Characteristics of the Yellow River

Physical Characteristics

• The Yellow River originates in the Tibetan highlands of western China. At 15,000 feet above sea level, the river is fed by snow melt and glacial runoff. The Yellow River is a main water source for Tibetan herders in the region. Over 3,000 miles later, the river drains into the Bohai Sea. The sediment content of the river is enormous, with 400 million tons transported downstream each year. Waterfalls and powerful rapids are features of the upper lengths of the Yellow River as it carves stunning gorges out of the surrounding landscape.

History and Culture

• Like the Nile in Egypt, the Yellow River in China has a prominent position in the people's culture. The Yellow River supports farmers throughout the lowlands. It also allows for life to flourish in the deserts of the Tibetan plateau, an otherwise inhospitable landscape. Fishing all along the river has supported communities for thousands of years.

Overuse

• Water from the Yellow River is diverted all along its 3,000-plus-mile length. Most of the diversion is for agricultural use, although some cities need the water for residential and industrial use. The effect of this use has been to reduce the overall flow of the river at its mouth to a trickle. At times, the lower areas of the Yellow River have completely dried up. The problem is that China supports a fifth of the world's population, yet has access to a mere 7 percent of the world's fresh water.

Pollution

• In modern times, unchecked pollution of the Yellow River's waters has become an epic tragedy. Large stretches of the river cannot support life. Water in some regions is not fit even for irrigation. Chemical and pharmaceutical factories are main culprits behind the toxic waste, as are coal and mineral mines. Rates of throat and stomach cancer have spiked, as poisoned water enters wells that were once clean. China's rapid economic growth has contributed to this pollution of the Yellow River.

Flooding

• The Yellow River has also been called "China's Sorrow." Over the centuries, millions of people have fallen victim to the river's massive floods. A flood in 1931 is believed to have killed nearly 4 million people. The high sediment content of the water is one factor in the severe flooding. In some downstream areas, the riverbed has grown higher than the countryside, leading to catastrophic floods. Massive flood control projects have been under way for decades, but the results have been mixed.