The Yangtze (yäng´ ts´) is the third longest river system in the world. The Mississippi-Missouri ranks first, and the Amazon second. The Yangtze is 3,000 miles long. It drains an area of 700,000 square miles-a region almost as large as the whole of Mexico. It rises in the eternal snows on the Plateau of Thibet, and empties into the East China Sea. This is a distance of about 2,500 miles, on a straight line. On its banks are some of the large cities of China, such as Shanghai, Nanking, and Hankow. The last city is 700 miles from the sea, yet ocean-going ships call there. River steamers go 1,000 miles above Shanghai. Shanghai is built on one of the mouths of the Yangtze. It is 50 miles from the sea, and is the most important port in China. Its commerce is valued at $300,000,000 annually. This makes it the fourteenth greatest port in the world. Its trade is greater than any city in the United States excepting New York. It is about the size of Boston. Nanking is even larger than Shanghai. It has a population of nearly 1,000,000. The valley of the Yangtze here shown is 150 miles from the sea, at Chinkiang. The valley is very wide at this place. The river overflows its banks and changes its course often. It is therefore not a safe river to live near. Thirty-five years ago the river was so deep at this point that the British fleet anchored where you now see the railroad. Both that Hwang and the Yangtze do untold damage every year by flooding their valleys. A great many people are always drowned in these floods. Trace the Yangtze on the map of China. What are the other great rivers of China? Keystone ID: 12079 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.