Question

Which of the following rivers is known as the ‘Sorrow of China’?
A. Huang He
B. Amur
C. Mekong
D. Yangtze-Kiang

Answer 1

Hint: Flood caused by the river Huang He resulted in the highest number of deaths in recorded history in China. Amur is the tenth longest river.

Complete Answer: Huang He River is also known as a yellow river because of the mixing of yellow-colored fine sediments in the river which gives the river a yellow appearance. This river originates from the Kunlun Mountains of western China and runs 3395 miles long and finally end up mixing in the Gulf of the Bohai Sea, which makes it the second-longest river in China and the six largest river systems around the world. Yangtze River is the longest river in China. The earliest civilization settled on the bank of this river in China. This river is also known as Sorrow of China because it has been responsible for several deadly floods which make floods produced by this river the only natural disaster in recorded history to kill more than a million lives. The cause of the floods is the large number of fine soil particles carried by the river which is continuously deposited along the bottom of its channel. The sedimentation causes natural dams to slowly accumulate. These subaqueous dams were unpredictable and generally undetectable. Eventually, leading to a frequent number of floods produced. The Amur River is the natural boundary 2744 miles long between China and Russia. The length of the Mekong River is 2700 miles and travels through China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam which make it the longest river in Southeast Asia. The Yangtze River originates from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in western China, and runs 3917 miles long making it the third longest river in the world.

Thus, the correct option is A.

Note: The River Huang He is widely famous for its usage during World War II. Chinese troops broke the levees on the Huang He in order to flood a valley and stop the advance of invading Japanese troops. The resulting flood was massive, and the death toll of the invaders topped 900,000.