The Yangtze Delta or Yangtze River Delta (YRD, or simply ) is a triangle-shaped
megalopolis
A megalopolis (), sometimes called a megapolis; also megaregion, city cluster or supercity, is a group of two or more roughly adjacent metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated core city, ur ...

generally comprising the
Wu Chinese
Wu (Chinese character: , , Mandarin: ) is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages spoken primarily in Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four ...
-speaking areas of
Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the sou ...

, southern
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative regi ...

and northern
Zhejiang
Zhejiang (, ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou. Zhejiang is bordered ...

. The area lies in the heart of the
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China
China (), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC; ), is a country in . It i ...

region (literally, "south of the River"), where the
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains
The Tanggula ( Chinese: ...
drains into the
East China Sea
The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China (hence the name), covering an area of roughly . Its northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula
Korea is a regi ...

. Having fertile soil, the Yangtze Delta abundantly produces grain, cotton, hemp and tea. In 2018, the Yangtze Delta had a
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary
In a 1786 James Gillray caricature, the plentiful money bags handed to King George III are contrasted with the beggar whose legs and arms were amputated, in the left corner">174x174px
Money is any ...
of approximately
US$
The United States dollar (symbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word
In linguistics, a word of a spoken language can be defined as the smallest sequence of phonemes that can be uttered in isolation with semantic, objective or pragmatics, ...
2.2 trillion, about the same size as
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic ( it, Repubblica Italiana, links=no ), is a country consisting of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula delimited by the Alps and List of islands of Italy, several islands surrounding it, whose ...

.
The urban build-up in the area has given rise to what may be the largest
in the world. It covers an area of around and is home to over 115 million people as of 2013, of whom an estimated 83 million are urban. If based on the greater Yangtze Delta zone, it has over 140 million people in this region. With about a tenth of China's population and a fifth of the country's GDP, the YRD is one of the fastest growing and richest regions in East Asia measured by purchasing power parity.
History
Since the fourth century, when the national capital was moved to
Jiankang
Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Jin dynasty (265–420), Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Chen dynasty (5 ...
(present-day
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China, a sub-provincial city, a megacity and the List ...

) at the start of the
Eastern Jin dynasty
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (), also known as China Eastern, is an airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passenge ...
(AD 317–420), the Yangtze Delta has been a major cultural, economic, and political centre of China.
Hangzhou
Hangzhou (, , Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese, in linguistics known as Standard Northern Mandarin, Standard Beijing Mandarin or simply Mandarin, is a Mandarin Chinese#Subgrouping, dialect of Mandarin that emerged as the lingua franc ...

served as the Chinese capital during the
Southern Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song
Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kua ...
(1127–1279), and Nanjing was the early capital of the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , ''Mongolchuud'', ; russian: Монголы, ) are an eth ...

(1368–1644) before the
Yongle Emperor
The Yongle Emperor (pronounced , ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424) — personal name Zhu Di (WG: Chu Ti) — was the third List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424.
Zhu Di was the fourth son ...

moved the capital to
Beijing
Beijing ( ), as Peking ( ), is the of the . It is the world's , with over 21 million residents within an of 16,410.5 km2 (6336 sq. mi.). It is located in , and is governed as a under the direct administration of the with .Figures ...

in 1421.
Other key cities of the region in pre-modern times include
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; , Mandarin
Mandarin may refer to:
* Mandarin (bureaucrat), a bureaucrat of Imperial China (the original meaning of the word)
** by extension, any senior government bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and c ...

and
Shaoxing
Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city
A road sign shows distance to the "Huangshi urban area" () rather than simply " Yangxin County from the neighboring Xianning), but still from the Huangshi main urban area.
A prefectural-level muni ...

