The
Yarlung Tsangpo River (
Chinese ?????;
pinyin Yalu Zangbu Jiang) originates upstream from the South Tibet Valley and
Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, in the
Tibet Autonomous Region of
China. It then passes through the state of
Arunachal Pradesh,
India, where it is known as the
Dihang. Downstream from Arunachal Pradesh the river becomes wider and at this point is called the
Brahmaputra River. It eventually disgorges into the
Bay of Bengal. Since the river crosses international boundaries, it has at least three different names in different languages.
[1]The Yarlung Tsangpo River is the highest major river in the world. Its longest tributary is the Nyang River. In Tibet the river flows through the South Tibet Valley, which is approximately 1200 kilometres long and 300 kilometres wide. The valley descends from 4500 metres above sea level to 3000 metres.[2][3] As it descends, the surrounding vegetation changes from cold desert to arid steppe to deciduous scrub vegetation. It ultimately transitions into a conifer and rhododendron forest. The tree line is approximately 3,200 metres.[4] Sedimentary sandstone rocks found near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa contain grains of magnetic minerals that record the Earth's alternating magnetic field current.[1]
The Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, formed by a horse-shoe bend in the river where it flows around Namcha Barwa, is the deepest, and possibly longest canyon in the world.[5] The river has been a challenge to whitewater kayakers because of the extreme conditions of the river.[6]
The Yarlung Tsangpo River has three major waterfalls.[7] The largest waterfall of the river, the "Hidden Falls", was not discovered until 1998.[8]
