The Chilik (), Shilik (), or Shelek () is a major river in the
Almaty Region
Almaty Region ( ), formerly known as the Alma-Ata Region until 1993, is a region in Kazakhstan, located in the southeastern part of the country. It surrounds, but does not include, the eponymous city of Almaty. Its capital is Qonaev.
Geography
...
in the
Republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
, one of the largest left tributaries of the
Ili, and the main waterway of southeastern Kazakhstan. The
Bartogay reservoir has been created on the river, from where the Great Almaty canal begins.
Location
In the valley of the river is the village of
Shelek with the same name, the former
Administrative centre
An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located.
In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...
of the Chilik district of Almaty region (now merged with the
Enbekshikazakh District). Also in the river valley are the villages of Malybai, Bijanova, Bayseit, Sarybulak,
Milyanfan
Milyanfan (; , from ; Hanzi: ) is a village in the Ysyk-Ata District of the Chüy Region of Kyrgyzstan. Its population was 5,271 in 2021. It is located near the southern bank of the river Chüy, which forms Kyrgyzstan's border with Kazakhstan.
...
and Masak.
Current
The Chilik, in its upper course Jangyryk, is long, and has a
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of It originates on the Jangyryk glacier, on the southern slope of
Trans-Ili Alatau
Ile Alatau (, ''Іле Алатауы''), also spelt as Trans-Ili Alatau, is a part of the Northern Tian Shan mountain system (ancient Mount Imeon) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the northernmost mountain range of Tian Shan, stretching for ...
. It then goes to the Ili valley, where it is divided into the Kur-Chilik and Ulhun-Chilik branches. It flows into the
Kapchagay Reservoir. Tributaries to Zhenishke. The average annual water discharge is 63 km from the mouth 32.2 m
3 per sec. The water of the river is mainly used for the purpose of irrigation. Recently, the river has become increasingly popular as an object of tourism for extreme water sports (also includes the
Sharyn River,
Kazan River and
Koksu River).
References
{{Rivers of Kazakhstan
Rivers of Kazakhstan