. The ancient Suzhou was the capital of the
Wu state (12th century BC–473 BC), and the ancient Shaoxing was the capital of the
Yue state (20th century BC?–222 BC). Nanjing first served as a capital in the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the states of Cao Wei, Wei, Shu Han, Shu, and Eastern Wu, Wu. The Three Kingdoms period started with the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Han dynasty#East ...

period as the capital of
Eastern Wu
Wu (Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, world's most populous count ...
(AD 229–280). In these periods, there were several concomitant states or empires in China and each one had its own capital.
Since the ninth century, the Yangtze Delta has been the most populous area in China,
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

, and one of the most densely populated areas of the world. During the mid to late period of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum
An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organiza ...
(618-907), the region emerged as an economic centre, and the Yangtze Delta became the most important agricultural, handicraft industrial and economic centre for the late Tang dynasty.
In the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song
Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kua ...
, especially during the
Southern Song
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song
Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kua ...

dynasty (1127–1279), with its capital situated in Lin'an (present-day
Hangzhou
Hangzhou (, , Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese, in linguistics known as Standard Northern Mandarin, Standard Beijing Mandarin or simply Mandarin, is a Mandarin Chinese#Subgrouping, dialect of Mandarin that emerged as the lingua franc ...

), Lin'an became the biggest city in East Asia with a population more than 1.5 million, and the economic status of the Yangtze Delta became more enhanced.
Ningbo
Ningbo (; , Putonghua, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang Provinces of China, province, China, People's Republic of China. It com ...
became one of the two biggest seaports in East Asia along with
Quanzhou
Quanzhou, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait, also known as the Formosa Strait, is a -wide strait
A strait is a natural ...

(in
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative region, subnat ...

province).
During the mid-late
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , ''Mongolchuud'', ; russian: Монголы, ) are an eth ...

(1368–1644), the first capitalism bud of the East Asia was born and developed in this area, although it was disrupted by the
Manchu invasion and controlled strictly and carefully by the Confucian central government in
Beijing
Beijing ( ), as Peking ( ), is the of the . It is the world's , with over 21 million residents within an of 16,410.5 km2 (6336 sq. mi.). It is located in , and is governed as a under the direct administration of the with .Figures ...

, it continued its development slowly throughout the rest of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing (), was the last dynasty
A dynasty (, ) is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press
Oxford University Pr ...
(1644-1911). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the delta became a large economic centre for the country, and also played the most important role in agriculture and handicraft industry.
During the
(1735-1796) of the Qing dynasty,
Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the sou ...

began developing rapidly and became the largest port in the Far East. From late 19th century to early 20th century, Shanghai was the biggest commercial centre in the Far East. The Yangtze Delta became the first industrialized area in China.
After the
Chinese economic reform
The Chinese economic reform or reform and opening-up, known in the West
250px, A compass rose with west highlighted in black
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass
The points of the compass are the ...
program, which began in 1978, Shanghai again became the most important economic centre in
mainland China
The term "mainland China" refers to the area directly governed by the People's Republic of China
China (), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC; ), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies ...

, and is emerging to become one of Asia's centres for commerce. In modern times, the Yangtze Delta metropolitan region is centred at Shanghai, and also flanked by the major metropolitan areas of
Hangzhou
Hangzhou (, , Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese, in linguistics known as Standard Northern Mandarin, Standard Beijing Mandarin or simply Mandarin, is a Mandarin Chinese#Subgrouping, dialect of Mandarin that emerged as the lingua franc ...

,
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; , Mandarin
Mandarin may refer to:
* Mandarin (bureaucrat), a bureaucrat of Imperial China (the original meaning of the word)
** by extension, any senior government bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and c ...

,
Ningbo
Ningbo (; , Putonghua, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang Provinces of China, province, China, People's Republic of China. It com ...
, and
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China, a sub-provincial city, a megacity and the List ...

, home to nearly 105 million people (of which an estimated 80 million are urban residents). It is the centre of Chinese economic development, and surpasses other concentrations of metropolitan areas (including the
Pearl Delta) in China in terms of economic growth, productivity and per capita income.
In 1982, the Chinese government set up the Shanghai Economic Area. Besides
Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the sou ...

, four cities in
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative regi ...

