The Meghri (, , also known as the Meghriget) is a tributary of the

Aras River The Aras is a transboundary river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, fin ...

in the

Syunik Province Syunik (, ) is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital and larg ...

of southern

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. It descends steeply through the province, stretching in length from its headwaters at Blue Lake to its confluence with the Aras, as a left tributary, south of the town of

Meghri Meghri ( ; ) is a town and the centre of the Meghri Municipality of the Syunik Province in southern Armenia, near the border with Iran. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town was 4,580. According to the 2020 official estimate, Meghri's ...

Geography

The Meghri is a river in

, Armenia. It descends sharply over its 36-kilometer course, from above sea level at its headwaters at Blue Lake, to an altitude of at its confluence with the Aras. The river's

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

totals . It has an average discharge of per second, although this can increase dramatically during periods of flooding, up to a recorded high of in March 1956. A portion of the upper Meghri is within Arevik National Park. The Meghri valley is the hottest and driest region in Armenia.

Flora and fauna

Due to its geographical separation from the rest of Armenia, several species of plants that grow within the Meghri basin are not found elsewhere in the country. It displays strong similarities with the flora of adjacent regions within Iran. The

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...

is found in the Meghri river basin. Endangered in Armenia, otter populations have seen some recovery in the basin, where they frequently steal fish and pose a nuisance to

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

. However, lower water levels on account of the installation of hydroelectric stations has caused many to migrate to the Aras itself.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{refend Rivers of Armenia Geography of Syunik Province