What is the Three Gorges Dam?
The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest dam, heaviest man-made structure, world’s largest concrete structure, and biggest electrical power plant, spanning the Yangtze River in Hubei province, China. At full capacity, it is expected to produce 22.5 gigawatts, enough to power almost 20 million homes. The Three Gorges Dam is the largest construction project in China since the Great Wall (completed in the late 15th century) and the Grand Canal (completed in the late 7th century). It cost 180 billion yuan (roughly $25 billion USD) to build, 25 billion yuan less than expected. The Three Gorges Dam is 2,335 meters (7,661 ft) long, 185 meters tall (607 ft), and 115 meters (377.3 ft) wide. Construction on the Three Gorges Dam began in 1994 and the dam will be fully operational in 2011. The dam is expected to pay for itself through electricity generation by around 2020. With regular maintenance, the dam could stand for thousands of years, like the Grand Anicut in India, which was built appro
