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Pearl River

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

The Pearl River is a huge river system in southern China.

River Pearl
River Pearl

It is a very important part of the land. People often use the name for many different parts of the water. It can mean the whole system of many rivers. It can also mean one specific branch in the delta. This branch is the widest part of the delta. However, it is also a very short part of the river. The river is famous for flowing through the city of Guangzhou.

River Pearl
River Pearl

Many smaller rivers join together to make this system. These include the Xi, Bei, and Dong rivers. All of these waters flow into the South China Sea. They pass through a place called the Pearl River Delta. This system is very long and carries much water. It is the third-longest river in all of China. It is only behind the Yangtze and the Yellow River. It is the second largest river by volume in China. This means it holds more water than almost any other river.

The river drains a very large area of land. It covers most of the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. These two provinces are often called Liangguang. The water also flows through Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, and Jiangxi. It even reaches the northern parts of Vietnam. It touches the Cao Bằng and Lạng Sơn provinces there. This shows how much land the river touches. It is a central part of the region's geography.

The name of the river tells a lovely story. It comes from special shells found in the riverbed. These shells look like pearls. They are found near the city of Guangzhou. The river mouth forms a large bay in the southeast. This area is called the Pearl River Estuary. A place called Bocca Tigris sits in the estuary. Workers must dredge this area to keep it open. This helps large ocean vessels travel through the water.

This bay separates several big cities and places. It sits between Macau and Zhuhai on one side. On the other side are Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Many things in China are named after this river. The Zhujiang Brewery is a very large brewery in Guangzhou. There is also a food company called Pearl River Bridge. Near the Nansha Bridge, a huge power line crosses the water. It hangs from three of the tallest pylons in the world.

River Pearl
River Pearl
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