Kazakhstan Encyclopedia - User contributions [en]

Irtysh River

2017-04-23T05:44:28Z

Seasonsinthesun: /* Literature */

{{Infobox river
| name = Irtysh River
| image = Irtyshrivermap.jpg
| image_caption = Irtysh River watershed
| source1_location = [[Altay Mountains]]
| mouth_location = [[Ob River]]
| basin_countries = [[Mongolia]], [[China]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Russia]]
| length = {{convert|4248|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| source1_elevation =
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|2150|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} (near [[Tobolsk]])
| basin_size = {{convert|1643000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
}}

The '''Irtysh River''' ({{lang-mn|Эрчис мөрөн/Erçis mörön}},<ref>[[The Secret History of the Mongols]]</ref> "erchleh", "twirl"; {{lang-ru|Иртыш/Irtyš}}; {{lang-kk|Ертiс/Ertis, ه‌رتىس}}; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 额尔齐斯河, [[pinyin]]: ''É'ěrqísī hé'', [[Xiao'erjing]]: عَعَرٿِسِ حْ; [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]]: ئېرتىش/Ertish/Ертиш; {{lang-tt|Иртеш|İrteş|ﻴﺋرتئش}}, [[Siberian Tatar language|Siber:]] Эйәртеш/Eyärtesh) is a [[river]] in [[Russia]], [[China]], and [[Kazakhstan]]. It is the chief tributary of the [[Ob River]].

The river's source lies in the [[Altai Mountains|Mongolian Altai]] in [[Dzungaria]] (the northern part of [[Xinjiang]], China) close to the border with [[Mongolia]].

The Irtysh's main tributaries include the [[Tobol River]] and the [[Ishim River]]. The Ob-Irtysh system forms a major [[drainage basin]] in [[Asia]], encompassing most of [[West Siberian Plain|Western Siberia]] and the Altai Mountains.

==Geography==
[[Image:Irtish v Omsk.JPG|thumb|The Irtysh in [[Omsk]]]]
[[Image:Pavlodar-Fiume Irtysh.JPG|thumb|The Irtysh near [[Pavlodar]] in [[Kazakhstan]]]]

From its origins as the ''Kara-Irtysh'' (Black Irtysh) in the [[Mongolia]]n Altay mountains in [[Xinjiang]], [[China]], the Irtysh flows northwest through [[Lake Zaysan]] in [[Kazakhstan]], meeting the [[Ishim River|Ishim]] and Tobol rivers before merging with the [[Ob River|Ob]] near [[Khanty-Mansiysk]] in western Siberia, [[Russia]] after {{convert|4248|km}}.

The name '''Black Irtysh''' (''Kara-Irtysh'' in Kazakh, or ''Cherny Irtysh'' in Russian) is applied by some authors, especially in Russia and Kazakhstan, to the upper course of the river, from its source entering Lake Zaysan. The term '''White Irtysh''', in opposition to the Black Irtysh, was occasionally used in the past to refer to the Irtysh below lake Zaysan;<ref>{{harvnb|Abramof|1865|p=65}}, and the map before p. 65.</ref> now this usage is largely obsolete.

==Economic use==
In Kazakhstan and Russia, [[Tanker (ship)|tanker]]s, passenger and [[Cargo ship|freight boats]] navigate the river during the ice-free season, between April and October. [[Omsk]], home to the headquarters of the state-owned [[Irtysh River Shipping Company]], functions as the largest [[river port]] in Western Siberia.

On the Kazakhstan section of the river there are presently three major [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] plants, namely at [[Bukhtarminskaya Hydro Power Plant|Bakhtarma]], [[Ust-Kamenogorsk Hydroelectric Power Plant|Ust-Kamenogorsk]] and [[Shulbinsk Hydroelectric Power Plant|Shulbinsk]]. The world's deepest [[lock (water transport)|lock]], with a drop of {{convert|42|m|ft}}, allows river traffic to by-pass the [[dam]] at [[Ust-Kamenogorsk]].<ref>
http://www.waterwaysworld.com/latest.cgi?month=012008&start=20</ref> Plans exist for the construction of several more dams.

