Water bodies of Azerbaijan facts for kids

The beautiful Caspian Sea coast in Hovsan, Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is a country with many important water sources. These include natural places like rivers and lakes. It also has man-made water systems, such as Canals (which are like artificial rivers) and reservoirs (which are like artificial lakes).

Most of the water in Azerbaijan eventually flows into the Caspian Sea. This means the country's water system is part of the Caspian Sea's large drainage basin.

Azerbaijan's Rivers

The Kur and Aras rivers are the longest in Azerbaijan. Their drainage basin covers most of the country.

The Aras River forms part of the border with Iran near the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has many rivers, about 8,359 in total. Most of these rivers are quite short, less than 25 kilometers long. Only 24 rivers are longer than 100 kilometers.

Here are some of the longest and most important rivers in Azerbaijan:

• Kur
• Aras
• Qanix (also known as Alazan)
• Qabirri (also known as Iori in Georgia)
• Samur
• Pirsaat
• Tartarchay (with smaller rivers like Levchay, Addabanchay, and Turagaychay flowing into it)
• Turyan
• Agstafa
• Hekeri
• Vilesh

How Rivers are Grouped

The rivers in Azerbaijan can be divided into three main groups based on where their water ends up:

• The rivers that flow into the Kur (like Qanix, Qabirri, Turyan, Agstafa, Shekir, Terter, and Khachin).
• The rivers that flow into the Aras River (like Arpachay, Nakhchivan, Okhchu, Hekeri, and Kondelenchay).
• The rivers that flow directly into the Caspian Sea (like Samur, Gudyal, Velvele, Vilesh, and Lenkeran).

The Kur and Aras Rivers

The Kur and Aras are the two longest rivers in Azerbaijan. Both of these powerful rivers flow directly into the Caspian Sea. They start in the mountains, like the north-eastern part of the Greater Caucasus and the Talysh Mountains. Then they flow through flat areas called lowlands.

Even though the Aras River's drainage basin (the area of land that collects water for it) is larger than the Kur River's, the Kur River carries much more water. In fact, the Kur River has twice as much water as the Aras River where they meet. That's why the combined river is still called the Kur after they join.

Azerbaijan's Lakes

Lake Goygol is one of Azerbaijan's beautiful natural lakes.

Lakes are natural bodies of water surrounded by land. Azerbaijan has several important lakes, each with its own unique features.

Here are some of the main lakes you can find in Azerbaijan:

• Aggol
• Jandargol
• Lake Hadjikabul, which is the largest lake in terms of its size and the amount of water it holds.
• Lake Boyukshor
• Lake Sarysu
• Lake Goygol
• Maral-gol
• Masazirgol
• Ajinohur
• Boyuk Alagol

Reservoirs

The huge Mingachevir Reservoir as seen from outer space.

Reservoirs are like artificial lakes created by building a dam across a river. Azerbaijan has over 60 of these man-made water bodies. They are very important for managing the flow of rivers. Most reservoirs are used for irrigation, which means supplying water to farms to help crops grow.

Here are some of the largest reservoirs in Azerbaijan:

• Mingachevir reservoir, which is the biggest reservoir by its area.
• Shemkir reservoir
• Araz reservoir
• Serseng reservoir
• Agstafachay reservoir
• Varvara reservoir
• Jeyranbatan reservoir
• Khanbulanchay reservoir
• Yenikend reservoir

Images for kids

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  A map of the Caspian Sea drainage basin, showing where all rivers in Azerbaijan flow.