The Yangtze River which is the longest River in Asia snakes its way over 6,300 kilometers from Western China's Qinghai-Tiber Plateau to the East China Sea. The Yangtze River generally flows south and passes through Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces and is the third longest river in the world. The longest being the Amazon, and the Nile. The climate ranges from 96 degrees in the summer, to cold, brisk temperatures in the winter. Precipitation is relatively high due to its high altitudes. The river has over 700 tributaries, and crosses so many regions that it has acquired over half a dozen names. Only in the lower reaches does it go by its name commonly known to foreigners: Yangtze.