The Pearl River, also known as the Guangdong River, is the second largest river in China. It is named for its passage through Haizhu Island. It is the general name of the three rivers in the east, west, north and lower reaches of the delta. It originates from the Maxiong Mountains of the Wumeng Mountains in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and flows through six provinces and regions in central and Western China and Northern Vietnam. It enters the South China Sea from eight estuaries downstream.
It is 2214 kilometers long and has a watershed area of 453 690 square kilometers (44 2100 square kilometers in China and 11 590 square kilometers in Vietnam). The annual runoff is over 330 billion cubic meters, ranking second in the National River system, second only to the Yangtze River, seven times the annual runoff of the Yellow River and ten times the annual runoff of the Huaihe River. Its length and basin area rank fourth in the country.
There are 774 rivers in the Pearl River system, with a total length of more than 36,000 kilometers. The abundant rivers and numerous tributaries have brought superior conditions to the shipping industry of the Pearl River. The shipping value of the Pearl River is second only to the Yangtze River and ranks second in the country. The Pearl River system is rich in hydropower resources. The famous Tianshengqiao, Datengxia, Lubuge and Xinfengjiang hydroelectric junctions belong to the Pearl River system. The Pearl River Basin covers a vast area, mostly mountainous and hilly areas, accounting for 94.5% of the total area. The plain area is small and scattered, accounting for only 5.5% of the total area. The larger area is the Pearl River Delta Plain. The Pearl River Basin is rich in tourism resources. The famous Huangguoshu Waterfall and Guilin Landscape are all in the Pearl River Basin.
