Ili (river)

Coordinates: 45°24′N 74°08′E / 45.400°N 74.133°E / 45.400; 74.133
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Ili River
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Ili
Ili River
Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing the Ili River and its tributaries
Location
CountryKazakhstan and China
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationTekes and Künes rivers
 • elevationTian Shan
Mouth 
 • location
Lake Balkhash
Length1,439 km (894 mi)
Basin size140,000 km2 (54,000 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average480 m3/s (17,000 cu ft/s)
Official nameIli River Delta and South Lake Balkhash
Designated1 January 2012
Reference no.2020[1]

The Ili (

Northwest China and Southeastern Kazakhstan. It flows from the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region to the Almaty Region
in Kazakhstan.

It is 1,439 kilometres (894 mi) long (including its source river the Tekes),[2] 815 kilometres (506 mi) 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, the Ili forms a large delta with vast wetland regions of lakes, marshes and vegetation.[3][4]

Etymology

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)."[5] The name possibly originated from Uyghur word Il, meaning hook, resembling the river's geographical shape.[6]

Chinese region

Qing bases in the Ili region, ca. 1809. Note that the map is upside down, i.e. the north is at the bottom, and the east is on the left.

The upper Ili Valley is separated from the

Qing 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

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 43°51′40″N 82°50′52″E / 43.86111°N 82.84778°E / 43.86111; 82.84778 and 43°51′14″N 82°48′08″E / 43.85389°N 82.80222°E / 43.85389; 82.80222. 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

Künes
Counties.

Kazakh region

On the Kapchagay Reservoir

The Ili is the main watercourse of the

Semirechye
(meaning the same).

The

Kapchagay in the middle reaches of the Ili River.[7] This currently comprises the Kapchagay Reservoir, an artificial 110 kilometres (70 mi) long lake north of Almaty
.

The Tamgaly-Tas, a protected site that comprises

rock drawings, is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) downstream along the Ili River. The name Tamgaly in Kazakh
means "painted" or "marked place" (Tas means "stone").

Ili Delta

Balkhash lake with Ili delta

The Ili River flows into the southeastern edge of

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.[8] 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 saiga antelopes and goitered gazelles.

Reintroduction of the

Asiatic wild ass.[9]

Historical connections

The

Dulu. It also established the Ili River as the border between the two states.[10] 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).[11]

The amount of precipitation in summer reaches 150-250 cubic meters.

Fishing

On the river, the most popular type of fishing is fishing of catfish, one of the largest aquatic predators, which may reach 5 meters in length and weigh up to 300 kg. Smaller specimens are usually within 50–100 kg.

Gallery

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Ili are, from source to mouth:[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ili River Delta and South Lake Balkhash". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b Или, Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  3. ^ Ili River
  4. ^ Ili river Kazakhstan
  5. ^ Mahmud Kashgari, Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk (En: Compendium of the languages of the Turks). Vol I, p124. 1072–1074
  6. ^ Adil Arup, Ili atalghusi heqqide (Etymology of Ili), Journal of Ili Darya, in Uyghur, 2007
  7. S2CID 128565175
    .
  8. ^ Masha Vinokurova (Press officer), Olga Pereladova (Head of the WWF Central Asia Programme): Kazakhstan names large inland delta Archived 2017-04-01 at the Wayback Machine, WWF Information February, 2012
  9. ^ Hartmut Jungius (2010). Feasibility Study on the Possible Restoration of the Caspian Tiger in Central Asia Archived 2011-11-17 at the Wayback Machine. WWF
  10. ^ Zuev Yu.L., The strongest tribe, Almaty, 2004, pp. 55–6,
  11. PMID 22837504[permanent dead link
    ]
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45°24′N 74°08′E / 45.400°N 74.133°E / 45.400; 74.133

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