Amou-Daria

The Amou-Daria ( Daria means “sea” or “very large river”), in the past called Oxus , is a Fleuve of Central Asia.

Geography

Amou-Daria is born in the mountains from the Pamir, crosses the Hindou Kouch then the Désert of Karakoum, before forming a delta which is thrown in the Mer of Aral.

Amou-Daria is formed of the junction of two powerful rivers, the Vakhch come from the North-East (Kyrgyzistan and Tadjikistan) and the Piandj come from the plate from Pamir (in the east). This last, more powerful, is regarded as being the higher course of the river.

Its surface of drainage or catchment area is of 534 739 km ², and its average annual flow is of 55 kilometers cubic of water (i.e. a little more 1 850 m ³ a second - as much as the Rhone in the Camargue), account not held of the important taking away carried out in its lower course for the irrigation. This enormous quantity of water comes quasi completely from the high mountains of the Hindou Kouch, the Tian Shan and the Pamir, where precipitations can exceed 1 500 millimetres annually, and where the Lame of past water can reach 1 000 millimetres per annum.

Length of 2 580 km, but navigable on 1 450 km only, it are very much used for the irrigation (in particular for the culture of the Coton), which because mainly the draining of the sea of Aral.

Amou-Daria is used as border between the Afghanistan and the Tadjikistan, and between the Ouzbékistan and the Turkménistan. The Channel of Karakoum, length 800 km connects Amou-Daria to the Caspian Sea, while passing in particular by Ashgabad, the capital of Turkménistan.

History

In the Antiquity, Oxus played a big role in the history of Persia and in the countryside of Alexandre Large the.

It is supposed that the course of Djihoun changed by the effect of an earthquake, and that this river was thrown formerly in the Caspian Sea.

Hydrology

The flow is largely reduced by the irrigation.

Navigability

Amou Daria is navigable on 1.450 kilometers, from the town of Termez until the Mer of Aral.

See too

List of rivers in the world

External bonds

Index of the water resources of Tadjikistan
Chart of the large catchment areas of Tadjikistan

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