(
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; , Mandarin
Mandarin may refer to:
* Mandarin (bureaucrat), a bureaucrat of Imperial China (the original meaning of the word)
** by extension, any senior government bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and c ...

,
Wuxi
Wuxi () is a city in southern Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; Postal romanization, formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is one of the ...

,
Changzhou
Changzhou ( Changzhounese: ''Zaon Tsei'', ) is a prefecture-level city
A road sign shows distance to the "Huangshi urban area" () rather than simply " Yangxin County from the neighboring Xianning), but still from the Huangshi main urban are ...

,
Nantong
Nantong (; alternate names: Nan-t'ung, Nantung, Tongzhou, or Tungchow; Qihai dialect: ) is a prefecture-level city
Image:Yangxin-renmin-huanyin-ni-0022.jpg, A road sign shows distance to the "Huangshi urban area" () rather than simply "Huangshi" ( ...

) and five cities in
Zhejiang
Zhejiang (, ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou. Zhejiang is bordered ...

(
Hangzhou
Hangzhou (, , Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese, in linguistics known as Standard Northern Mandarin, Standard Beijing Mandarin or simply Mandarin, is a Mandarin Chinese#Subgrouping, dialect of Mandarin that emerged as the lingua franc ...

,
Jiaxing
Jiaxing (), alternately romanized as Kashing or Kiahsing, is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province, China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast ...

,
Shaoxing
Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city
A road sign shows distance to the "Huangshi urban area" () rather than simply " Yangxin County from the neighboring Xianning), but still from the Huangshi main urban area.
A prefectural-level muni ...

,
Huzhou
Huzhou (, ) is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu to the we ...

,
Ningbo
Ningbo (; , Putonghua, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang Provinces of China, province, China, People's Republic of China. It com ...
) were included. In 1992, a 14-city cooperative joint meeting was launched. Besides the previous 10 cities, the members included
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China, a sub-provincial city, a megacity and the List ...

,
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang, postal map romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu provinces of China, Province, China. It lies on the southern bank (geography), bank of the Yangtze River nea ...

and
Yangzhou
Yangzhou, postal romanization
Postal romanization was a system of transliterating developed by postal authorities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For many cities, the corresponding postal romanization was the most common English- ...

in
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative regi ...

, and
Zhoushan
Zhoushan , formerly romanized
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics
Linguistics is the science, scientific study of language. It encompasses the analysis of every aspect of language, as well as the methods for studying and mo ...

in
Zhejiang
Zhejiang (, ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou. Zhejiang is bordered ...

. In 1997, the regular joint meeting resulted in the establishment of the Yangtze Delta Economic Coordination Association, which included a new member
Taizhou
Taizhou (Taichow) may refer to either of two cities in eastern China:
* Taizhou, Jiangsu (), located on the Yangtze River, northwest of Shanghai
* Taizhou, Zhejiang (), located along the East China Sea, south of Shanghai
See also
* Táozhō ...
in
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative regi ...

in that year. In 1997,
Taizhou
Taizhou (Taichow) may refer to either of two cities in eastern China:
* Taizhou, Jiangsu (), located on the Yangtze River, northwest of Shanghai
* Taizhou, Zhejiang (), located along the East China Sea, south of Shanghai
See also
* Táozhō ...
in
Zhejiang
Zhejiang (, ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou. Zhejiang is bordered ...

also joined the association. In 2003, the association accepted six new members after a six-year observation and review, including
Yancheng
Yancheng () is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province of China, province, People's Republic of China. As the city with the largest jurisdictional area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, ...

and
Huai'an
Huai'an (), formerly called Huaiyin () until 2001, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province of East China, Eastern China. Huai'an is situated almost directly south of Lianyungang, southeast of Suqian, northwest of Yancheng, almos ...
in
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative regi ...

