The Ch'ŏngch'ŏn is a river of
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
having its source in the
Rangrim Mountains
The Rangnim Mountains are a mountain range stretching from north to south, west of the Kaema Highlands, in central North Korea. They are the source of several major rivers of North Korea, such as the Taedong and the Ch'ŏngch'ŏn. The mount ...
of
Chagang Province and emptying into the
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...
at
Sinanju. The river flows past
Myohyang-san and through the city of
Anju,
South P'yŏngan Province. Its total length is 217 km (135 mi), and it drains a basin of 9,553 km
2 (3,688 sq mi).
Important Bird Area
The river's estuary has been identified by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
as an 8000 ha (19,768 acre)
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) because it supports significant numbers of the populations of various bird species. These include
swan geese,
bean geese,
whooper swan
The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/) (''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, pronounced ''hooper swan'', is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type specie ...
s,
Oriental storks,
black-faced spoonbills,
Chinese egrets,
great bustards,
white-naped crane
The white-naped crane (''Antigone vipio'') is a bird of the crane family. It is a large bird, long, about tall, and weighing about , with pinkish legs, a grey-and-white-striped neck, and a red face patch.
Distribution
The white-naped crane br ...
s,
hooded cranes,
red-crowned crane
The red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis''), also called the Manchurian crane or Japanese crane (; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large East Asian crane among the rarest cran ...
s,
Far Eastern curlew
The Far Eastern curlew (''Numenius madagascariensis'') is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the long-billed curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown ...
s and
spotted greenshank
Nordmann's greenshank (''Tringa guttifer'') or the spotted greenshank, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders.
Description
The Nordmann's greenshank is a medium-sized sandpiper, at long, with a slightly upturned, bicol ...
s. The site includes the 800 ha (1,977 acre) Mundok Nature Reserve.
Hydroelectric dams
North Korea is building 10 new hydroelectric dams on the Chongchon River to spur rapid development.
Incidents
*In 612,
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...
massacred the
Sui army at the
Battle of Salsu (Ch'ongch'on) River in the
Goguryeo-Sui Wars.
*In late November 1950, the Chinese army decisively defeated the UNC forces at the
Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River
The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River (), also known as the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on, was a decisive battle in the Korean War, and it took place from November 25 to December 2, 1950, along the Ch'ongch'on River Valley in the northwestern part of N ...
, ensuring the existence of
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
*
U.S. Army defector
Joseph T. White was reported to have drowned in the Ch'ongch'on River, according to a letter dated 22 August 1985 which had been sent to his family.
See also
*
Rivers of Korea
*
Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River
The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River (), also known as the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on, was a decisive battle in the Korean War, and it took place from November 25 to December 2, 1950, along the Ch'ongch'on River Valley in the northwestern part of N ...
*
Chong Chon Gang
''Chong Chon Gang'' (Chosŏn'gŭl: , Hanja: ) is a North Korean cargo ship, later renamed the ''Tong Hung San''.
The general cargo ship was built in 1977 in Nampo. Its owner is listed as Chongchongang Shipping of Pyongyang. Chongchongang Shipp ...
References
External links
Appearance of Chongchon River basin changes beyond recognition.
KCNA, May 29, 2002.
{{Coord, 39, 36, 00, N, 125, 25, 00, E, display=title
Rivers of North Korea
South Pyongan
Important Bird Areas of North Korea
Wetlands of North Korea