 1931?

The Yellow, Yangtze, and Huai Rivers of China flooded in 1931, inundating almost all of central China in the worst natural disaster in the nation's history. The floods were primarily caused by poor management of the rivers, which were overwhelmed by extreme weather in 1931.

What are the causes of flooding in China?

Several floods struck China starting in June 2021, most of them caused by heavy rainfalls in different areas. According to the World Meteorological Organization, such heavy rains are frequently a result of climate change.

Where is Huang He located?

The section of the Huang He between Hekou, Inner Mongolia and Zhengzhou, Henan Province constitutes the middle reaches of the river which is about 1,200 km in length, with a basin area of 344,000 sqkm, or about 45 per cent of the total, with a total elevation drop of 890 m, and an average gradient of 0.07 per cent. Between the two above-named cities, the river meanders through a series of valleys collectively termed the Jinshan Valley. Numerous hydroelectric generating plants are located along this stretch of river to take advantage of the swift-flowing waters and the narrow gorges.

What is the name of the river that flows through China?

The Huang He is the second longest river in China. It meanders over a course of about 5,500 km and drains an area of about 900,000 sqkm. It flows through seven Provinces and two Autonomous Regions of China. As one of the most heavily silt-laden rivers in the world, the river derives its name, Yellow River, from the muddy-colour of its water, ...

How did China control the Huang He?

Throughout most of its history, China has attempted to control the Huang He by building overflow channels and increasingly taller dikes, and in 1955 the Chinese embarked on an ambitious 50-year construction plan and flood-control program.

How many times has the Huang He been flooded?

As the world’s most heavily silted river, the Huang He is estimated to have flooded some 1,500 times since the 2nd century bce, causing unimaginable death and devastation. The most destructive of these floods occurred in August 1931, when 34,000 square miles (88,000 square km) of land were completely inundated, ...

What is the name of the river that flows through the mountains in China?

The Huang He , which has a length of 3,395 miles (5,464 km), is the main river of northern China, rising in the eastern Kunlun Mountains in Qinghai province in the west of the country and flowing generally east until it empties into the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli), an embayment of the Yellow Sea.

What is the Yellow River?

Yellow River, principal river of northern China, east-central and eastern Asia. The Yellow River is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization. With a length of 3,395 miles (5,464 km), it is the country’s…. Kunlun Mountains. Kunlun Mountains, mountain system of southern Central Asia.

Where are the Kunlun Mountains?

Kunlun Mountains. Kunlun Mountains, mountain system of southern Central Asia. The Kunluns extend west to east some 1,250 miles (2,000 km), from the Pamirs in Tajikistan in the west to the Kunlun Pass and the adjacent ranges of central Qinghai province in China….

How many people died in the flood of 1887?

An earlier flood in September–October 1887 is thought to have killed 900,000 to 2,000,000 residents; a third, on June 9, 1938, was responsible for 500,000 to 900,000 deaths.

The Huanghe (Yellow) River: History and Development

The Huanghe River is called the “Sorrow of China” because in ancient China the Huanghe River often overflowed and flooded everything. Twenty-six times in history, the course of this river has changed drastically. As a result, indescribable misery has descended on the lives of the Chinese people every time.

Recent changes and countermeasures of The Huanghe River

Since the 1960s a progression of huge stores has been implicit the upper and center spans of the HuangheRiver. Changes brought about by these repositories remember a diminishing for flood discharge and dregs burden to the lower comes to and then again, an expansion of the sediment focus in the river water.

What is the meaning of the Chinese word "huang"?

The Mandarin Chinese word huang (“yellow”) is a reference to the fine loess sediments that the river carries to the sea.

Which river flows past China's oldest cities?

The Yellow River basin has an enormous population—exceeded by only a small number of countries—and the river and its tributaries flow past some of China’s oldest cities, including Lanzhou, Baotou, Xi’an (Sian), Taiyuan, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, and Jinan. Yellow River (Huang He)

What river flows through the Bo Hai?

The Yellow River (Hu ang He) basin and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) basin and their drainage networks. The river rises in southern Qinghai province on the Plateau of Tibet and crosses six other provinces and two autonomous regions in its course to the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli), an embayment of the Yellow Sea of the North Pacific Ocean.

Where does the Yellow River originate?

The Yellow River originates at an elevation above 15,000 feet (4,600 metres) in the Bayan Har Mountains, in the eastern Plateau of Tibet. In its upper reaches the river crosses two large bodies of water, Lakes Ngoring and Gyaring. Those shallow lakes, each covering an area of about 400 square miles (1,000 square km), are rich in fish and freeze over in winter. The Yellow River in that region flows generally from west to east. The broad highlands of the upper course rise 1,000 to 1,700 feet (300 to 500 metres) above the river and its tributaries. The highlands consist of crystalline rocks that are sometimes visible as eroded outcroppings on the surface. The river enters a region of deep gorges, winding its way first southeast, then northwest around the A’nyêmaqên (Amne Machin) Mountains, where its fall exceeds 10 feet per mile (2 metres per km), and then east again between the Xiqing and Laji mountains.

How long is the Yellow River?

The middle course of the Yellow River, extending more than 1,800 miles (2,900 km), consists of a great loop and drains an area of about 23,000 square miles (60,000 square km). The river at first flows northeast for about 550 miles (880 km) through the sandy soils of the northern Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia and of the western Ordos Plateau. It has many rapids there, and in a number of places it narrows. The river then turns eastward and flows for another 500 miles (800 km) through alluvial plains in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in places branching into numerous distributary channels. In that stretch its fall is less than half a foot per mile (9 cm per km), and many of the channels have been developed over the millennia for irrigated agriculture.

What is the Yellow River?

The Yellow River is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization. With a length of 3,395 miles (5,464 km), it is the country’s second longest river—surpassed only by the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)—and its drainage basin is the third largest in China, with an area of some 290,000 square miles (750,000 square km).

How many miles is the Yellow River?

That transition marks the end of the upper Yellow River, which is some 725 miles (1,165 km) from its source. The upper course drains a basin covering about 48,000 square miles (124,000 square km), consisting chiefly of inaccessible, highly mountainous, sparsely populated terrain with a cold climate.

Why Yellow?

The eastern province of Shandong sticks out into the Yellow Sea and has many historic attractions. It boasts the birthplace of Confucius and also the manufacture of Qingdao beer. The most sacred mountain in China - Taishan - has many ancient temples and memorials. Read more…

China's Sorrow ( 中 国 的 痛 Zhōng guó de tòng)

When the Jesuit mission returned reports of the splendors of China in the early 17th century a fascination for anything of the exotic Chinese style took hold. As tea drinking became very popular, China porcelain came into great demand.

Yellow River Floods

Devastating floods occurred in 1931 ➚ (about 2,000,000 deaths) and 1887 ➚ (about 1,500,000 deaths). Detailed records of the floods and flood defenses go back over 4,000 years. The flood of 1841 was particularly hard - submerging and destroying much of the former Imperial capital Kaifeng.

Replenishing the River

The Yellow River is heavily used by people along its route and on occasions it dries up before reaching the sea. This is likely to accelerate with climate change. In 1997 the great Yellow River stopped flowing 404 miles [650 kms] before its normal outlet to the sea for a total of 226 days.

The Source and Upper Reaches

See more on chinawaterrisk.org

The Middle Section

The Lower Reaches and Delta

Human-Induced and Natural Causes of The Changing Alignment