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Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
Official name	长江三峡大坝
Impounds	Yangtze River
Creates	Three Gorges Reservoir
Locale	Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei, China
Maintained by	China Three Gorges Dam Project
Length	2,335 metres (7,661 ft)
Height	185 metres (607 ft)
Width (at base)	115 metres (377.3 ft)
Construction began	1994-12-14
Construction Cost	Estimated 180 billion yuan (25 billion U.S. dollars)
Reservoir information
Capacity	39.3 cu km  (9.43 cu mi)
Catchment area	1,000,000 km² (386,102 sq mi)
Bridge information
Carries	598
Geographical Data
Coordinates	30°49′48″N 111°0′36″E / 30.83, 111.01

The Three Gorges Dam (simplified Chinese: 长江三峡大坝; traditional Chinese: 長江三峽大壩; pinyin: Chángjiāng Sānxiá Dà Bà) is a Chinese hydroelectric river dam that spans the Yangtze River in Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei, China. The total electric generating capacity of the dam will reach 22,500 megawatts,^[1] at which point it will be the largest hydro-electric power station in the world. This is the biggest project that has been undertaken in China since the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. Several generators are yet to be installed; the dam is not expected to become fully operational until about 2011.^[2]

As with many dams, there is a debate over costs and benefits. Although there are potential economic benefits such as flood control and hydroelectric power, there are also concerns about the relocation of over 1,500,000 people^{[citations needed]}who have been or will be displaced by the rising waters; siltation that could limit the dam's useful life; loss of numerous valuable archaeological and cultural sites; and the significant adverse effects of increased pollution upon the regional ecosystem.^[3]