Print  Font Size: 

Interior rivers

Interior rivers have no outlet to the sea but flow into inland lakes or disappear in deserts. Most of China’s interior rivers are found in the arid northwest north of the Kunlun range and the Northern Tibet Plateau to its south and are fed by the glaciers and melting snow from the Tianshan, Kunlun and Qilian ranges. Although chiefly seasonal waterways that dry up most of the year these rivers are of great importance to agriculture and animal husbandry in the northwest. The interior rivers of China drain an area of 3.4748 million square kilometers, or 36.2 percent of the country‘s total, and are roughly identical with the non-monsoonal regions. Their flow is less than 5 percent of the total of the country’s rivers. With a length of 2,137 kilometers, the Tarim River in southern Xinjiang is the longest inland river in China.

To do a quick search, highlighting any word(s) then click Help!