Tarim River

Tarim River

The Tarim River is the princioal river of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the People’s Republic of China.Formed from the union of the Aksu River and Yarkand River, it flows in an; eastward direction around the Taklamakan Desert. The Muzat River is one of its tributaries.

The Chinese originally considered the Tarim to be the upper course of the Huanghe or Yellow River, but by the time of the Former Han Dynasty, it was known that it drains into Lop Nur, a series of salt lakes. Its total length is 2.030 km.

It is the longest inland river in China with an annual flow of 4-6 billion cubic meters. Its valley is the home to nearly 10 million Chinese and other ethnic minorities including Uyghurs and Mongolians.

It is shallow, unsuitable for navigation, and because of its heavy silt load, forms a braided stream near its terminus at the Godzareh depression. It gives its name to the arid Tarim Basin. The Tarim River is rich in fish, and animal life on the river and the surrounding desert is varied. The valley and lakes of the Tarim are a stopover for many migratory birds.