Chongqing

Chongqing (Chinese: 重庆, [ʈʂʰǔŋ tɕʰjə̂ŋ]; formerly Chungking) is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities in China. Administratively, it is one of China's four direct-controlled municipalities (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only such municipality in inland China.

The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the sub-provincial city administration that was part of Sichuan Province. Chongqing's population as of 2015 is 30,165,500 with an urban population of 18,384,100. According to the 2010 census, Chongqing is the most populous Chinese municipality, whereas the built-up area made up of 8 out of 9 urban districts (all but Beibei not yet built-up) was home to 6,777,229 inhabitants at the 2010 census. Chongqing is the largest direct-controlled municipality in China, and comprises 21 districts, 13 counties, and 4 autonomous counties.

The official abbreviation of the city, 渝 (Yú), was approved by the State Council on 18 April 1997. This abbreviation is derived from the old name of a part of the Jialing River that runs through Chongqing and feeds into the Yangtze River. Chongqing was also a municipality of the Republic of China (ROC) administration, serving as its wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

China

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a sovereign state in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. The PRC is a one-party state governed by the Communist Party, with its seat of government in the capital city of Beijing. It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces; five autonomous regions; four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing); two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau); and claims sovereignty over Taiwan.

Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, China is the world's second-largest country by land area, and either the third or fourth-largest by total area, depending on the method of measurement. China's landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes and the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts in the arid north to subtropical forests in the wetter south. The Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third- and sixth-longest in the world, run from the Tibetan Plateau to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometres (9,000 mi) long, and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East and South China Seas.

Three Gorges

The Three Gorges (Chinese: 三峡; pinyin:  Sānxiá) is a scenic area along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in the People's Republic of China, which is classified as a AAAAA scenic area (the highest level) by the China National Tourism Administration.

Overview

The Three Gorges span from the western—upriver cities of Fengjie and Yichang in Chongqing Municipality eastward—downstream to Hubei province The Three Gorges region attracts global attention due to the Three Gorges Dam, which is firmly changing the culture and environment of the river and Three Gorges region.

The Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)—Three Gorges region has a total length of approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi). The Three Gorges occupy approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) within this region. Although it is primarily famous for its scenery, the Three Gorges region is also a historically and culturally important location in China. Many settlements and archeological sites are under submersion from the rising Three Gorges Dam.

Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China. The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW). In 2014 the dam generated 98.8 TWh of electricity, setting a new world record by 0.17 TWh previously held by the Itaipú Dam on the Brazil/Paraguay border in 2013 of 98.63. But in 2015, the Itaipu power plant resumed the lead in annual worldwide production, producing 89.5 TWh, while production of Three Gorges was 87 TWh.

Except for a ship lift, the dam project was completed and fully functional as of July 4, 2012, when the last of the main water turbines in the underground plant began production. The ship lift was complete in December 2015. Each main water turbine has a capacity of 700 MW. The dam body was completed in 2006. Coupling the dam's 32 main turbines with two smaller generators (50 MW each) to power the plant itself, the total electric generating capacity of the dam is 22,500 MW.

Von Humboldt

von Humboldt may refer to: