Taedong River

Coordinates: 38°51′54″N 125°31′32″E / 38.86500°N 125.52556°E / 38.86500; 125.52556
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Taedong River
South Hamgyong
West Korea Bay
Length439 kilometers (273 mi)[1]
Basin size20,344 km2 (7,855 sq mi)
Taedong River
Chosŏn'gŭl
대동강
Hancha
Revised RomanizationDaedong-gang
McCune–ReischauerTaedong-gang

The Taedong River (

Kim Il-sung Square
.

The river is 439 km or 272.7 mi in length, and is generally deep. It is the fifth-longest river on the

Taehŭng 414 km upstream.[citation needed] Because of its depth, it is widely used for river transport; it is navigable by large ships up to 65 km inland, although most commercial traffic stops at Songrim
.

History

The kingdom of

Koguryo was founded on its shores. Many archeological sites dating to the neolithic and Bronze Ages have been found along the river, as well as relics and ruins from Koguryo. It was also once known as the Pae River (패수; 浿水; P’aesu).[4]

The Taedong River basin is believed to be the location of the Taedonggang Culture, the historical centre of the Korean nation, when its ancient civilization flourished in 3000 BC.

Dams and bridges

In 1954, a bridge going over the Taedong River was partially destroyed during the Korean War. Despite the damage to the bridge, several hundred Koreans used it to cross the Taedong and flee south.[5] Max Desfor's photograph of the event, Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea, would win the 1951 Pulitzer Prize in Photography.[6]

In 1986, the government completed the 8-km-long

West Sea Barrage, with three locks and 36 sluices, at the mouth of the Taedong River near Namp'o.[3] The dam acts to control floodwater and to irrigate lands newly reclaimed from the Korea Gulf.[3] The dam prevents mixing of the outgoing river water with seawater, leading to an increase of contaminants concentration.[7] Other dams, such as the Nyongwon Power Station, have been built to provide energy to the country.[8]

In Pyongyang, there are six bridges on the Taedong, including the

Okryu Bridge, Rungra Bridge, and Taedong Bridge.[9]

Gallery

  • Yanggakdo Island in the middle of the river in Pyongyang
    Yanggakdo Island in the middle of the river in Pyongyang
  • The Taedong River flowing through Pyongyang
    The Taedong River flowing through Pyongyang
  • An image of the Taedong River from 1889
    An image of the Taedong River from 1889
  • The Taedong in Pyongyang
    The Taedong in Pyongyang
  • Another view of the river through Pyongyang
    Another view of the river through Pyongyang
  • The Grand People's Study House on the bank of the river.
    The Grand People's Study House on the bank of the river.
  • The captured USS Pueblo vessel moored on the Taedong (now tied up on the Botong River beside the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum)
    The captured
    Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum
    )
  • The Taedong River in Nampo
    The Taedong River in
    Nampo
  • The river in Nampo
    The river in Nampo

Notes

  1. ^ In the 19th century, the Taedong was spelled Tai-tang in Western texts (the "Tai-tang River" or "Tai-tang Kang").[2]

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica Online : Taedong River". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  2. ^ EB (1878), p. 390.
  3. ^ a b c Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening the Soviet Connection" Asian Survey 27(1): pp. 56-63, page 62
  4. ^ (1973) Transactions of the Korea branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. vol. 48, page 59
  5. ISBN 978-0-9799521-3-5
    .
  6. ^ "Max Desfor of Associated Press". pulitzer.org. 1951. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  7. ^ Tenenbaum, David J. (2005) "International Health: North Korean Catastrophe" Environmental Health Perspectives 113(1): p. A26, page A26
  8. ^ (209) Korea Today No. 640[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "옥류교 [Okryu Bridge]", Doosan Encyclopedia, retrieved 2010-07-02[permanent dead link]

Bibliography

  • "Corea" , 'Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. VI, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1878, pp. 390–394.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Taedong River.

38°51′54″N 125°31′32″E / 38.86500°N 125.52556°E / 38.86500; 125.52556

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