Editing Three Gorges Dam (section)

== Composition and dimensions ==
{{Multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| image1    = TGDModelSpillwayView.jpg
| width1    = 220
| caption1  = Model of the Three Gorges Dam looking upstream, showing the dam body (middle left), the spillway (middle of the dam body) and the ship lift (to the right).
| image2    = TGDModelShipLocks.jpg
| width2    = 220
| caption2  = Model of the Three Gorges Dam showing the ship lift and the ship lock. The ship lift is to the right of the dam body with its own designated waterway. The ship locks are to the right (northeast) of the ship lift.
| image3    = TGDModelAuxSouthDam.jpg
| width3    = 220
| caption3  = Earthfill south dam in foreground with view along main dam. The wall beyond is to separate spillway and turbine flows from the lock and ship lift upstream approach channel. A similar separation is used on the downstream side, seen partially in the preceding image.
}}

Made of concrete and steel, the dam is {{cvt|2335|m|yd mi}} long and {{cvt|185|m|0}} above sea level at its top. The project used {{convert|27.2|e6m3|e6cuyd|abbr=unit}} of concrete (mainly for the dam wall), used 463,000 [[tonne]]s of steel (enough to build 63 [[Eiffel Tower]]s), and moved about {{convert|102.6|e6m3|e6cuyd|abbr=unit}} of earth.<ref name="ibib1">{{cite news | archive-date=November 25, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125121320/http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/07spe/specrep01.html#Quick%20Facts | url=http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/07spe/specrep01.html#Quick%20Facts | title=Three Gorges Dam Project&nbsp; – Quick Facts | publisher=ibiblio.org | access-date=November 23, 2010 | url-status=live}}</ref> The concrete dam wall is {{cvt|181|m|0}} high above the rock basis.

When the water level is at its maximum of {{cvt|175|m|0}} above sea level, {{cvt|110|m|0}} higher than the river level downstream, the dam reservoir is on average about {{cvt|660|km|0}} in length and {{cvt|1.12|km|ft|0}} in width. It contains {{cvt|39.3|km3|acre.ft|lk=out}} of water and has a total surface area of {{cvt|1045|km2}}. On completion, the reservoir flooded a total area of {{cvt|632|km2|acre}} of land, compared to the {{cvt|1350|km2|acre}} of reservoir created by the [[Itaipu Dam]].<ref name="Xinhua20031121">{{cite news | url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2003-05/30/content_896773.htm | language=zh | script-title=zh:三峡水库：世界淹没面积最大的水库 (Three Gorges reservoir: World submergence area biggest reservoir) | publisher=Xinhua Net | date=November 21, 2003 | access-date=April 10, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012222330/http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2003-05/30/content_896773.htm | archive-date=October 12, 2007 | df=mdy-all | url-status=dead}}</ref>