Geography
Context: A recent study has noted that the Chinese practice of building embankments is one of the reasons to blame for the devastating floods occurring in the “Yellow river”.
About Yellow River:
- The Yellow River (Huang He) is the second longest river in China (after the Yangtze).
- It’s the fifth-longest river in the world.
- Source: The Bayankala Mountains on the Plateau of Tibet in western central China.
- Mouth: southern Bohai Sea
- Claims to fame: world’s muddiest major river, “China’s cradle (of civilization)”
- Provinces flowed through: Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong
- Tributaries: Black River, White River, Tao River, Huangshui, Fen River, Luo River, Wei River.
- The name “Yellow River” comes from the huge amounts of “yellow” loess sediment it carries, which are eroded when it flows through the Loess Plateau.
- The Yellow River is not just an iconic river of China, but also the symbol of the Chinese spirit: bearing burdens (its sedimentation), adaptation (its course changes), and perseverance (its continual flow).
- Hukou Waterfall on it is the second-largest waterfall in China.
- Qinghai Lake on it is China’s biggest lake.
Source: DOWN TO EARTH
Previous Year Questions
Q.1) Which one of the lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert? (2022)
- Lake Victoria
- Lake Faguibine
- Lake Oguta
- Lake Volta
Q.2) Consider the following pairs: (2021)
| Rivers | Flows into |
| 1. Mekong | Andaman Sea |
| 2. Thames | Irish Sea |
| 3. Volga | Caspian Sea |
| 4. Zambezi | Indian Ocean |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- 1 and 2 only
- 3 only
- 3 and 4 only
- 1, 2 and 4 only
Q3. With reference to the Indus River system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of the which joins the Indus direct. Among the following, which one is such river that joins the Indus direct? (2021)
- Chenab
- Jhelum
- Ravi
- Sutlej
