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鸭绿江
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Yālùjiāng (ya1 lu4 jiang1)
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Ya-lu Chiang
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압록강
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鴨綠江
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Amnokgang<br>'' N : Amrokgang''
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Amnokkang<br>'' N : Amrokkang''
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The , or the '''Yalu River''', is a
River on the border between
China and
North Korea .
From 2,500
M above sea level on
Baekdu Mountain in the
Changbai (Changbaek) mountain range, on the Chinese-North Korean border, the river flows south to
Hyesan before sweeping 130 km northwest to
Lin-Chiang and then returning to a more southerly route for a further 300 km to empty into the
Korea Bay between
Dandong (China) and
Sinŭiju (North Korea).
The bordering Chinese provinces are
Jilin and
Liaoning .
The river is 790 km (491 mi) long and receives the water from over 30,000 km&
2 of land. The Yalu's most significant tributaries are the
Changjin ,
Herchun , and
Tokro rivers. The river is not easily navigable for most of its length: although at its widest it is around 5 km, the depth is no greater than 3 m and much of the river is heavily silted.
The river basin is the site where the ancient kingdom of
Goguryeo rose to power. Many former Goguryeo fortresses are located along the river and the former capital of that kingdom was situated at what is now the medium-sized city of Ji'an along the Yalu, a site rich in Goguryeo era relics.
Because of its strategic location between China and Korea, the river has been the site of several battles, including:
The Korean side of the river was heavily industrialized during the
Japanese Colonial Period (
1910 -
1945 ), and by
1945 almost 20% of
Japan 's total industrial output originated in
Korea . During the
Korean War the movement of
UN troops approaching the river provoked massive Chinese intervention from around Dandong. In the course of the conflict every bridge across the river except one was destroyed. The one remaining bridge being the
Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge connecting
Sinŭiju ,
North Korea to
Dandong ,
China .
Since the early 1990s, the river has frequently been crossed by undocumented migrants from
North Korea to
China .
The river is important for
Hydroelectric power, and one of the largest hydroelectric
Dam s in Asia is in
Sup'ung Rodongjagu , 100 m high and over 850 m long, located upstream from
Sinŭiju ,
North Korea . In addition the river is used for transportation, particularly of lumber from its forested banks and provides fish for the local population.
