Rivers of Eastern and Southern Asia

Rivers of Eastern Asia. The rivers of Eastern Asia empty their waters into the seas of the Pacific Ocean.
The full-bodied Amur rises east of Lake Baikal and falls into the straits that separate Sakhalin from the mainland.

Fig. 87. The upper reaches of the Hwang Ho. The mountains around are rocky and bare.

The rains brought by the summer monsoons cause this river to flood in summer. So high is its level some years that it overflows its banks and floods large areas.
The Hwang Ho, or Yellow River, rises in the mountains of East Tibet, after which it flows across a plain composed of loess—a loose, yellowish soil. The loess is easily washed away, turning the river water yellow. There is no other river in the world with such muddy water. Much of the silt is carried to the sea, and its water, too, turns yellow. Each year the delta of the Hwang Ho is moved several hundred metres further out to sea. A great deal of silt is deposited on the river-bed, causing the water to rise until it is higher than the surrounding country and overflows its banks. Disastrous floods occur on the other rivers of the Great China Plain, too.

The Yangtze rises on the Tibetan Plateau, a little southwest of the Hwang Ho. The Yangtze is one of the largest rivers in the world, much larger than the Volga, both in length and volume. In its upper course among the mountains it cuts through narrow gorges, forming wide curves. Its current is swift and strong, and it forms numerous rapids. In its lower course the Yangtze flows calmly across flat country, falling finally into the East China Sea. The silt carried by the Yangtze is deposited at its estuary, forming shallows (bars) and islands. This regular depositing of river silt along the shores of the sea accounts for the fact that some cities once situated at the very shore now find themselves hundreds of kilometres inland.

The Yangtze is navigable for large steamers for hundreds of kilometres.
Rivers of Southern Asia.

Fig. 88. The lower reaches of the Yangtze. The Yangtze is navigable for hundreds of kilometres.

The Indus and the Ganges, two great rivers of Southern Asia, and most of their tributaries as well, flow out of the glaciers of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. In their upper reaches these are mountain streams. Descending from the mountains they calmly flow across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, which is formed mainly of river silt.
The Indus rises north of the Himalayas. It skirts the latter on the west, cutting through deep gorges and, curving south-west, falls into the Arabian Sea.
The Ganges rises in the Himalayas and flows south-east to the Bay of Bengal. It forms a large delta at its estuary, greater in size than that of the Volga.
During the summer the glaciers in the upper reaches of the Indus and Ganges begin melting. This and the heavy rains brought by the monsoons from the Indian Ocean account for their overflowing in summer. They flood great areas, depositing large quantities of silt. These floods often destroy the crops, causing great disaster. During (he drought in winter the water in the rivers is noticeably lower.
Across the Mesopotamian Lowland in the south-east flow two great rivers: the Tigris and the Euphrates («mesopota-mia» means the 'country between two rivers'). In their upper reaches these rivers rush rapidly from the mountains, to flow calmly across Ihe lowland later on. They join and as one fall into the Persian Gulf.

The rivers of Southern Asia are very important for the irrigation of the neighbouring flatlands.