AMUR RIVER

The Amur River basin and its drainage network. Chinese (Wade-Giles) Hei-lung Chiang, or (Pinyin) Heilong Jiang, Mongol Kharamuren, river of East Asia. It is the longest river of the Russian Far East, and it ranks behind only the Yangtze and Huang Ho (Yellow River) among China's longest rivers. Its headwaters rise in the area where the borders of Russia (Siberia), Mongolia, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China come together. The main river flows generally east and southeast, forming much of the border between China's Heilungkiang province and southeastern Siberia. At the Russian city of Khabarovsk it turns northeastward and flows across Russian territory to the Tatar Strait. The Amur's Chinese name, Hei-lung Chiang, means Black Dragon River, and its Mongol name, Kharamuren, means Black River. Traffic on the Amur River at Khabarovsk, eastern Siberia. Wade-Giles romanization Hei-lung Chiang, Pinyin Heilong Jiang, Mongol Kharamuren river of East Asia, forming part of the frontier between Russia and China. The headwaters of the Amur rise where the borders of Russia (Siberia), Mongolia, and the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China meet. The Amur proper begins at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. Downriver the Amur, with a total length of 1,755 miles (2,824 km), flows generally east and southeast along the Russian-Chinese border to Khabarovsk, Siberia. There it turns northeastward and flows across Russian territory to empty into the Tatar Strait of the Pacific Ocean, a narrow channel connecting the Sea of Japan (East Sea; south) and the Sea of Okhotsk (north). The Amur's drainage basin covers an area of 716,200 square miles (1,855,000 square km), and among the river's major tributaries are the Zeya, Bureya, Sungari, Ussuri, and Amgun rivers. The upper and middle Amur sections flow alternately through mountain valleys and open plateau country. Much of the lower course of the Amur runs between low, often overflowing banks into a vast marsh, the surface of which is broken by channels and dotted with lakes and ponds; the riverbed branches often, and the channel becomes very wide. The Amur River basin has a monsoon climatea seasonal alternation of winds from the mainland and the ocean. In winter the dry, cold air from Siberia brings clear, dry weather with strong frost, while in summer the moist ocean winds predominate. The river is fed primarily by monsoon rains that fall in summer and autumn. During the high-water season from May to October, regions of the lower Amur basin often become enormous lakes. The Amur River is rich in fish; more than 25 species are of commercial value. The river basin was originally populated by hunting and cattle-breeding nomadic tribes. From the 18th century onward the area north of the Amur was settled by Russians along with Ukrainians, Belorussians, Tatars, Latvians, and other internal deportees from European Russia. South of the Amur live Chinese, Mongols, Manchus, and many other peoples. The Amur is navigable throughout its entire course for about half the year. The potential for hydroelectric-power production in the Amur River basin is high, but only limited development has taken place to date. Additional reading Materials in English on the Amur River are not abundant. Early descriptions include a broad historical survey of the basin by E.G. Ravenstein, The Russians on the Amur (1861); and travel accounts by Thomas William Atkinson, Travels in the Regions of the Upper and Lower Amoor . . . (1860, reissued 1971); and Perry McDonough Collins, A Voyage Down the Amoor (1860, reissued as Siberian Journey, 1962). Vivid illustrated descriptions are presented in such travel books as B.S. Shcherban, Amur: putevoditel' (1960), a tourist guide to the Amur River valley; and B.K. Mashkov and V.F. Kovtun, Amur: liricheskii fotorasskaz . . . (1986), a later pictorial work, with a summary in English. Charles E. Greer