The Araks River captures the territory of Transcaucasia: Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, etc. According to historical facts, it can be argued that the water flow was a conditional border between the great Russian Empire and Persia (now Iran). The first mention of the reservoir appeared a long time ago - in the VI century BC. e. After that, the hydronym changed more than once, various variations appeared: Araks, Aros, etc. The total length is 1075 km, and the pool stretches for 102 thousand square meters. km On the territory of the water stream there is a special hydraulic engineering complex, which received the same name. The Araks River is 76% located in Armenia. In the upper reaches, the body of water flows along the mountain slopes, so it has a turbulent nature of the waters. In this area, it flows towards the gorge. On its way, the stream meets a flat slope, which was formed due to sediment.
River name
At the first mention, the hydrological object has the name "Araks". The Russian version came from the ancient Greek word. Eraschus is also a frequently encountered hydronym; it is he who is considered the "parent" of the current version. Azerbaijanis call the Araz river, Turks - Aras, Iraqis - Eres. Unfortunately, to this day it was not possible to find out the origin of the name.
An old legend says that the Araks river is named after the son of King Aramais. Modern researchers suggest that the name came from an ancient word, which in translation means "muddy, dark." It is possible that the Turkic “Araz” (“tributary”) became a “relative”.
Geographical Information
Water flow is not navigable. It has many tributaries, which differ in various sizes, and are also unevenly distributed in different countries. The Araks River at the end of its journey merges with the Kura.
On the banks of the stream there are several settlements. Since 2012, a hydroelectric power station has been built on the river; construction, according to plans, will be completed in 2017. The hydropower plant will consist of two parts: Meghrinskaya belongs to Armenia, and Karachilarskaya belongs to Iran. The estimated cost of the project is estimated at more than $ 300 million. In addition to this station, there is a hydroelectric facility on the stream, which is currently operating.
The question “In which CIS country does the Araks River flow?” constantly asked by hydrologists. As already mentioned, the majority passes through Armenia; a small area captures the Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan and Iran Republic.
Flow
Until the confluence with Akhuryan, Araks is a river with a mountainous character of the current. In this interval, it flows in a small gorge. Water flows in a northerly direction before converging with the waters of Murz. After a short gap, the pond turns east. After that, the Araks River (Armenia widely uses its resources) again falls into the mountain pass. Then the watercourse enters the territory of the plain, which was created, in fact, by Araks himself. It annually brings to the area several million sediment. Here, finally, the stream is divided into ducts, and the banks lower their level. The river also falls into the next plain with the help of another gorge. After him, Araks flows in a narrow valley and flows into the Kura.
Kura (estuary)
Kura (or Karasuyu) is located on the territory of three countries at once. It is about Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia. The total length of the water stream is 1364 km. The source of the reservoir is located in the highlands, which is located near the city of Kars. Its flow path runs through Georgia, from which the flow enters Azerbaijan, and at the end it flows into the Caspian Sea. Often the river is located in valleys and gorges, but in the Tbilisi region it flows through the dry steppe. It is in this place that its valley reaches its maximum in terms of width. Food is mainly of mixed type, but snow prevails. 200 km from the Caspian waters Araks flows into Kura.