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Home Travel in Tibet Yarlung Tsangpo River
Yarlung Tsangpo River
Travel in Tibet
There is a Galaxy in the heaven and a Sky River (Tianhe) on the earth, which is Yarlung Tsangpo River. In Chinese, Yarlung Tsangpo River means water flowing down from the crest. Found in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as 'the roof of the world', the Yarlung Tsangpo River is the biggest river in Tibet and also holds the position as being the river found at the highest altitude across the world.


Yarlung Tsangpo River originates from a glacier on the northern side of the middle Himalayas, over 5,300 meters (208,661 feet) above sea level. It runs across the south of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from west to east, through India and Bengal, and finally flows into the Bay of Bengal. Altogether more than 2,900 kilometers (1,802 miles) long with a catchment area of 935 thousand square kilometers (361,006 square miles), it is the fifth longest river in China. With a large number of branches, its natural hydropower capacity reaches up to 79,116 thousand kilowatts, just second to the Yangtze River in China.


Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley is rich in forest resources, owning 2,644 thousand hectares' of virgin forest. Rare and unique plants and animals along with a natural treasure house of wildlife such as yew and Zoraptera insects can be found here. From the Pottery shard and stone objects of the Neolithic Period discovered in Nyingchi County, the ancient culture of Yarlung Tsangpo River can be traced back thousands of years. To some extent, it is the cradle of Tibetan civilization.


The Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo River is absolutely a highlight. It is the largest and deepest canyon in the world, being 504.6 kilometers (314 miles) long and 6,009 meters (19,715 feet) deep at its deepest. The average depth is 2,268 meters (7,441 feet). Nine Natural Vertical Zones ranging from the Alp Ice-snow belt to tropical seasonal forests are represented in this area. All kinds of wildlife exist here, so the Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo River is regarded as 'the Gene Pool of Biological Resources', whilst enjoying fame as a 'Geological Museum' due to the various geological phenomena found.


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