Aras

Aras, also Araks (ancient Araxes), river, south-western Asia, rising near Erzurum, Turkey, and flowing in a generally eastern direction through Armenia and Azerbaijan, where it joins the Kura River, which empties into the Caspian Sea. The Aras forms parts of the borders between Armenia and Turkey, Armenia and Iran, and Azerbaijan and Iran. The chief tributaries of the Aras, which is about 966 km (600 mi) long, are the Hrazdan and the Qareh rivers. The Verkhnekarabakhskiy Canal connects the Aras with the Mingechaurskoye Reservoir on the upper Kura River. The waters of the Aras are used extensively for irrigation in Azerbaijan. Traces of ancient canals and other evidence of the once dense population that inhabited the area have been discovered on the banks of the river.