Huang He River
The Huang He (Yellow River) is the second longest river in China. It flows east from the Bayankala Mountains in the Qinghai Province to the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. The river runs a course of 3,400 mi (5,500 km) and drains an area of about 350,000 mi2 (900,000 km2). As one of the most heavily silt-laden rivers in the world, the Yellow River gets its name from the muddiness of its water, which is a constant ochre-yellow color. Sediment carried by the river is deposited in such large amounts at the river's bottom that it raises the bed and creates a phenomenon referred to as the “hanging river.” In many places, the bed of the lower Huang He is several meters higher than the surrounding land.