,
Jinhua
, alternately romanized as Kinhwa, is a prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang province in eastern China. It borders the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the northwest, Quzhou to the southwest, Lishui to the south, Taizhou, Zhejiang, Taizh ...

and
Quzhou
(Quzhou dialect: Dzu Tsiu) is a prefecture-level city in western Zhejiang province of China, province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the upper course of the Qiantang River, it borders Hangzhou to the north, Jinhua to the east, Lishui ...

in
Zhejiang
Zhejiang (, ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou. Zhejiang is bordered ...

, and
Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan (), also colloquially written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city
A road sign shows distance to the "Huangshi urban area" () rather than simply " Yangxin County from the neighboring Xianning), but still from the Huangshi main ur ...
and
Hefei
Hefei (, ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui
Anhui (; Postal romanization, formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its prov ...

in
Anhui
Anhui (; Postal romanization, formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is l ...

. In 2019,the area is expand to full
Anhui
Anhui (; Postal romanization, formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is l ...

,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative regi ...

,
Zhejiang
Zhejiang (, ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou. Zhejiang is bordered ...

,and
Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the sou ...

.
Demographics
The delta is one of the most densely populated regions on earth, and includes one of the world's largest cities on its banks —
Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the sou ...

, with a density of . Because of the large population of the delta, and factories, farms, and other cities upriver, the
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization
An international non-governmental organization (INGO) is an organization which is independent of government involvement and extends the concept of a non-go ...
says the Yangtze Delta is the biggest cause of
marine pollution
Marine pollution occurs when substances used or spread by humans, such as industrial
Industrial may also refer to:
Industry
* Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry
* Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with ...
in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbour and support life. 29.2% of Earth's surface is land consisting of continents and islands. ...

.
Most of the people in this region speak
Wu Chinese
Wu (Chinese character: , , Mandarin: ) is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages spoken primarily in Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four ...
(sometimes called
Shanghainese
Shanghainese, also known as the Shanghai language, Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a Wu Chinese
Wu (Chinese character: , , Mandarin: ) is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages spoken primarily ...
, although Shanghainese is actually one of the dialects within the Wu group of Chinese) as their
mother tongue
A first language, native tongue, native language, or mother/father/parent tongue (also known as arterial language or L1) is a language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical pe ...
, in addition to
Mandarin
Mandarin may refer to:
* Mandarin (bureaucrat), a bureaucrat of Imperial China (the original meaning of the word)
** by extension, any senior government bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can compose the administration o ...
. Wu is
mutually unintelligible
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related Variety (linguistics), varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. It is ...
with other varieties of Chinese, including Mandarin.
Geography
Metropolitan areas
Cities
Central areas include Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuxi, Changzhou, Suzhou, Nantong, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Yancheng, Taizhou(Jiangsu), Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, Jinhua, Zhoushan, Taizhou(Zhejiang), Hefei, Wuhu, Maanshan, Tongling, Anqing, Chuzhou, Chizhou, Xuancheng.
Geology
Coastal erosion
The Three Gorge Dam has huge impacts on both upstream and downstream. Since 2003, the Yangtze River delta front has experienced severe erosion and significant sediment coarsening.
Subaqueous delta
The Yangtze River derived sediment has not really dispersed across the East China Sea continental shelf, instead, an elongated (~800 km) distal subaqueous mud wedge (up to 60 m thick) extending from the Yangtze River mouth southward off the Zhejiang and Fujian coasts into the Taiwan Strait.
Culture
The Yangtze River Delta is not only a natural geographical area, but also a social, economic and cultural area, with the same or similar cultural traditions and historical memories. The Hui-style culture, Huaiyang culture, Wuyue culture, Shanghai style culture, Chu-Han culture, etc. have their own charms, but also infiltrate and merge with each other to form a colorful Yangtze River Delta culture. The profound humanistic heritage provides an endless stream of spiritual strength for the economic development of the Yangtze River Delta region, making it one of the most active areas of economic development, the highest degree of openness, and the strongest innovation capability in China.
Economy
The area of the Yangtze Delta incorporates more than twenty relatively developed cities in three provinces. The term can be generally used to refer to the entire region extending as far north as
Lianyungang
Lianyungang () is a prefecture-level city
Image:Yangxin-renmin-huanyin-ni-0022.jpg, A road sign shows distance to the "Huangshi urban area" () rather than simply "Huangshi" (). This is a useful distinction, because the sign is located ''already' ...

