The Yangtze (English: or ), which is 6,380 km (3,964 miles) long, is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. The river is the longest in the world to flow entirely within onecountry. It drains one-fifth of the land area of the People 's Republic of China (PRC) and its river basin is home to nearly one-third of the country 's population. The Yangtze is the sixth-largest river by discharge volume in the world.
The English name Yangtze derives from the Chinese name Yángzǐ Jiāng ( listen), which refers to the lowest 435 km of the river between Nanjing and Shanghai. The whole river is known in China as Cháng Jiāng ( listen; literally: "Long River ").
The Yangtze plays a large role in the history, culture and economy of China. The prosperous Yangtze River Delta generates as much as 20% of the PRC's GDP. The Yangtze River flows through a wide array of ecosystems and is habitat to several endemic and endangered species including the Chinese alligator, the finless porpoise, the Chinese paddlefish, the (possibly extinct) Yangtze River dolphin or baiji, and the Yangtze sturgeon. For thousands of years, the river has been used for water, irrigation, sanitation, transportation, industry, boundary-marking and war. The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world.
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