[[File:Gorskii 04668u.jpg|thumb|left|The Tobolsk river wharves in 1912]]
Three dams have been constructed on the Chinese section of the Irtysh as well:
the Keketuohai (可可托海) Dam ({{coord|47|10|51|N|89|42|35|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}),
the Kalasuke (喀腊塑克) Dam ({{coord|47|08|14|N|88|53|15|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}),<ref>[http://cdm.unfccc.int/UserManagement/FileStorage/GKM18VL6J904R2IFHPC7YXNTWA5UD3 Xinjiang Kalasuke 140MW Hydroelectric Project]</ref><ref>[http://www.iwhr.com/cms/cms/infopub/infopre.jsp?pubtype=D&pubpath=zgskyww&infoid=1280908325577811&templetid=1280908325935210&channelcode=A10095404&userId=10002 考察调研组专家考察在建的喀腊塑克水利枢纽工程] (A group of experts visits the Kalasuke Dam), 2010-08-05</ref> and
the [[Project 635 Dam]]. There are also the [[Burqin Chonghu'er Dam]] and the [[Burqin Shankou Dam]] on the Irtysh's right tributary, the [[Burqin River]] and the [[Jilebulake Dam]] and [[Yamaguchi Dam (China)|Yamaguchi Dam]] on another right tributary, the [[Haba River]].

The [[Northern river reversal]] proposals, widely discussed by the USSR planners and scientists in the 1960s and 1970s, would send some of the Irtysh's (and possibly Ob's) water to the water-deficient regions of central Kazakhstan and [[Uzbekistan]]. Some versions of this project would have seen the direction of flow of the Irtysh reversed in its section between the mouth of the [[Tobol River|Tobol]] (at [[Tobolsk]]) and the confluence of the Irtysh with the Ob at Khanty-Mansiysk, thus creating an "Anti-Irtysh".<ref>{{citation|journal=Soviet Geography|volume=21|issue=10|year=1980|title=
The possible environmental impact of the anti-Irtysh and problems of rational nature management
|doi=10.1080/00385417.1980.10640361
|first=V. A.|last=Skornyakova|first2=I. Ye.|last2=Timasheva
|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00385417.1980.10640361}}</ref>
While these gigantic [[interbasin transfer]] schemes were not implemented, a smaller [[Irtysh–Karaganda Canal]] was built between 1962 and 1974 to supply water to the dry Kazakh [[steppe]]s and to one of the country's main industrial center, [[Karaganda]]. In 2002, pipelines were constructed to supply water from the canal to the [[Ishim River]] and Kazakhstan's capital, [[Astana]].

In China, a short canal was constructed in 1987 (water intake at {{coord|47|26|31|N|87|34|11|E|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}) to divert some of the Irtysh water to the [[Endorrheic basin|endorrheic]] [[Lake Ulungur]], whose level had been falling precipitously due to the increasing irrigation use of the lake's main affluent, the [[Ulungur River]].<ref name=fao1999>{{citation
|editor-first=T. |editor-last=Petr
|publisher=Food & Agriculture Org. |year=1999
|isbn=9251043094
|title=Fish and Fisheries at Higher Altitudes: Asia
|series=Issue 385 of FAO fisheries technical paper, ISSN 0429-9345
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4HESCeJyZcC&pg=PA257
|page=257
}} (An English translation of the original paper published in the ''Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta'' in 1979).</ref> In the last years of the 20th century and the early 2000s, a much more major project, the [[Irtysh–Karamay–Urümqi Canal]] was completed. Increased water use in China has caused significant concerns among Kazakh and Russian environmentalists.<ref>[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/pp071606.shtml KAZAKHSTAN: ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY CHINA MISUSING CROSS-BORDER RIVERS]. By Gulnoza Saidazimova, 7/16/2006.</ref><ref name=sievers>{{citation
|url=http://www.tilj.org/content/journal/37/num1/Sievers1.pdf
|title=Transboundary Jurisdiction and Watercourse Law: China, Kazakhstan and the Irtysh
|first=Eric W.|last=Sievers
|journal=Texas International Law Journal|volume=37|issue=1|year=2002}}</ref>
According to a report published by Kazakhstan fishery researchers in 2013, the total Irtysh water use in China is about {{convert|3|km3|mi3|1}} per year; as a result, only about 2/3 of what would be the river's "natural" flow (6 km<sup>3</sup> out of 9 km<sup>3</sup>) reach the Kazakh border.<ref>{{citation
|url=http://www.group-global.org/lecture/view/2223
|title=Adapting of fisheries management to the changing Irtysh water basin hydrological regime
|last=Kulikov|first=Evgeny Vyacheslavovich (Куликов Евгений Вячеславович)
|date=2013-08-23}}</ref>

