Panj (river)

Panj
The Panj river forms much of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan
Map
Location
CountriesAfghanistan and Tajikistan
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationconfluence of Pamir and Wakhan Rivers
MouthAmu Darya
 • coordinates
37°06′39″N 68°18′53″E / 37.11083°N 68.31472°E / 37.11083; 68.31472
Length921 km (572 mi)
Basin size114,000 km2 (44,016 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average1,000 m3/s (35,315 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionAmu DaryaAral Sea
Official nameLower part of Pyandj River
Designated18 July 2001
Reference no.1084[1]
Map
The Panj River from space

The Panj (UK: /ˈpæn/ PANJ, US: /ˈpɑːn/ PAHNJ),[a] traditionally known as the Ochus River, is a river in Afghanistan and Tajikistan and is a tributary of the Amu Darya. The river is 921 kilometres (572 mi) long and has a basin area of 114,000 square kilometres (44,000 sq mi).[2] It forms a considerable part of the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border.[3]

The river is formed by the confluence of the Pamir River and the Wakhan River near the village of Qalʿa-ye Panja (Qalʽeh-ye Panjeh). From there, it flows westwards, marking part of the border of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. After passing the city of Khorugh, capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan it receives water from one of its main tributaries, the Bartang River. It then turns towards the southwest, before joining the river Vakhsh and forming the greatest river of Central Asia, the Amu Darya. The Panj played an important role during Soviet times, and was a strategic river during the Soviet military operations in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

  1. ^ "Lower part of Pyandj River". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ Пяндж (река), Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  3. ^ "Pyanj River Basin Project". Asian Development Bank. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-07.


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