Aksu River (Xinjiang)

Aksu
Saryjaz
Aksu River shown within the Tarim basin
EtymologyAk Su (white/clear water, Turkish)
Native name
Location
CountryKyrgyzstan, China
Physical characteristics
SourceSemyonov's glacier, Kyrgyzstan
MouthTarim
  coordinates
40°27′32″N 80°51′58″E / 40.459°N 80.866°E / 40.459; 80.866
Length282 km (175 mi)
Basin size31,982 km2 (12,348 sq mi)
Discharge 
  locationAksu, Xinjiang
  average249 m3/s (8,800 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionTarimTaitema Lake
Tributaries 
  leftEngilchek, Kayyngdy
  rightKöölü, Üchköl, Ak-Shyyrak, Toshkan

The Aksu River (Uyghur: ئاقسۇ دەرياسى, romanized: Aqsu deryasi; simplified Chinese: 阿克苏河; traditional Chinese: 阿克蘇河; pinyin: Ākèsū Hé; means "white/clear water" in Uyghur and Kyrgyz languages) is a transboundary river in the Xinjiang province in China and Ak-Suu District of Issyk-Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan. Its upper section in Kyrgyzstan is known as the Saryjaz River or Sarydzhaz River (Chinese: 萨雷扎兹河, Kyrgyz: Сарыжаз). The middle section, between the Kyrgyz-Chinese border and the confluence with the Toshkan, is called Kumarik River (Chinese: 库玛拉克河, Kyrgyz: Сарыжаз). The total length of the river is 282 kilometres (175 mi), of which 197 kilometres (122 mi) are in Kyrgyzstan. It has a drainage basin of 12,900 square kilometres (5,000 sq mi) in Kyrgyzstan. The Aksu is the only one of the Tarim's source rivers to run throughout the year.