==Cities==
[[File:Irtysh from air over Omsk.JPG|thumb|An aerial view of the Irtysh in Omsk]]
Major cities along the Irtysh, from source to mouth, include:
* in China: [[Fuyun County|Fuyun]], [[Beitun, Xinjiang|Beitun]], [[Burqin County|Burqin]]
* in Kazakhstan: [[Ust-Kamenogorsk]], [[Semey]], [[Aksu, Kazakhstan|Aksu]], [[Pavlodar]]
* in Russia: [[Omsk]], [[Tara, Omsk Oblast|Tara]], [[Tobolsk]], [[Khanty-Mansiysk]]

==Bridges==
[[File:Omsk 60 years of Victory bridge 2.jpg|thumb|The Sixty Years of Victory Bridge in Omsk. (The name commemorates the 60th anniversary of the [[V-E Day]])]]
Seven railway bridges span the Irtysh. They are located in the following cities:
* About 15 km downstream from [[Serebryansk]] (on the dead-end branch line from [[Oskemen]] to [[Zyryanovsk]])
* [[Oskemen]]
* [[Semey]], on the [[Turkestan–Siberia Railway]]
* [[Pavlodar]], on the South Siberian rail line ([[Astana]] to [[Barnaul]])
* near [[Cherlak]], on the Middle Siberian rail line ([[:ru:Среднесибирская магистраль|Среднесибирская магистраль]])
* [[Omsk]], on the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]]. Opened in 1896, this is the oldest bridge on the river.
* [[Tobolsk]], on the [[Tyumen]]-[[Surgut]] line
As the [[Kuytun–Beitun Railway]] in China's Xinjiang is being extended toward [[Altay City]], a railway bridge over the Irtysh at Beitun will need to be constructed as well.

Numerous highway bridges over the Irtysh exist in China, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

There are no bridges of any kind on the Irtysh downstream of Tobolsk (nor, for that matter, anywhere on the Ob downstream from its confluence with the Irtysh).

==History==
[[File:Irtysh River landscape in the Burqin 02.jpg|thumb|Irtysh River landscape in [[Burqin County]], China|left]]
A number of [[Mongols|Mongol]] and [[Turkic people|Turkic]] peoples occupied the river banks for many centuries. In 657, [[Tang Dynasty]] general [[Su Dingfang]] defeated [[Ashina Helu]], [[Khan (title)|qaghan]] of the [[Western Turkic Khaganate]], at the [[Battle of Irtysh River]], ending the [[Tang campaign against the Western Turks]].<ref name="Cosmo">{{cite book|author=Jonathan Karem Skaff|editor=Nicola Di Cosmo|title=Military Culture in Imperial China|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-03109-8|pages=181–185}}</ref> Helu's defeat ended the Khaganate, strengthened Tang control of [[Xinjiang]], and led to Tang suzerainty over the western Turks.<ref name="Millward">{{cite book|author=James A. Millward|title=Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang|year=2007|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-13924-3|page=33}}</ref>

In the 15th and 16th centuries the lower and middle courses of the Irtysh lay within the Tatar [[Khanate of Sibir]]; its capital, [[Qashliq]] (also known as [[Qashliq|Sibir]]) was located on the Irtysh a few miles upstream from the mouth of the [[Tobol]] (where today's [[Tobolsk]] is situated).

