The Answer:

A study by the World Commission on Dams placed China's large dam total at over 22,000—the most in the world. Large dams are those roughly four stories or taller. Most of China's were built after 1949. And as the study points out, that translates into one large dam built per day, every day since the emergence of modern China.

Overall, China is believed to have more than 80,000 dams. Flood control and irrigation are China's top two purposes for building large dams like the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River and the Xiaolangdi Dam on the Yellow River.

The United States has about 75,000 total dams (over 25 feet high). According to the Association of Dam Safety Officials the average number of dams per state is 1,800. Kansas leads all states with about 9,900 dams.

Here are links to more information:World's Largest DamsWorld's Highest Dams

—The Editors