Amu Darya: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:04, 27 July 2006

Revision as of 20:41, 27 July 2006

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The river is navigable for over 1,450 km (800 miles). Its total length is 2,400 km (1,500 miles) and its drainage basin totals 534,739km² in area, providing a mean discharge of around 55 cubic kilometres of water per year, all of which comes from the high mountains in the south where annual [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] can be over 1000 [[millimetres|mm]]. Even before large-scale irrigation began, high summer evaporation meant that not all of this discharge reached the [[Aral Sea]] - though there is some evidence the large Pamir [[glacier]]s provided enough meltwater for the Aral to overflow during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries A.D.

In [[Classical Antiquity]], the river was known as the '''Oxus''' in [[Greek language|Greek]]. It was known as '''[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9007285 Jayhun]''' or '''Gihun''' in ancient Arabic sources. '''Jayhun''' was likely influenced by '''Dgihun''', the traditional name given to it by the people who inhabited its surrounding region.

One of the claimed source of the Amu Darya is the '''Pamir River''', which emerges from Lake [[Zorkul]], flowing east until [[Ishtragh]], where it turns north and then east north-west through the [[Hindu Kush]] as the Panj, forming the border of [[Afghanistan]] and [[Tajikistan]], and subsequently the border of Afghanistan and [[Uzbekistan]] for about 200 km, passing [[Termez]] and the [[Afghanistan-Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge]]. It follows the border of Afghanistan and [[Turkmenistan]] for another 100 km before it flows into Turkmenistan at [[Kerki]]. As '''Amudarya''', it flows across Turkmenistan south to north, passing [[Turkmenabat]], and forms the border of Turkmenistan and [[Uzbekistan]] from [[Khalkabad]]. It is then split into many waterways that used to form the [[river delta]] joining the Aral Sea, passing [[Urgench]], [[Daşoguz|Dashoguz]] and other cities, but it does not reach what is left of the sea anymore and is lost in the desert.