Naryn
Naryn is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 41.37°, 74.26°
About Naryn
The Naryn (Kyrgyz: Нарын, Uzbek: Norin) is the largest and most water-abundant river in Kyrgyzstan. It rises in the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, flowing west through the Fergana Valley into Uzbekistan. Here it merges with the Kara Darya (near Namangan) to form the Syr Darya. It is 807 kilometres (501 mi) long (together with its upper course Chong-Naryn) and drains a basin area of 59,100 square kilometres (22,800 sq mi). It has an annual flow of 13.7 cubic kilometres (11,100,000 acre⋅ft).
The basin is bounded by the Terskey Alatoo, Kyrgyz Ala-Too and Talas Ala-Too ranges to the north; by the Kakshaal Too to the south; by the Ak-Shyrak Massif to the east; and by the Fergana Range to the west.
The river contains many reservoirs which are important in the generation of hydroelectricity. The largest of these is the Toktogul Reservoir in Kyrgyzstan containing 19.9 cubic kilometres (16,100,000 acre⋅ft) of water. Dams downstream of the Toktogul in Kyrgyzstan include: Kürpsay, Tash-Kömür, Shamaldy-Say and Üch-Korgon. Upstream of Toktogul in Kyrgyzstan are the Kambar-Ata-2 and At-Bashy Dams while the Kambar-Ata-1 Dam is in planning stages.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Naryn (river) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Naryn in Depth
Course
The river originates at an elevation of 3,730 m, from a lake at the foot of the Petrov Glacier on the north-western slope of the Ak-Shyrak Massif, where it begins under the name Kumtor. After joining with the Arabelsuu, it forms the Taragay (Jaaktash) River. When the Taragay merges with the Karasay, the river is called Chong Naryn, and it flows westward through a wide, terraced valley.
In the central part of the Upper Naryn Valley, the river branches, its channel widens, and farther west it narrows again. In this section, the Karakol (from the east) and Ulan rivers flow into it. From the confluence of the Ulan River to the junction with the Ayrisuu (a right tributary), the river flows through a very narrow gorge.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Naryn (river) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Naryn: Key Facts
| Length | 807 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 429 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 59,900 km² |
| Source | Tianshan Mountains |
| Mouth | Syr Darya |
| Tributaries | At-Bashi River, Alabuga River, Kökiyrim River, On Archa River, Kökömeren River, Song-Köl, Uzun-Akmat, Chychkan |
Facts from Wikidata Q651195 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Naryn: Quick Answers
- Where is Naryn?
- Naryn is located in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, at 41.3729° N, 74.2573° E.
- Are there dams on the Naryn?
- No dam on the Naryn is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.