Ili River

 ( Rivers Of Kazakhstan ) 

The Ili River (, Или Дәряси, ; ; ; 伊犁河, ; , اِلِ حْ; , ) is a river in Northwest China and Southeastern Kazakhstan. It flows from the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of the Xinjiang to the Almaty Region in Kazakhstan.

It is long (including its source river the Tekes), Или, Great Soviet Encyclopedia of which is in Kazakhstan. The river originates from the Tekes and Künes rivers in Eastern Tian Shan. The Ili drains the basin between the Tian Shan and the Borohoro Mountains. Flowing into Lake Balkhash (in the endorheic Balkhash-Alakol Basin), the Ili forms a large river delta with vast wetland regions of lakes, marshes and vegetation. Ili River Ili river Kazakhstan

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Name The river's name is usually taken to derive from Mongolian (, "open, clear, obvious") in reference to its wide central valley. It is also variously derived from Farsi language or Iranian terms meaning "big river" or "murky" in reference to the water's condition at the confluence of the Kunges and Tekes. Some Uyghur people scholars derive it from Uyghur ("hook") after the supposed similarity in the river's shape.. Tourist websites sometimes claim the name descends from the Mongolian word ilansu, meaning "shimmering" or "sparkling"..

Mentions of Ili river can be traced back to the Mahmud al-Kashgari's dictionary of Turkic languages, the Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk (written in 1072–74). In the book, the author defines it in the following way: "Ili, the name of a river. Turkic tribes of Yaghma, Tokhsi and Chiglig live on its banks. Turkish countries regard the river as their Jayhoun (Amu Darya)."

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Chinese region The upper Ili Valley is separated from the Dzungaria in the north by the Borohoro Mountains, and from the Tarim Basin in the south by the Tian Shan. This region was the stronghold of the Qing Dynasty administration in Xinjiang in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It was occupied by Russia from 1871 to 1881 (from the Yaqub Beg rebellion until the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)).

Presently, the region forms part of Xinjiang's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. The main city of the region, Yining City (Kulja), is located on the northern side of the river (about upstream from the international border). Until the early 1900s, the city was commonly known under the same name as the river, 伊犁 (Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: ). Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County in located on the southern side, which is home to many of China's Xibe people (who resettled there in the 18th century as part of the Manchu Garrison).

There are at least two dams on the Ili's tributary, the Kash River (喀什河), in Nilka County, at and . At least two dams have been constructed on the Ili's left tributary, the Tekes River, and the Qiapuqihai Hydropower Station (恰甫其海水电站) in Tokkuztara County (). There is also another smaller dam at , on the border of Tokkuztara and Künes Counties.

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Kazakh region The Ili is the main watercourse of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin. The region of Kazakhstan partially drained by the Ili and its tributaries is known in Kazakh as Jetisu ('Seven Rivers'). In Russian it is known as Jetisu (meaning the same).

The Kapshagay Hydroelectric Power Plant was constructed between 1965 and 1970 near Kapchagay in the middle reaches of the Ili River. This currently comprises the Kapchagay Reservoir, an artificial long lake north of Almaty.

The Tamgaly-Tas, a protected site that comprises rock drawings, is located downstream along the Ili River. The name Tamgaly in Kazakh language means "painted" or "marked place", and Tas means "stone".

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Ili Delta The Ili River flows into the southeastern edge of Lake Balkhash, where it forms a large delta of about . The delta is situated between the Saryesik-Atyrau Desert and the Taukum Desert. An area of within the delta has been designated as a Ramsar Site. This site has 427 species of plants and 345 species of animals, including important populations of rare species (Dalmatian pelican, goitered gazelle, marbled polecat, white-headed duck, red-breasted goose, ship sturgeon, and others). The delta has also become popular amongst anglers for its wels catfish, which can grow up to over . The Ili river ranks third in Kazakhstan after the Irtysh river and the Ural river in terms of water content.

The Government of Kazakhstan plans to join the three sanctuaries Balkash, Karoy and Kukan (situated in the delta) into one National Park. Until 1948, the delta was a refuge of the extinct Caspian tiger. An introduction of the Siberian tiger to the delta has been proposed on account that it is a genetically close relative of the Caspian tiger. A large population of wild boar, the main prey base of the Caspian tiger, can be still found in the delta. There is also a small population of roe deer. In the drier steppes to the south of the delta live and .

Reintroduction of the Bactrian deer, another prey of the Caspian tiger, is currently under consideration. Another potential prey species considered to be reintroduced is the Asiatic wild ass.

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Historical connections

The Ili River treaty of 638 AD formalized the division of the Western Turkic Kaganate (552–638 AD) into the Nushibi and the Dulo clan. It also established the Ili River as the border between the two states. In the 21st century, increasing need for water in both China and Kazakhstan makes the management of the cross-border Ili River a topic of concern for environmentalists and politicians in Kazakhstan (who feel that their country may not get enough water flowing in from China any more).

The amount of precipitation in summer reaches .

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Fishing

On the river, the most popular type of fishing is fishing of catfish, one of the largest aquatic predators, which may reach in length and weigh up to . Smaller specimens are usually within .

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Gallery

Image:river-ili-1.jpg|Ili River Image:buddhas at ili.jpg|Buddhist rock drawings at Ili River Image:river-ili-3.jpg|Ili River File:Altynemel dune.jpg|The "singing dune" at Altyn-Emel National Park

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Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Ili are, from source to mouth:

• Tekes
• Künes
• Kash
• Khorgos
• Charyn River, famous for its Charyn Canyon
• Chilik River
• Talgar
• Kaskelen
• Kurty

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Citations

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Bibliography

• Или, река Семиречинской области (The Ili River), in Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary

Categories: Rivers Of Kazakhstan, Rivers Of Xinjiang, Sites Along The Silk Road, International Rivers Of Asia, Siberian Tiger Re-population Project, Ili Basin, Balkhash-alakol Basin, Tributaries Of Lake Balkhash, Ramsar Sites In Kazakhstan

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