Thinking Citizen Blog — Great Rivers of the World XIV — the Pearl River
Thinking Citizen Blog — Wednesday is Climate Change, the Environment, and Sustainability Day
Today’s Topic — Great Rivers of the World XIV — the Pearl River Delta — largest urban agglomeration on the planet
The Pearl River is the second largest river in China by volume and the third-longest but gets very little attention relative to the Yellow River and the Yangtze. For example, the Wikipedia entry for Pearl River is a fraction the size of those devoted to its two better-known rivals. However, its estuary includes Guangzhou (25MM), Hong Kong (7.5MM), and Shenzhen (20 MM) making it the home of the world’s biggest megalopolis. It has been called “the world’s factory” and “China’s Silicon Valley.” Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
THE THREE PRINCIPAL TRIBUTARIES OF THE PEARL RIVER — The “Xi,” the “Bei,” and the “Dong”
1. The Pearl River has three principal tributaries: the Xi (“West”), the Bei (“North”) and Dong (“East”).
2. The Xi is the longest and largest with volume second only to the Yangtze.
3. The Dong provides Hong Kong with 70% of its water.
GUILIN IS ON A TRIBUTARY OF THE “XI”- The Gui River
1. The karst landscape is one of the most stunning in the world.
2. A description of the town: “It is like a glittering pearl on a green carpet.”
3. The town gets its name from the cassia tree which blooms between August and October. The gorgeous yellow flowers emit a delicious cinnamon scent that adds to the magic of the place.
GUANGZHOU — The Pearl River Runs Through The Town Once Known as Canton
1. A terminus of the maritime silk road from the 2nd to the 15th century AD.
2. Until it fell to the British in the Opium War in 1841 was the only port with trading privileges to foreigners. Afterward lost market share to Hong Kong and Shanghai.
3. With the Chinese boom of the last 30 years, domestic migrants represent roughly 40% of the population.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_River_Delta
Guilin Facts, Guilin Overview, Geography, Population, Climate, Guilin Information
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to climate change or the environment. Or the coolest, most important thing you learned in your life related to climate change that the rest of us may have missed. Your favorite chart or table perhaps…
This is your chance to make some one’s day. Or to cement in your own mind something that you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart.
