The Yangtze River is the longest river of Asia, stretching 6,300 km (3,900 miles) in length from East to West across China.

The river passes through the spectacular Yangtze Gorges, which are noted for their natural beauty but are dangerous to shipping.

With its numerous tributaries and feeders, the Yangzte provides a great transportation network through some of the most densel populated and economically important areas of China.

More than 1,683,500 sq km (650,000 sq mi) of territory are drained by the Yangtze and its branches. During periods of heavy rains, floods caused by the river occasionally have caused destruction of life and property.

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In 1994 construction began on the massive Three Gorges Dam near Yichang. Scheduled for completion in 2009, the dam will measure about 180 m (about 600 ft) high and about 2.5 km (about 1.5 mi) wide.

The dam is expected to help control the flooding of the Yangtze River valley; in addition, river flows will make the Three Gorges complex the largest electricity-generating facility in the world.

A lake about 650 km (about 400 mi) long will form behind the dam, forcing the relocation of more than 1 million people and permanently flooding many historical sites.

Text courtesy of Encarta.com