, Jiangsu and as far south as
Wenzhou
Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou y33–11 tɕiɤu33–32 ) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province of China, province in the China, People's Republic of China. Wenzhou is located at the extreme south east of ...

, Zhejiang. The region includes some of the fastest-growing economies in China in recent years, and as of 2004 has occupied over 21% of China's total gross
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary
In a 1786 James Gillray caricature, the plentiful money bags handed to King George III are contrasted with the beggar whose legs and arms were amputated, in the left corner">174x174px
Money is any ...
.
Fishing and agriculture
The Yangtze Delta contains the most fertile soils in all of China. Rice is the dominant crop of the delta, but further inland fishing rivals it. In Qing Pu, 50 ponds, containing five different species of fish, produce 29,000 tons of fish each year. One of the biggest fears of fish farmers in this region is that toxic water will seep into their man-made lagoons and threaten their livelihood.
Governance
Yangtze Delta regional cooperation require effort from governments of
Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the sou ...

,
Zhejiang
Zhejiang (, ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou. Zhejiang is bordered ...

,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; formerly romanized Kiangsu) is an eastern-central coastal province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative regi ...

and
Anhui
Anhui (; Postal romanization, formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is l ...

.
They've gradually established a three-tier model of governance on increased regional cooperation:
*Leadership: Symposium of Governors of YRD Area (长三角地区主要领导座谈会)
*Coordination: Joint Conference on Cooperation and Development of YRD Area (长三角地区合作与发展联席会议)
*Operation:
**Offices of the Joint Conference (联席会议办公室)
**Office of YRD Regional Cooperation
(长三角区域合作办公室)
***Specialized Task Forces (专题合作组)
There is also a conference with longer history for economical cooperation:
* Coordinative Conference on Economy for Cities in YRD (长三角城市经济协调会, since 1992)
** Joint Conference of Majors (市长联席会议)
** Office of the Coordination Society (协调会办公室)
Plans
*Outline of the Regional Integration Development Plan of the Yangtze River Delta
Transportation
The area is home to an extensive transport network. The area has one of the highest private vehicle ownership rates in China, and traffic rules governing Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang are relatively strict compared to the rest of the country. The region contains major hubs for shipping and international trade, including the ports of
Shanghai
Shanghai (, , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the sou ...
and
Ningbo-Zhoushan, the world's largest container and cargo ports, respectively. The region also includes the
Hangzhou Bay Bridge
Hangzhou Bay Bridge () is a long highway bridge with two separate cable-stayed
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wi ...

, which at 36 km is the world's longest cross-sea bridge, and the densest network of rapid-transport rails in the world, spread out across 12 railway lines.
Climate
The Yangtze Delta has a marine
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation
In meteorology
Meteorology is a branch of the (which include and ), with a major focus on . The study of meteorology ...

subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical
Geography (from Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece
Greece ( el, Ελλάδα, , ), officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country locat ...

climate, with hot and humid summers, cool and dry winters, and warm spring and fall. Winter temperatures can drop as low as -10 °C (a record), however, and even in springtime, large temperature fluctuations can occur.
References
External links
PBS.org, Journey to Planet Earth, Yangtze River Delta China
China (), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC; ), is a country in East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia
Asia () is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere ...

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP): Yangtze River Delta— ''at
HKTDC—Hong Kong Trade Development Council''.
Asian Times: "Growth cools in Yangtze River region"*
*
{{Authority control
Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, a landform at the mouth of a river
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter of the modern English alphabet
* Delta Air Lines, an Ame ...
River deltas of Asia
East China Sea
Geography of East China
Landforms of Jiangsu
Landforms of Shanghai
Landforms of Zhejiang
Metropolitan areas of China
Regions of China
{{Cat main, List of regions of China
Geography of China
Administrative divisions of China
Regions of Asia by country, China ...