RAS question
The Yangtze (Chang Jiang), the longest river in Asia, flows through:
Correct answer: (A) China, from Tibet to the East China Sea.
The Yangtze, or Chang Jiang, flows entirely within China from the Plateau of Tibet to the East China Sea.
Explanation
The Yangtze is the longest river in both China and Asia, and the third-longest river in the world, with a length of about 6,300 km. Britannica traces its course from the Plateau of Tibet to its mouth on the East China Sea, so China from Tibet to the East China Sea is the correct route. Its Chinese name, Chang Jiang, literally means the Long River, and the river is treated as China’s principal waterway. Its importance goes well beyond map location: the Three Gorges Dam stands on the Yangtze, its basin contains about one-third of China’s population, and the Yangtze River Delta around Shanghai is a major economic region.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) India and Bangladesh point to the Ganges system, not to the Yangtze, whose course is within China.
- (C) Russia is associated here with major rivers such as the Ob and Yenisei, whereas the Yangtze is identified with China.
- (D) Southeast Asia fits the Mekong better; the Yangtze runs from the Tibetan Plateau through China to the East China Sea.
Concept
This tests world drainage systems: matching major Asian rivers with their country, source region and mouth. It recurs in RAS because river systems connect physical geography with population, agriculture, dams and regional economic significance.