page_title: Three Gorges Dam
section_title: Navigation
hierarchical_section_title: Three Gorges Dam / Design, cost and purpose / Navigation
context_page_description: The Three Gorges Dam is a dam in the Three Gorges region on the Yangtze River in Sandouping, in the country of China. Being one of the largest dams in the world, it also generates the biggest amount of hydroelectric power, pushing the massive Itaipu Dam in Brazil from first place to second place.
  The Three Gorges Dam project was completed on July 4, 2012. The dam was built for flood control, irrigation, and electricity. However, this has not come without problems. The dam covers a lot of historic sites and has caused 1.24 million people to lose their homes under the rising water. The dam forms the Three Gorges Reservoir, which extends nearly 410 mi upstream to the city of Chongqing.
context_section_description: Another reason the dam was built was for water navigation, or the transport of people and goods by ship. There are two sets of locks each of which has five stages. Each lock is 918 feet (280 m) long, 114 feet (35 m) wide, and 16.4 feet (5.0 m) deep, which is similar in size to the original locks of the Panama Canal, one of the biggest canals in the world. The reservoir behind the dam floods dangerous sections of the river, so boats and ships can go safely and easily. There is also a "ship lift" (an elevator for ships) that can lift ships that weigh up to 3,000 tons.
caption: The navigation locks of the Three Gorges Dam.
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