3 Gorges Dam

3 Gorges Dam <-- click here for photo

The Yangzi River is home to some of China's most spectacular natural scenery, a  series of canyons known as the Three Gorges The River is the longest and most important river in China. It is also the world's third longest river. Only the Nile River of Egypt and the Amazon River of South America are longer.  This river flows through China for 3,900 miles (6,275 kilometers). It begins in the Tanggula Mountains and runs through south-central China to the East China Sea. The river has many twists and turns, so it flows in different directions as it crosses the country. Small boats carry people and products. Large ships from the ocean also travel up part of the river. Thousands of Chinese people live on the Yangtze in boats called junks. The Three Gorges Dam (youtube video link), on the Yangtze, is the world's largest dam. CNN article: Three Gorges Dam from CNN

Click here to read the Social Studies assignment article and questions on the 3 Gorges Hydroelectric Project

Questions about the 3 Gorges Dam Project:

1. When was the idea of the dam first proposed?
2. When will Three Gorges Dam be completed?
3. What national problems do Chinese officials hope Three Gorges Dam will solve?
4. How do critics think the dam will harm the environment? 
5. What is special and different about the sites that will be flooded by the dam's reservoir?

3 Gorges Dam, a photo by adrianosmond on Flickr.

3 gorges dam construction, a photo by ..Yardley.. on Flickr.

Qutang Gorge, a photo by Chiva Congelado on Flickr. 

Wu Gorge, a photo by Chiva Congelado on Flickr.

The old water line on the river - you can see how much lower the water level is with the dam operating. What does this mean for the environment?

Soon-to-be-submerged village (3 Gorges, China) - 2002, a photo by Ray_from_LA on Flickr.

 

3 Gorges Dam model, a photo by Chiva Congelado on Flickr.