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The Kura River is a major river that flows through the South Caucasus region, which includes parts of Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and other nearby areas. It plays an important role in the geography and economies of the countries it passes through, affecting water supply, transportation, and regional relationships in this strategically significant area.
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The Kura, also known in Georgian as Mtkvari (Georgian: მტკვარი, romanized: mt'k'vari [ˈmt'k'ʷäɾi]), is a transboundary river that flows between the Greater Caucasus and Lesser Caucasus mountains. It drains the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus and northern slopes of the Lesser Caucasus. Starting in northeastern Turkey, the Kura first flows north to Georgia, then southeast into Azerbaijan, where it receives the Aras as a tributary, and finally enters the Caspian Sea. The total length of the river is 1,515 kilometres (941 mi).
People have inhabited the Caucasus region for thousands of years and first established agriculture in the Kura Valley over 4,500 years ago. Large, complex civilizations eventually grew on the river, but by 1200 CE most were reduced to ruin by natural disasters and foreign invaders. The increasing human use, and eventual damage, of the watershed's forests and grasslands, contributed to a rising intensity of floods through the 20th century. In the 1950s, the Soviet Union started building many dams and canals on the river. Previously navigable up to Tbilisi in Georgia, the Kura is now much slower and shallower, having been harnessed by irrigation projects and hydroelectric power stations. The river is now moderately polluted by major industrial centers like Tbilisi and Rustavi in Georgia.