Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam, 607 ft (185 m) high and 7,575 ft (2,309 m) long, on the Chang (Yangtze) River, central Hubei prov., China, 30 mi (48 km) W of Yichang. The largest concrete structure in the world, the dam was constructed from 1994 to 2006. Its hydroelectric station, which will not be fully operational until 2009, will have 26 turbines that will generate 18,200 MW, making it the largest in the world. In 2003 sluice gates were closed to begin flooding the scenic gorges for which the dam was named and filling a reservoir that will be 410 mi (660 km) long and will hold as much water as Lake Superior. Some 1.4 million people were moved in the process of creating the dam and reservoir.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

• • Cite
  • Print