Yalu River

The Yalu (Amnok) River is a river on the border between China and North
Korea. The river's name is in Chinese characters, and is pronounced as
Yalu Jiang in Mandarin and as Amnok-gang in Korean.

Geography

Rising 2,500 m above sea level on Baitou Mountain in the Changbai
(Changbaek) mountain range, on the Chinese-North Korean border, the river
flows south to Hyesan before sweeping 130 km northwest to Lin-Chiang and
then returning to a more southerly route for a further 300 km to empty into
the Korea Bay between Dandong (China) and Shin?iju (North Korea).

The bordering Chinese provinces are Jilin and Liaoning.

The river is almost 800 km long and receives the water from over 30,000 km2
of land. The Yalu's most significant tributaries are the Changjin, Herchun,
and Tokro rivers. The river is not easily navigable for most of its length:
although at its widest it is around 5 km, the depth is no greater than 3 m
and much of the river is heavily silted.

History

The river basin is the site where the kingdom of Goguryeo rose into power.
The Great Wall of China's eastern end terminates at the river.

Because of its strategic location between China and Korea, the river has
been the site of several battles, including:

   * Battle of Yalu River (1894) - Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)
   * Battle of Yalu River (1904) - Russo-Japanese War

The Korean side of the river was heavily industrialized during the Japanese
Colonial Period (1910-1945), and by 1945 almost 20% of Japan's total
industrial output originated in Korea. During the Korean War the movement of
UN troops approaching the river provoked massive Chinese intervention from
around Dandong. In the course of the conflict every bridge across the river
except one was destroyed.

Economy

The river is important for hydroelectric power, and one of the largest
hydroelectric dams in Asia is the Sup'ung-nodongjagu, upstream from
Shin?iju. It is 100 m high and over 850 m long.

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