The rivers of Armenia are part of either the Caspian Sea or Lake Sevan watersheds. Throughout history, Armenia has been called Nairi by the Assyrians meaning the "Land of the lakes and rivers". There are 16 rivers over 50 km (31 mi) long in or bordering Armenia. The longest river, Aras, has been mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the four sacred rivers of the Garden of Eden. There are about 9480 rivers and small streams in Armenia.[1][2]
List of rivers
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Approximately 4.7 percent of the territory of Armenia consists of rivers. The longest river of Armenia is the Aras (also called Araks, Arax), which lies on the country's border with Iran and a large part of the border with Turkey. Its major tributaries are the Akhuryan, Kasagh, Hrazdan, Azat, Arpa, Vorotan and Voghji rivers. The longest rivers in northwest part of the country are the Debed and Aghstafa, while shorter ones include the Dzoraget and the Pambak.[1][3]
Most of Armenia is drained into the Caspian Sea by the Araks or its tributary, the Hrazdan, which flows from Lake Sevan. The Lake Sevan water basin include 29 rivers and streams flowing into the lake with a basin size of 4,750 km2 (1,830 sq mi).[4] The following table is the list data about the longest or most notable rivers of Armenia:[2][5][6][4][7]
| River | Length | Basin size | Tributary of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aras River (Araks)[2][3][4] | 1,072 km (666 mi) (158 km (98 mi) in Armenia) | 102,000 km2 (39,000 sq mi) | Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Akhuryan River[2] | 186 km (116 mi) | 9,670 km2 (3,730 sq mi) | Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Vorotan River[2] | 179 km (111 mi) | 5,650 km2 (2,180 sq mi) | Hakari→ Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Hrazdan River[2][4] | 146 km (91 mi) | 2,560 km2 (990 sq mi) | Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Arpa River[2][3] | 126 km (78 mi) | 2,630 km2 (1,020 sq mi) | Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Aghstev River[2] | 99 km (62 mi) | 2,500 km2 (970 sq mi) | Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Debed River[2][3][4] | 92 km (57 mi) | 4,080 km2 (1,580 sq mi) | Khrami→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Kasagh River[6][4] | 89 km (55 mi) | 1,389 km2 (536 sq mi) | Metsamor→ Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Voghji River[6] | 88 km (55 mi) | Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea | |
| Pambak River[6] | 86 km (53 mi) | 1,370 km2 (530 sq mi) | Debed→ Khrami→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Dzoraget River[2] | 71 km (44 mi) | Debed→ Khrami→ Kura→ Caspian Sea | |
| Getik River[6][8][7] | 58 km (36 mi) | 586 km2 (226 sq mi) | Aghstafa→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
| Vedi River[6] | 58 km (36 mi) | Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea | |
| Azat River[6] | 56 km (35 mi) | Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea | |
| Argitchi River[9][6][4] | 51 km (32 mi) | Lake Sevan | |
| Getar River[6] | 25 km (16 mi) | Hrazdan→ Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea | |
| Tandzut River[6] | 23 km (14 mi) | Pambak→ Debed→ Khrami→ Kura→ Caspian Sea | |
| Vanadzor River[6] | 14 km (8.7 mi) | Tandzut→ Pambak→ Debed→ Khrami→ Kura→ Caspian Sea | |
| Vachagan River[6] | 5 km (3.1 mi) | Voghji→ Aras→ Kura→ Caspian Sea |
See also
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References
edit- ^ a b "Ахурян". Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Rivers of Armenia". Armenia Discovery. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Rivers of Armenia". Arara Tour. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kura River Basin". EU Water Initiative Plus. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ Google maps
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Curtis, Glenn E. (1995). Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia : country studies (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division. pp. 25–29. ISBN 0-8444-0848-4. OCLC 31709972.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ a b "Caspian Sea Watershed" (PDF). UNECE. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Rivers of Armenia". All About Armenia. 13 July 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ See Nerkin Getashen for further details about the Argitchi.
