Khotan River

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The Khotan River is formed by the union of the White Jade and Black Jade Rivers in northern China.

The Khotan River (also Hotan River or Ho-t’ien River; Chinese: 和田河; pinyin: Hétián hé) is formed by the union of the White Jade (Yurungkash) and Black Jade (Karakash) Rivers, which flow north from the Kunlun Mountains into the Taklamakan Desert in northern China. The two rivers unite towards the middle of the desert, some 145 km (90 miles) north of the town of Khotan. The river then flows 290 km (180 miles) northwards across the desert and empties itself into the Tarim River.^[1] Because the river is fed by melting snow from the mountains, it only carries water during the summer and is dry the rest of the year. The Khotan river bed provides the only transportation system across the Tarim Basin.^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Khotan-Darya". 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
2. ^ The Southwest Taklimakan Desert from NASA's Geomorphology from Space. Retrieved February 26, 2006.

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