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The Yalu (Amnok) River is a river on the border between China and North Korea.

1 Geography

Rising 2,500 m above sea level on Baitou Mountain in the Changbai (Changbaek) mountain range, on the Chinese-North Korean border, the river flows south to Hyesan before sweeping 130 km northwest to Lin-Chiang and then returning to a more southerly route for a further 300 km to empty into the Korea Bay between DandongDandong ( Simplified Chinese: ) is a city in the Chinese province of Liaoning. It is on the border between China and North Korea, marked by the Yalu River. Also at this point, the river opens up into Korea Bay. The size of the administrative city is 14,91 (China) and ShinuijuShinuiju City Korean Name McCune-ReischauerShinuiju-shi Revised RomanizationSinuiju-si Hangul Hanja Short NameShinuiju (Sinuiju;; Statistics Population? Area? GovernmentCity in North P'yongan Administrative Divisions(unknown) Region Kwanso Dialect P'yonga (North Korea).

The bordering Chinese provinces are JilinJilin (, Hanyu Pinyin: Jilin, Wade-Giles: Chi-lin, Postal System Pinyin: Kirin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, and LiaoningLiaoning ( Simplified Chinese: , Traditional: , pinyin: Liáoníng) is a northeastern province of the People's Republic of China. Its one- character abbreviation is Liao ( pinyin: liáo). Liaoning is named after the Liao Dynasty that ruled the.

The river is almost 800 km long and receives the water from over 30,000 km² of land. The Yalu's most significant tributaries are the Changjin , Herchun , 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.

2 History

The river basin is the site where the kingdom of GoguryeoGoguryeo (also known as Koguryo Chinese: Gogoul ( 1st century BC- 668) was a kingdom in southern Manchuria and northern Korea. It is often referred to as one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Baekje and Silla. The modern name "Korea" derives from rose into power.

Because of its strategic location between China and Korea, the river has been the site of several battles, including:

• Battle of Yalu River (1894)The Battle of the Yalu River also called simply 'The Battle of Yalu' took place on September 17 1894. It involved the Japanese and the Chinese navies, and was the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War. The Yalu River is the border betwee - Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)Japan and China fought the first Sino-Japanese War during 1894 and 1895, primarily over control of Korea. To distinguish from the second Sino-Japanese War, this war is called "Jiawu War" in Chinese because it occurred in the Chinese year by that name.
• Battle of Yalu River (1904)The Battle of Yalu River took place on January 4, 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War. The Japanese deafeated the Russians on the Yalu river with a final blow, after winning a battle in a small village nearby. See also Kuroki Itei Yalu River (1904) Korean - Russo-Japanese War

The Korean side of the river was heavily industrialized during the Japanese Colonial Period ( 1910- 1945), and by 1945 almost 20% of Japan's total industrial output originated in Korea. During the Korean War the movement of UN troops approaching the river provoked massive Chinese intervention from around Dandong. In the course of the conflict every bridge across the river except one was destroyed.

Since the early 1990's, the river has frequently been crossed by undocumented migrants from North Korea to China.