Rivers In Asia
There are many rivers in Asia and they play a big role in providing food, transportation and the essentials of life to the Asian people. Six of the ten longest rivers in the world are in Asia. The longest Asian river is the Yangtze in China, and it’s the third largest river in the world. Other important rivers are the Jordan, Euphrates and Tigris, Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Huang He, Yangtze, Xi, Yenisey, Lena and Ob. Some of these, such as the Jordan, Euphrates, Tigris and Ganges are considered holy to people of several religions, including the Jews, Christians, and Hindus.
Let’s take a look at three of these rivers in Asia:
The Yangtze is the third largest river in the world and flows 3,915 miles, from the Tanggula Mountains in West Central China to the East China Sea, which is located near Shanghai. The river is always busy as it is a major route for commercial traffic. In the year 2005, 795 million tons of cargos were transported on the river. It is a major international shipping route and in recent years, an emphasis by China on tourism, has increased boat tours especially along the Three Gorges area, which is the location of recent dam construction. The Three Gorges dam is one of the largest projects of its kind ever undertaken, and it will provide much needed irrigation and electricity in addition to furthering river transportation. The Yangtze is one of the rivers in Asia that is very polluted in many locations and is prone to flooding every year from May to August.
The Ganges River has the Hindu name of Ganga. The river’s source is in the Himalayas and it flows 1,560 miles through China, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The Ganges River makes its way through twenty-nine cities with populations over 100,000. It is used extensively for irrigation and some countries use the river to transport agricultural products. The Ganges River Delta covers 23,000 square miles, and is subject to monsoons and fierce storms. In 1970, almost half a million people were killed. The Ganges River is holy to Hindus and there are many sites that draw yearly pilgrimages. Bathing in the water is said to have healing powers.
The Huang He River or Yellow River in China is 3,395 miles long. The Chinese consider the river to be their “mother” river, the center where Chinese civilization was born. It is the second largest river in China, next to the Yangtze River. The river originates in the Kunlun Mountains, which are located in Qinghai Province. From there it travels to the Bohai Sea, crossing nine provinces. The Yellow River Basin was the site of the birth of Chinese civilization in the Neolithic Age, which is said to go back as far as 7,000 B.C. Signs of the Bronze and Iron ages have also been found there.