The Khanate of Sibir was [[Conquest of the Khanate of Sibir|conquered]] by the Russians in the 1580s. The Russians started building fortresses and towns next to the sites of former Tatar towns; one of the first Russian towns in Siberia (after [[Tyumen]]) was [[Tobolsk]], founded in 1587 at the fall of the Tobol into the Irtysh, downstream from the former Qashliq.<ref>{{citation
|first=James |last=Forsyth
|publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1994
|isbn=9780521477710
|title=A History of the Peoples of Siberia: Russia's North Asian Colony 1581-1990
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nzhq85nPrdsC&pg=PA34
|page=34
}}</ref>
Farther east, [[Tara, Omsk Oblast|Tara]] was founded in 1594, roughly at the border of the [[taiga]] belt (to the north) and the [[steppe]] to the south.<ref>{{citation
|first=G. Patrick |last=March
|publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=1996
|isbn=0275956482
|title=Eastern Destiny: Russia in Asia and the North Pacific
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eNc7bwXKs_kC&pg=PA31
|page=31
}}</ref>

In the 17th century the [[Dzungar Khanate]], formed by the Mongol [[Oirats|Oirat]] people, became Russia's southern neighbor, and controlled the upper Irtysh.
<ref>{{harvnb|Forsyth|1994|pp=37,125–127}}</ref> As a result of Russia's confrontation with the Dzungars in the [[Peter I of Russia|Peter the Great]]'s era,<ref>{{harvnb|Forsyth|1994|p=128}}</ref> the Russians founded the cities of [[Omsk]] in 1716, [[Semipalatinsk]] in 1718, [[Ust-Kamenogorsk]] in 1720, and [[Petropavl]]ovsk in 1752.

The Chinese [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]] [[Ten Great Campaigns#The Dzungars and pacification of Xinjiang (1755–1759)|conquered]] [[Dzungaria]] in the 1750s. This prompted an increase in the Russian authorities' attention to their borderland; in 1756, the [[Orenburg]] Governor [[Ivan Neplyuyev]] even proposed the annexation of the Lake Zaysan region, but this project was forestalled by Chinese successes.<ref>{{harvnb|Abramof|1865|p=65}}</ref> Concerns were raised in Russia (1759) about the (theoretical) possibility of a Chinese fleet sailing from Lake Zaysan down the Irtysh and into Western Siberia. A Russian expedition visited Lake Zaysan in 1764, and concluded that such a riverine invasion would not be likely. Nonetheless, a chain of Russian pickets was established on the [[Bukhtarma River]], north of Lake Zaysan.<ref>{{harvnb|Abramof|1865|p=66}}</ref> Thus the border between the two empires in the Irtysh basin became roughly delineated, with a (sparse) chain of guard posts on both sides.

The situation in the borderlands in the mid-19th century is described in a report by A. Abramof ([[:ru:Абрамов, Николай Алексеевич|ru]]; 1865). Even though the Zaysan region was recognized by both parties as part of the [[Qing dynasty|Qing empire]], it had been annually used, by fishing expeditions sent by the [[Siberian Cossacks|Siberian Cossack Host]]. The summer expeditions started in 1803, and in 1822–25 their range was expanded through the entire Lake Zaysan and to the mouth of the Black Irtysh. Through the mid-19th century, the Qing presence on the upper Irtysh was mostly limited to the annual visit of the Qing ''[[amban]]'' from [[Chuguchak]] to one of the Cossacks' fishing stations (''Batavski Piket'').<ref>{{harvnb|Abramof|1865|pp=62–63}}; see also the border shown on the map before p. 65.</ref>

