Kaidu River

42°2′45″N 86°35′36″E / 42.04583°N 86.59333°E / 42.04583; 86.59333

Kaidu River
Kaidu River in the city center of Yanqi
Map
Location
CountryChina
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • elevationTian Shan
Length610 km (380 mi)
Basin size22,000 km2 (8,500 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average107 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s)

The Kaidu River (Chinese: ; pinyin: Kāidū Hé; Mongolian: Хайду гол; Uyghur: قايدۇ دەرياسى), also known under its ancient name Chaidu-gol, is a river in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China and an important source of water for the region. The Kaidu River is responsible for many substantial effects on the environment. Affecting the land and its people in many different ways.[1]

The sources of the Kaidu River are located on the central southern slopes of the Tian Shan from where it flows through the Yulduz Basin[2] and the Yanqi Basin into Lake Bosten for which it is the most important tributary.[3] The river leaves the lake under the name Kongque River (Chinese: ; pinyin: Kǒngquè Hé), which literally means "Peacock River", but is derived from the Uyghur name "كۆنچى دەرياسى / Konchi Darya" which means "Tanner's River".[4] The Kongque River flows through the Iron Gate Pass (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Tiěmén Guān) into the Tarim Basin.

  1. ^ Chen, Z., Chen, Y., & Li, B. (2012). Quantifying the effects of climate variability and human activities on runoff for Kaidu River Basin in arid region of northwest China. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 111(3-4), 537-545. doi:10.1007/s00704-012-0680-4
  2. ^ "Xinjiang River Guide" Archived 2009-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Seespiegelschwankungen des Bosten-Sees (in German)[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Nara Shiruku Rōdo-haku Kinen Kokusai Kōryū Zaidan, Shiruku Rōdo-gaku Kenkyū Sentā: Opening up the Silk Road: the Han and the Eurasian world, Nara International Foundation Commemorating the Silk Road Exposition, 2007