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Three Gorges Dam

Definition

The Three Gorges Dam is a massive hydroelectric dam located in China on the Yangtze River. It is one of the largest and most controversial engineering projects in history, built to control flooding, generate electricity, and improve navigation.

Analogy

Imagine if your school decided to build a new super-sized cafeteria that could accommodate more students and also generate electricity for the entire campus. In order to construct it, they had to relocate some classrooms and facilities nearby. This is similar to how the Three Gorges Dam was built - it involved moving people from their homes to make room for the dam's construction.

Related terms

Migration: Movement of people from one place to another. For example, when people were forced to leave their rural homes due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.

Urbanization: The process of an increasing proportion of a country's population living in urban areas or cities. The building of the dam caused many people to move from rural areas into urban areas.

Hydroelectric Power: Electricity generated by flowing water. The main purpose of building the Three Gorges Dam was to produce hydroelectric power using water flow from the Yangtze River.