Kura River
|
Mtkvari (Kura) River near Old Town, Tbilisi |
Kura (
Georgian მტკვარი -
Mtkvari,
Azerbaijani Kür) is a
river in the
Caucasus Mountains. Starting in Eastern
Turkey (formerly
Georgian province of Tao), it flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to
Azerbaijan, where it receives the
Araks River as a right tributary, and enters the
Caspian Sea. The total length of the river is 1,364 km.
The name Kura is taken from the name
Kurosh which is the
Persianpronunciation of the name of the Persian king
Cyrus the Great. In ancient western documents this river was known as Cyrus.The Georgian name of Kura is Mtkvari, meaning "slow one". The name Kura was adopted first by the
Russians and later by the
European cartographers.
Previously navigable up to
Tbilisi in Georgia, it is now much slower and shallower, as its power has been harnessed by
hydroelectricity stations. The river is moderately polluted by major industrial centers like Tbilisi and
Rustavi in Georgia.
--
Should not be confused with
Kura river near
Kursk, Russia.
*
Kura
