Xi River
| Xi Jiang | |
|---|---|
The Pearl River system including the Xi River | |
| Location | |
| Country | China and Vietnam |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Gui Jiang and Xun Jiang in Wuzhou |
| Mouth | |
• location | The Pearl River Delta on the South China Sea |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 2,197 km (1,365 mi) to 2,271.8 km (1,411.6 mi) (Xi–Xun–Qian–Hongshui–Nanpan) |
| Basin size | 437,000 km2 (169,000 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Pearl Delta |
| • average | (Period: 2010–2020)9,631 m3/s (340,100 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 3,600 m3/s (130,000 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 34,000 m3/s (1,200,000 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Wuzhou |
| • average | 7,410 m3/s (262,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | South China Sea |
| River system | Pearl River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | He Jiang, Gui Jiang, Hongshui Ho, Qian Jiang |
| • right | Yu Jiang, Xun Jiang |
| Xi River | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 西江 | ||||||||||||
| Jyutping | Sai1 gong1 | ||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xī Jiāng | ||||||||||||
| Postal | West River | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Western River | ||||||||||||
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The Xi River (/ʃiː/; Chinese: 西江) or Si-Kiang is the western tributary of the Pearl River in southern China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It originates from the eastern foot of the Maxiong Mountain in Qujing City, Yunnan Province. Then it flows east through Guangdong, and enters the Pearl River Delta just east of the Lingyang Gorge in Zhaoqing. The main branch of the Xi River flows southeast through the delta entering the South China Sea at Modao Men, just west of Macau. The major cities along the Xi include Wuzhou, Zhaoqing, and Jiangmen.
The other two main tributaries of Pearl River are the Dong River (literally, the East River) and Bei River (the Northern River). As for other functions, it plays a vital role in carbon storage and transport in Southern China. The Xi River is facing some ecological challenges such as drought, invasive species, and pollution.