Key facts
- Etymology
- Persian Marv-ab ,"River of Merv "
- Native name
- مرغاب ( Persian ) Murğāb ( Pashto ) مرگاپ ( Balochi )
- Countries
- Afghanistan , Turkmenistan
- Location
- Paropamisus Mountains , Marghab District , Afghanistan
- Coordinates
- 35°09′N 65°59′E / 35.15°N 65.99°E / 35.15; 65.99
- Length
- ~850 km (530 mi)
- Basin size
- 34,700 km (13,400 sq mi) (Harirod-Murghab basin)
- Average
- 48.7 m /s (1,720 cu ft/s)
- River system
- Amu Darya
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
The Marghab River (Dari/Pashto: مرغاب, Murghāb, Balochi: مرگاپ), anciently the Margiana (Ancient Greek: Μαργιανή, Margianḗ), is an 850-kilometre (530 mi) long river in Central Asia. It rises in the Paropamisus Mountains (Selseleh-ye Safīd Kūh) in Ghor Province, flows through the Marghab District in central Afghanistan, then runs northwest towards the Bala Murghab. Reaching the oasis of Mary in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan, the Marghab debouches into the Karakum Canal, a diversion of water from the Amu Darya. The catchment area of the Marghab is estimated at 46,880 square kilometres (18,100 mi).
Geography