Aras

Aras (äräs') [key], Rus. Araks, river, c.600 mi (970 km) long, rising in the Transcaucasus Mts., NE Turkey. It flows generally east, forming parts of the Turkey-Armenia and Armenia-Iran borders, before entering Azerbaijan where it joins the Kura River at Sabirabad. Much of its upper and middle courses are rapid and tumultuous, and its waters are used for irrigation. The Aras is the chief river of Armenia and its valley contains Armenia's greatest concentration of people and industries. The Aras is the Araxes of the ancients.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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