Yalu River

{{Chinese |pic=Yalurivermap.png |s=鸭绿江 |t=鴨綠江 |p=Yālù Jiāng |w=Ya-lu Chiang |mi={{IPAc-cmn|ya|1|l|ü|4|-|j|iang|1}} |j=aap3 luk6 gong1 |i={{IPA-yue|áplʊ̀kgɔ̄ːŋ|}} |northkorea=yes |hangul=압록강 |hanja=鴨綠江 |mr=Amnokkang |rr=Amnokgang |mnc=Yalu ula
([[Paul Georg von Möllendorff|Möllendorf]]) [[Manchu alphabet|Manchu script]] [[File:ᠶᠠᠯᡠ ᡠᠯᠠ.SVG|20px]] }} The '''Yalu River''' ([[Manchu language|Manchu]] and [[Chinese language|Chinese]]) or the '''Amnok River''' ([[Korean language|Korean]]) is a [[river]] on the border between [[North Korea]] and the [[People's Republic of China]]. Together with the [[Tumen River]] to its east, and a small portion on [[Changbai Mountain]], the Yalu River forms the border between [[North Korea]] and the [[People's Republic of China]]. The [[Chinese language|Chinese]] name translates literally as ''Duck Green River'', but is actually a phonetic rendering of a [[Manchu language|Manchu]] word meaning "the boundary between two countries"{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}. The Korean name is the Korean pronunciation of [[Hanja]] characters. ==Geography== [[Image:Yalu river bridge.JPG|thumb|left|Two bridges crossing the Yalu (Amnokgang) at [[Sinŭiju]] and [[Dandong]].]] From 2,500 m above sea level on [[Changbai Mountain]], on the China-North Korea border, the river flows south to [[Hyesan]] before sweeping 130 km northwest to [[Linjiang]] and then returning to a more southerly route for a further 300 km to empty into the [[Korea Bay]] between [[Dandong]] (China) and [[Sinuiju|Sinŭiju]] (North Korea). The bordering Chinese provinces are [[Jilin]] and [[Liaoning]]. The river is 790 km (491 mi) long and receives the water from over 30,000 km² of land. The Yalu's most significant [[tributaries]] are the [[Changjin River|Changjin]] (장진강, 長津江), [[Heochun]] (허천강, 虚川江) and [[Tokro]] rivers. The river is not easily navigable for most of its length: although at its widest it is around 5 km, the depth is no greater than 3 m and much of the river is heavily silted. ==History== The river basin is the site where the ancient kingdom of [[Goguryeo]] rose to power. Many former fortresses are located along the river and the former capital of that kingdom was situated at what is now the medium-sized city of [[Ji'an, Jilin|Ji'an]], [[China]] along the Yalu, a site rich in Goguryeo era relics. The river has been the site of several battles because of its strategic location between Korea and China, including: *[[Battle of the Yalu River (1894)]] – [[Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)]] *[[Battle of Yalu River (1904)]] – [[Russo-Japanese War]] The Korean side of the river was heavily industrialized during [[Korea under Japanese rule|Colonial Korea]] (1910–1945), and by 1945 almost 20% of [[Imperial Japan]]'s total industrial output originated in [[Korea]]. During the [[Korean War]] the movement of [[UN]] troops approaching the river precipitated massive Chinese intervention from around [[Dandong]]. In the course of the conflict every bridge across the river except one was destroyed. The one remaining bridge was the [[Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge]] connecting [[Sinuiju]], [[North Korea]] to [[Dandong]], [[China]]. During the war the valley surrounding the western end of the river also became the focal point of a series of [[dogfight]]s for [[air superiority]] over North Korea, earning the nickname "[[MiG Alley]]" in reference to the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15|MiG-15]] [[fighter aircraft|fighters]] flown by the combined North Korean, Chinese and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] forces. U.S. General [[Mark W. Clark]] initiated [[Operation Moolah]] to influence a Communist [[MiG-15]] pilot to defect with the MiG to [[South Korea]] in 1953 and receive a financial award and political asylum. LT No [[Kum-Sok]] would defect after the signing of the armistice in September 1953. The river has frequently been crossed by North Koreans fleeing to China Since the early 1990s. ==Economy== The river is important for [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] power, and one of the largest hydroelectric [[dam]]s in Asia is in Sup'ung Rodongjagu, 100 m high and over 850 m long, located upstream from [[Sinuiju]], [[North Korea]]. The dam has created an artificial lake over a portion of the river, called [[Sapung Lake]]. In addition the river is used for transportation, particularly of lumber from its forested banks. The river provides fish for the local population. ==Crossings== *[[Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge]], Dandong, China - Sinŭiju, North Korea *[[Ji'an Yalu River Border Railway Bridge]], Ji'an China - Manp'o, North Korea ==See also== *[[Geography of China]] *[[Geography of North Korea]] *[[List of China-related topics]] *[[List of Korea-related topics]] *[[List of rivers of Asia]] *[[Chinese–Korean border fence]] ==External links== * [http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9077749/Yalu-River Encyclopædia Britannica] {{commonscat}} {{Jilin topics}} {{Coord missing|North Korea}}