Great Rivers Flow through Tibet, the Roof of the World

In the Tibet Autonomous Region, there are over 20 rivers with the drainage area more than 10,000 square kilometers and over 100 rivers with the drainage area more than 2,000 square kilometers. The largest rivers are Jinshajiang, Nujiang, Lancangjiang and Yarlung Zangbo. Several of Tibetan rivers flow to neighboring countries where they get their well-known names like Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Salween and Irrawaddy. Tibetan rivers generally carry a lot of good quality water with little sand.

Yarlung Zangbo, the largest river in Tibet, rises in Zhongba County at the northern foot of the Himalayas and flows through the Lhoyu area to India where it is called the Brahmaputra. In China, Yarlung Zangbo River is 2057 km long and has a drainage area of 240,000 square kilometers. This catchment area is on average over 4500 m above sea level. So the Yarlung Zangbo River is the highest river in the world.

The largest canyon of Yarlung Zangbo, with a depth of 5382 meters and a length of 370 kilometers, is the deepest canyon in the world. The narrowest part of the canyon floor is only 74 m, and the widest part is 200 m.

Yarlung Tsangpo River
The Yarlung Tsangpo River is the biggest river in Tibet and the highest altitude river in the world. Originating from the Jiemayangzong Glacier at northern foot of Himalayas in the south of Tibet,...
Parlung Tsangpo River
As one of the main reaches of Yarlung Tsangpo River, Parlung Tsangpo River has two resources, in east it originates from Azha Gongla Glacier in the south of Ranwu Lake, Baxoi County, Chamdo...
Grand Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo
Grand Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo is the deepest canyon in the world. As the most mysterious place in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and due to its special geotectonic location, it is regarded as “the...
Grand Canyon of Parlung Tsangpo
As one of the main reaches of Yarlung Tsangpo River, Parlung Tsangpo River has two resources, in east it originates from Azha Gongla Glacier in the south of Ranwu Lake, Baxoi County, Chamdo...

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