Amu Darya

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Amu Darya

Amu Darya (Amudaryo, Oxos, Амударё ,آمودریا) is a major river in Central Asia. It is formed by the junction of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers. The river's total length is 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) The river is navigable for over 1,450 kilometres (900 mi). All of the water comes from the high mountains in the south where annual precipitation can be over 1,000 mm (39 in).
The main tributaries of Amu Darya are: Panj River, Vakhsh River, Surkhan Darya, Sherabad River, Zeravshan River. Use of water from the Amu Darya for irrigation has been a major contributing factor to the shrinking of the Aral Sea since the late 1950s.