The border between the Russian and the Qing empires in the Irtysh basin was established along the line fairly similar to China's modern border with Russia and Kazakhstan by the [[Convention of Peking]] of 1860.<ref>Articles 2 and 3 in the [[:ru:s:Пекинский договор (1860)|Russian text of the treaty]]</ref> The actual border line pursuant to the convention was drawn by the Protocol of Chuguchak (1864), leaving Lake Zaysan on the Russian side.<ref>(See [[:File:China-Russia border - protocol of Chuguchak 1864.jpg|the map]])</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh98/frontier/en2.html|title=The Lost Frontier – Treaty Maps that Changed Qing's Northwestern Boundaries_The Changing Borders|work=npm.gov.tw}}</ref> The Qing empire's military presence in the Irtysh basin crumbled during the 1862–77 [[Dungan Revolt (1862–77)|Dungan Revolt]]. After the fall of the rebellion and the reconquest of Xinjiang by [[Zuo Zongtang]], the border between the Russian and the Qing empires in the Irtysh basin was further slightly readjusted, in Russia's favor, by the [[Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)]].

==Cultural references==
The Irtysh River serves as a backdrop in the epilogue of [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]]'s 1866 novel ''[[Crime and Punishment]]''.

==Other uses==
*[[FC Irtysh Omsk]], a soccer team in [[Omsk]], Russia.
*[[FC Irtysh Pavlodar]], a soccer team in [[Pavlodar]], Kazakhstan.
*''Irtysh'' (''Иртыш''), a Russian military hospital ship, used at the [[Bering Strait#Expeditions|Bering Strait Swim 2013]].

==See also==
* [[Geography of China]]
* [[Geography of Kazakhstan]]
* [[Geography of Russia]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Literature==
{{Commons category|Irtysh River}}
* ''[[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]''
*{{citation
|first=A.|last=Abramof
|title=The lake Nor-Zaysan and its neighborhood
|others=translated by John Michell
|publisher=J. Murray |year=1865
|journal=Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London|volume=35
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YuoRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA59
|pages=58–69|doi=10.2307/3698078}}

{{coord|61|05|24|N|68|49|15.60|E|type:landmark_source:frwiki|display=title}}
{{Rivers of Kazakhstan}}
{{China Rivers}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ob basin]]
[[Category:Altai Mountains]]
[[Category:Rivers of China]]
[[Category:Rivers of Xinjiang]]
[[Category:Rivers of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Rivers of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug]]
[[Category:Rivers of Omsk Oblast]]
[[Category:Rivers of Tyumen Oblast]]
[[Category:International rivers of Asia]]

Ili River

2017-04-23T05:39:00Z

Seasonsinthesun: /* References */

{{refimprove|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Ili River
| image = river-ili-2.jpg
| image_caption = Ili River
| source1_location = [[Tekes River|Tekes]] and [[Kunges River|Kunges]] rivers
| mouth_location = [[Lake Balkhash]]
| basin_countries = [[Kazakhstan]] and [[China]]
| length = {{convert|1439|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| source1_elevation = [[Tian Shan]]
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|480|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| basin_size = {{convert|140000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
}}
[[image:Lakebalkhashbasinmap.png|thumb|right|300px|Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing the Ili River and its tributaries]]
The '''Ili River''' ({{ug|ئىلى دەرياسى|Ili deryasi|Ili dəryasi|Или дәряси}}; {{lang-kk|Іле}}, ''İle'', ئله; {{lang-ru|Или}}; {{zh|c=伊犁河|p=Yīlí Hé}}; {{lang-dng|Йили хә, ''Jili xə'', اِلِ حْ}}; {{Lang-mn|Ил}}, ''literally "Bareness"'') is a [[river]] in northwestern [[China]] and southeastern [[Kazakhstan]]. It flows from the [[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture]] of the [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region]] to the [[Almaty Province]] in Kazakhstan.

It is {{convert|1439|km|mi}} long, {{convert|815|km|mi}} of which is in Kazakhstan. It takes its beginning in eastern [[Tian Shan]] from the [[Tekes River|Tekes]] and [[Kunges River|Kunges]] (or [[Künes]]) rivers. The Ili River drains the basin between the Tian Shan and the [[Borohoro Mountains]] to the north.

