Yellow River
Silt-laden Chinese waterway
The Yellow River is China's second-longest river, flowing from the Tibetan Plateau to the Bohai Sea.
Named for the yellowish silt it carries, the river has been central to Chinese civilization for millennia.
Its tendency to flood catastrophically—killing millions throughout history—earned it the epithet "China's Sorrow."
Dusty highland in China
- Inner MongoliaChinese autonomous region
- ShandongCoastal Chinese province
- tributariesStreams joining larger rivers
- watershedDrainage area boundary
delta · estuary · gorges · meanders · headwaters · confluence · basin
Particles settling in liquid
- loessWind-deposited silt layer
- alluviumWater-deposited loose sediment
- turbidityCloudiness from suspended particles
- muddy watersSediment-clouded liquid
deposition · erosion · dredging · sedimentation · sandbar · floodplain · fertile soil · silting
- Shang dynastyEarly Chinese ruling era
- oracle bonesInscribed Shang divination remains
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- ancient capitalsFormer centers of rule
Overwhelming surge of water
- leveeRiver flood barrier
- dikeWall against flooding
- breachBreaking of agreement
- disasterSudden ruinous event
deluge · overflow · evacuation · sandbag · flood control · embankment · devastation · waterlogged
Loess Plateau
Dusty highland in China
- Inner MongoliaChinese autonomous region
- ShandongCoastal Chinese province
- tributariesStreams joining larger rivers
watershed · delta · estuary · gorges · meanders · headwaters · confluence · basin
sediment
Particles settling in liquid
- loessWind-deposited silt layer
- alluviumWater-deposited loose sediment
- turbidityCloudiness from suspended particles
muddy waters · deposition · erosion · dredging · sedimentation · sandbar · floodplain · fertile soil · silting · accretion
cradle of civilization
- Shang dynastyEarly Chinese ruling era
- oracle bonesInscribed Shang divination remains
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
inundation
Overwhelming surge of water
disaster · deluge · overflow · evacuation · sandbag · flood control · embankment · devastation · waterlogged
- Asian WatersYangtze, Mekong, Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra
- river nicknamesMighty Mississippi, Blue Danube
- HenanShaolin Temple, Shaolin, Shaolin monks, ancient capitals
- Newton CountyCovington, Mansfield, Oxford, Jersey
- AsiaChina, India, Japan, Thailand, Korea
- ChinaBeijing, Shanghai, Great Wall, Chinese calligraphy, Forbidden City
Yellow RiverYangtze River
China's longest watercourse
Amazon River · Rhine · Thames · Mississippi River · Danube