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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Turkmenistan
Index
Almost 80 percent of the territory of Turkmenistan lacks a constant
source of surface water flow. Its main rivers are located only in the
southern and eastern peripheries; a few smaller rivers on the northern
slopes of the Kopetdag are diverted entirely to irrigation. The most
important river is the Amu Darya, which has a total length of 2,540
kilometers from its farthest tributary, making it the longest river in
Central Asia. The Amu Darya flows across northeastern Turkmenistan, thence
eastward to form the southern borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Damming and irrigation uses of the Amu Darya have had severe environmental
effects on the Aral Sea, into which the river flows (see Environmental
Issues, this ch.). The river's average annual flow is 1,940 cubic meters
per second. Other major rivers are the Tejen (1,124 kilometers); the
Murgap (852 kilometers); and the Atrek (660 kilometers).
Data as of March 1996
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