Huang He

views updated Jun 27 2018

Huang He (Huang Ho or Yellow) River in n central China; China's second longest (after the Yangtze). It rises in the Kunlun mountains, Qinghai province, and flows e to Lanzhou. It then takes a ‘great northern bend’ around the Ordos Desert. Near Baotau, it turns s through Shanxi province. It then flows e through Henan province and ne through Shandong to enter the Bo Hai Gulf, an arm of the Huang Hai. The river gets its popular name from the huge amounts of yellow silt it collects in its middle course. The silting of the riverbed makes it prone to serious flooding, but the threat has been greatly reduced by dykes and dams. Length: c.5500km (3400mi).