Pearl River Explained

Pearl River
Name Other:Canton River
Map:Zhujiangrivermap.png
Map Size:300px
Pushpin Map Size:300px
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:China, Vietnam
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn
Length: (PearlXiXunQianHongshuiNanpan to)
Discharge1 Location:Pearl Delta
Discharge1 Min:[1]
Discharge1 Avg:(Period: 2010–2020)[2] [3]
Discharge1 Max:[4]
Source1:various sources of its tributaries
Mouth:South China Sea
Mouth Location:and Guangdong
Progression:South China Sea
River System:Pearl River
Basin Size:[5]
Tributaries Left:Bei ('north'), Dong ('east')
Tributaries Right:Xi ('west')
Extra:
Wikidata:yes
Zoom:5
Height:250
Stroke-Width:1.5
Display:i

The Pearl River (or) is an extensive river system in southern China. "Pearl River" is often also used as a catch-all for the watersheds of the Pearl tributaries within Guangdong, specifically the Xi ('west'), Bei ('north'), and Dong ('east'). These rivers all ultimately flow into the South China Sea through the Pearl River Delta. Measured from the farthest reaches of the Xi River, the PearlXiXunQianHongshuiNanpan Pearl River system constitutes China's third-longest, after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and its second largest by volume, after the Yangtze. The Pearl River Basin drains the majority of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces (collectively known as Liangguang), as well as parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi; it also drains the northernmost parts of Vietnam's Northeast Cao Bằng and Lạng Sơn provinces. The Pearl River is famed as the river that flows through Guangzhou.

As well as referring to the system as a whole, the Pearl River name is applied to a specific branch within it. This Pearl River is the widest distributary within the delta, although notably short; the waters that converge east of the Bei are first referred to as the Pearl River just north of Guangzhou. The Pearl River's estuary, Bocca Tigris, is regularly dredged so as to keep it open for ocean vessels. The mouth of the Pearl River forms a large bay in the southeast of the delta, the Pearl River Estuary, the Bocca Tigris separates Shiziyang in the north, Lingdingyang in the south, and Jiuzhouyang at the southern tip of the estuary surrounded by the Wanshan Archipelago. This bay separates Macau and Zhuhai from Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

The name "Pearl River" comes from the pearl-colored shells that lie within the Pearl's riverbed as it flows through the city of Guangzhou. A 500 kV power line, suspended from three of the tallest pylons in the world, crosses the river near the Nansha Bridge.

Settlements

Crossings

Tributaries

In culture

Numerous brands are named after the river. The Zhujiang Brewery in Guangzhou is one of the three largest domestic breweries in China, and Pearl River Bridge is a popular food manufacturer in the city.

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Hydrological Processes. Spatiotemporal variability of streamflow in the Pearl River Basin: Controls of land surface processes and atmospheric impacts. 10.1002/hyp.15151. Ying. Zhang. Jianping. Gan. Qichun. Yang. 38. 4. 2024.
  2. Hydrological Processes. Spatiotemporal variability of streamflow in the Pearl River Basin: Controls of land surface processes and atmospheric impacts. 10.1002/hyp.15151. Ying. Zhang. Jianping. Gan. Qichun. Yang. 38. 4. 2024.
  3. Web site: Chapter 5: Plate D-6 — GES DISC: Goddard Earth Sciences, Data & Information Services Center . Disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov . 2012-11-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130203044933/http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_5/GEO_PLATE_D-6.shtml . 2013-02-03 .
  4. Hydrological Processes. Spatiotemporal variability of streamflow in the Pearl River Basin: Controls of land surface processes and atmospheric impacts. 10.1002/hyp.15151. Ying. Zhang. Jianping. Gan. Qichun. Yang. 38. 4. 2024.
  5. Web site: 珠江概况 . 珠江水利网 . 2013-03-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130122165238/http://www.pearlwater.gov.cn/zjgk/# . 2013-01-22 . live .