Flowing into [[Lake Balkhash]], the Ili forms a large [[river delta|delta]] with vast wetland regions of lakes, marshes and thicket vegetation.

==Etymology==
Earlier mentions of ''Ili'' river is in [[Mahmud al-Kashgari]]'s dictionary of Turkic languages, the ''Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk'', written in 1072–74. In the book, author defines: Ili, name of a river. Turkic tribes of ''Yaghma'', ''Tokhsi'' and ''Chiglig'' live on its banks. Turkish countries regard the river as their Jayhoun ([[Amu Darya]]) .<ref>Mahmud Kashgari, ''Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk'' (En: Compendium of the languages of the Turks). Vol I, p124. 1072–1074</ref> The name is possibly originated from Uyghur word ''Il'', means ''hook'' in English, resembling the river's geographical shape.<ref>Adil Arup, Ili atalghusi heqqide (Etymology of ''Ili''), Journal of Ili Darya, in Uyghur, 2007</ref>

== Chinese region ==
[[File:Yili-military-complex-ca-1809.jpg|thumb|left|Qing bases in the Ili region, ca. 1809. Note that the map is upside down, i.e. the north is at the bottom, and the east is on the left]]
The upper Ili Valley is separated from the [[Dzungaria|Dzungarian Basin]] in the north by the Borohoro Mountains, and from the [[Tarim Basin]] in the south by the main range of the [[Tian Shan]]. This region was the stronghold of the [[Qing Dynasty|Qing]] administration in Xinjiang in the late 18th and 19th centuries;
it was occupied by Russia from 1871 to 1881, that is, from the [[Yaqub Beg]] rebellion until the [[Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)]].

Presently, the region forms part of Xinjiang's [[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture]]. The main city of the region, [[Yining City|Yining]] (Kulja), is located on the northern side of the river some {{convert|100|km|mi}} upstream from the international border. Until the early 1900s, the city was commonly known under the same name as the river, 伊犁 (Pinyin: Yīlí; [[Wade-Giles]]: Ili). On the southern side, even closer to the international border, [[Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County]] is located, which is home to many of the China's [[Xibe people|Xibe]] people, who were resettled to this borderland in the 18th century as part of the Manchu garrison.

There are at least two dams on the Ili's right tributary, the [[Kash River]] (喀什河) in [[Nilka County]], at
{{coord|43|51|40|N|82|50|52|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}} and
{{coord|43|51|14|N|82|48|08|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}. At least two dams have been constructed on the Ili's left tributary, the [[Tekes River|Tekes]], as well: the Qiapuqihai Hydropower Station (恰甫其海水电站) in [[Tokkuztara County]] ({{coord|43|18|14|N|82|29|05|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}), and another smaller dam at {{coord|43|23|41|N|82|29|20|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}, on the border of Tokkuztara and [[Künes County|Künes]] Counties.

== Kazakh region ==
[[File:Kapchigai lake.jpg|thumb|On the Kapchagay Reservoir]]
The region of Kazakhstan partially drained by the Ili and its tributaries is known in Kazakh as [[Zhetysu]] ('Seven Rivers') and in Russian as [[Semirechye]] (meaning the same).

The [[Kapshagay Hydroelectric Power Plant]] was constructed between 1965 and 1970<ref>Kezer K, Matsuyama H 2006:''Decrease of river runoff in the Lake Balkhash basin in Central Asia''. Hydrological Processes Vol. 20 Is. 6 Pp 1407–1423</ref> near [[Kapchagay]] in the middle reaches of the Ili River, forming the [[Kapchagay Reservoir]]—an artificial {{convert|110|km|mi}} long lake north of [[Almaty]].

[[Tamgaly-Tas]], some {{convert|20|km|mi}} downstream along Ili River is the site of [[rock drawings]]. The name ''Tamgaly'' in [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]] means "painted" or "marked place", ''Tas'' means "stone".

