Khilchevskyi V.K., Hou Jingyao Hydrographic characteristics of China: sea, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, cannels
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2306-5680.2024.4.1
Hydrology, Hydrochemistry and Hydroecology. 2024. № 4(74)
Publication language: Ukrainian
Authors:
Khilchevskyi V.K., Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Hou Jingyao, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
The article is devoted to the hydrographic characteristics of the territory of China. According to the contrast of natural conditions on the territory of China, the eastern (seaside) part is distinguished, where the largest plains are located, as well as mountains up to 3 thousand meters high. m, which is washed by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas of the Pacific Ocean, and the western (continental) part, where high mountains (over 3,000 m), highlands, and hollows prevail. In the eastern part, the monsoon climate prevails, there is a dense network of full-water rivers with peak flooding in the summer, most of them are navigable. In the western part, the climate is sharply continental, there are few rivers, they are shallow, and some periodically dry up. More than 1,500 rivers with a catchment area ≥ 1,000 km2 and more than 50,000 rivers flow through the country. – ≥ 100 km2. Most of China belongs to the areas of external drainage – the basins of the Pacific (56.8 % of the country’s territory), Indian (7.2 %) and Arctic (0.01%) oceans. At the same time, more than a third of the country’s area (36 %) belongs to internal drainage basins. Among the large rivers flowing in the latitudinal direction, it is possible to note the Yangtze – the 3rd in the world in terms of water volume and the 4th – in length (6,300 km). The Yellow River is the second longest in China, the third in Asia and the seventh in the world (5,464 km). The number of lakes in China is over 24,800, among which 10 have a surface area of more than 1,000 km2. Catastrophic floods became one of the factors that forced the creation of reservoirs in the basins of the Yangtze, Yellow River, etc. More than 95,000 reservoirs were created in the country. reservoirs, among which 16 reservoirs have a volume of more than 10 km3 each. The Three Gorges Reservoir in the Yangtze is used for the operation of the world’s most powerful hydroelectric power plant. The Jinping-1 reservoir on the Yalongjiang River has the highest dam in the world (305 m). China has a significant number of canals that are used for the transportation of goods and people, irrigation for agriculture, flood control, and water management. The current one is the Grand Canal – the longest navigable canal in the world (1,776 km), which was built over the course of 2,000 years. In general, the hydrography of China reflects the natural conditions of the country’s territory. Climate has a significant influence on the formation of the hydrological regime of rivers. In this case, noticeable anthropogenic regulation of runoff is manifested.
Keywords: hydrography, seas, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, Yangtze River, Yellow River, Grand Canal, China.
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HOW TO CITE
Khilchevskyi, V.K., Hou, Jingyao (2024). Hydrographic characteristics of China: sea, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, cannels. Hidrolohiia, hidrokhimiia i hidroekolohiia [Hydrology, Hydrochemistry and Hydroecology], 4(74), 6-22 (in Ukrainian, abstr. in English). https://doi.org/10.17721/2306-5680.2024.4.1