Ili River

Ili River
Origin Tekes and Kunges rivers
Mouth Lake Balkhash
Basin countries Kazakhstan and China
Length 1,439 km
Source elevation Tian Shan
Avg. discharge 480 m/s
Basin area 140,000 km
Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing
the Ili River and its tributaries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hi River)
The Ili River (Uyghur: , ULY: Ili deryasi;
Kazakh: , le; Russian: ; Chinese: ; pinyin:
; Mongolian: , literally "Bareness") is a river
in northwestern China (Ili Kazakh Autonomous
Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region)
and southeastern Kazakhstan (the Almaty Province).
It is 1,439 km (894 mi) long, 815 km (506 mi) of which is
in Kazakhstan. It takes its beginning in eastern Tian Shan
from the Tekes and Kunges (or Knes) rivers. The Ili
River drains the basin between the Tian Shan and the
Borohoro Mountains to the north.
Flowing into Lake Balkhash, the Ili forms a large delta
with vast wetland regions of lakes, marshes and thicket
vegetation.
1 Etymology
2 Chinese region
3 Kazakh region
4 Ili delta
5 Tributaries include
6 Historical connections
7 References
Earlier mentions of Ili river is in Mahmud al-Kashgari's
dictionary of Turkic languages, the Dwnu l-Luat
al-Turk, written in 1072-1074. In the book, author
defines: Ili, 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) .
[1]
The name is possibly originated from Uyghur word Il,
means hook in English, resembling the river's geographical shape.
[2]
The upper Ili Valley is separated from the Dzungarian Basin in the north by the Borohoro Mountains, and
from the Tarim Basin in the south by the main range of the Tian Shan. This region was the stronghold of the
Qing administration in Xinjiang in the late 18th and 19th centuries; it was occupied by Russia from 1871 to
Coordinates: 4524N 7408E
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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
On the Kapchagay Reservoir
1881, that is, 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 (Kulja), is located on
the northern side of the river some 100 km (62 mi) upstream from
the international border. Until the early 1900s, the city was
commonly known under the same name as the river, (Pinyin:
Yl; Wade-Giles: Ili). On the southern side, even closer to the
international border, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County is located,
which is home to many of the China's Xibe people, who were
resettled to this borderland in the 18th century as part of the Manchu
garrison.
There are at least two dams on the Ili's right tributary, the Kash River
() in Nilka County, at and . At least two dams have
been constructed on the Ili's left tributary, the Tekes, as well: the Qiapuqihai Hydropower Station (
) in Tokkuztara County ( ), and another smaller dam at
, on the border of Tokkuztara and Knes Counties.
The region of Kazakhstan drained by the Ili and its tributaries is
known in Kazakh as Zhetysu ('Seven Rivers') and in Russian as
Semirechye (meaning the same).
The Kapshagay Hydroelectric Power Plant was constructed between
1965 and 1970
[3]
near Kapchagay in the middle reaches of the Ili
River, forming the Kapchagay Reservoiran artificial 110 km
(68 mi) long lake north of Almaty.
Tamgaly-Tas, some 20 km (12 mi) downstream along Ili River is the
site of rock drawings. The name Tamgaly in Kazakh means "painted"
or "marked place", Tas means "stone".
Ili River

Buddhist rock drawings
at Ili River

Ili River

The "singing dune" at
Altyn-Emel National
Park
The Ili River discharges into the southeastern edge of Lake Balkhash, where it forms a large delta of about
8000 square kilometres. The delta is situated between the Saryesik-Atyrau Desert and the Taukum Desert.
435140N 825052E 435114N 824808E
431814N 822905E
432341N 822920E
Ili River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi_River
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Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Ili River.
Until 1948 the delta was a refuge of the extinct Turan tiger. Reintroduction of the tiger to the delta has been
proposed. Since the Siberian tiger has turned out to be a close relative, it has been proposed to introduce this
subspecies instead. Large populations of wild boar, which were a main prey base of the Turan tiger, can be
still found in the swamps of the delta. There are also some roe deer and in the drier steppes to the south of
Lake Balkhash live saiga antelopes and goitered gazelles. A reintroduction of the Buchara deer, which was
once an important prey item is under consideration. Buchara deer live in the forests at the Kapchagay
Reservoir. Another potential prey species, which is extinct in the area is the Asiatic wild ass. It could be
reintroduced in the steppes adjoining the delta.
[4]
An area of 9766 square kilometers 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, like Dalmatian pelican, goitered gazelle, marbeled polecat, white-
headed duck, red-breasted goose, and ship sturgeon. The Government of Kazakhstan plans to join the three
sanctuaries Balkash, Karoy and Kukan, which are situated in the delta, into one National Park.
[5]
Charyn River, famous for its canyon
Kash River
Tekes River
The Ili River gave its name to the Ili River treaty of 638 AD, which formalized the division of the Western
Turkic Kaganate (552-638 AD) into the Nushibi and the Dulu, and established the Ili River as the border
between the two states.
[6]
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.
[7]
^ Mahmud Kashgari, Dwnu l-Luat al-Turk (En: Compendium of the languages of the Turks). Vol I, p124.
1072-1074
1.
^ Adil Arup, Ili atalghusi heqqide (Etymology of Ili), Journal of Ili Darya, in Uyghur, 2007 2.
^ Kezer K, Matsuyama H 2006:Decrease of river runoff in the Lake Balkhash basin in Central Asia.
Hydrological Processes Vol. 20 Is. 6 Pp 1407-1423
3.
^ Hartmut Jungius (2010). Feasibility Study on the Possible Restoration of the Caspian Tiger in Central Asia
(http://www.wwf.ru/publ/book/eng/460). WWF
4.
^ Masha Vinokurova (Press officer), Olga Pereladova (Head of the WWF Central Asia Programme): Kazakhstan
names large inland delta (http://www.wwf.ru/resources/news/article/eng/9130), WWF Information February,
2012
5.
^ Zuev Yu.L., The strongest tribe, Almaty, 2004, pp. 55-6, 6.
^ Stone, Richard (2012-07-27), "For China and Kazakhstan, No Meeting of the Minds on Water"
(http://211.144.68.84:9998/91keshi/Public/File/41/337-6093/pdf/405.full.pdf), Science 337: 405407
7.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Ili River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi_River
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, (http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/007/043/43821.htm) (The
Ili River), in Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ili_River&oldid=617293848"
Categories: Rivers of Kazakhstan Rivers of China Rivers of Xinjiang Sites along the Silk Road
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