<gallery>
Image:river-ili-1.jpg|Ili River
Image:buddhas at ili.jpg|Buddhist rock drawings at Ili River
Image:river-ili-3.jpg|Ili River
File:Altynemel dune.jpg|The "singing dune" at [[Altyn-Emel National Park]]
</gallery>

== Ili delta ==
[[File:Balkhash labeled eng.jpg|thumbnail|Balkhash lake with Ili delta]]
The Ili River discharges into the southeastern edge of [[Lake Balkhash]], where it forms a large delta of about {{convert|8000|km2|mi2}}. The delta is situated between the [[Saryesik-Atyrau Desert]] and the [[Taukum Desert]]. Until 1948 the delta was a refuge of the extinct [[Turan tiger]]. A [[Siberian Tiger Re-population Project|reintroduction project]] of the [[Siberian tiger]] to the delta has been proposed. Since the Siberian tiger has turned out to be the closest relative, it has been proposed to introduce this subspecies instead. Large populations of [[wild boar]], which were a main prey base of the Turan tiger, can be still found in the swamps of the delta. There are also some roe deer and in the drier steppes to the south of Lake Balkhash live saiga antelopes and goitered gazelles. A reintroduction of the Buchara deer, which was once an important prey item is under consideration. Buchara deer live in the forests at the Kapchagay Reservoir. Another potential prey species, which is extinct in the area is the [[Asiatic wild ass]]. It could be reintroduced in the steppes adjoining the delta.<ref>Hartmut Jungius (2010). ''[http://www.wwf.ru/publ/book/eng/460 Feasibility Study on the Possible Restoration of the Caspian Tiger in Central Asia]''. WWF</ref>
An area of {{convert|9766|km2|mi2}} within the delta has been designated as a [[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar Site]]. This site has 427 species of plants and 345 species of animals, including important populations of rare species, like [[Dalmatian pelican]], [[goitered gazelle]], [[marbled polecat|marbeled polecat]], [[white-headed duck]], [[red-breasted goose]], and [[ship sturgeon]]. The delta has also become known for its [[Wels catfish]], which can grow to over {{convert|300|lb|abbr=on}}. The Government of Kazakhstan plans to join the three sanctuaries Balkash, Karoy and Kukan, which are situated in the delta, into one National Park.<ref>Masha Vinokurova (Press officer), Olga Pereladova (Head of the WWF Central Asia Programme): [http://www.wwf.ru/resources/news/article/eng/9130 Kazakhstan names large inland delta], WWF Information February, 2012</ref>

== Tributaries ==
* [[Charyn River]], famous for its [[Charyn Canyon|canyon]]
* [[Kash River]]
* [[Tekes River]]

== Historical connections ==
The Ili River gave its name to the [[Ili river treaty|Ili River treaty]] of 638 AD, which formalized the division of the [[Western Turkic Kaganate]] (552–638 AD) into the [[Nushibi]] and the [[Dulo clan|Dulu]], and established the Ili River as the border between the two states.<ref>Zuev Yu.L., ''The strongest tribe'', Almaty, 2004, pp. 55–6,</ref>

In the 21st century, increasing need for water in both China and Kazakhstan makes the management of the cross-border Ili River a topic of concern for environmentalists and politicians in Kazakhstan, who feel that their country may not get enough water flowing in from China any more.<ref>{{citation|title=For China and Kazakhstan, No Meeting of the Minds on Water
|journal=Science|volume=337|date=2012-07-27|url=http://211.144.68.84:9998/91keshi/Public/File/41/337-6093/pdf/405.full.pdf
|first=Richard|last=Stone|pages=405–407}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Ili River}}
* [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]
* [http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/007/043/43821.htm Или, река Семиречинской области] (The Ili River), in [[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]]

{{Rivers of Kazakhstan}}
{{China Rivers}}
{{coord|45|24|N|74|08|E|display=title|region:KZ_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Rivers of Xinjiang]]
[[Category:Sites along the Silk Road]]
[[Category:International rivers of Asia]]
[[Category:Siberian Tiger Re-population Project]]