Below is a list of the water bodies of Azerbaijan, which include rivers and lakes. Canals which are artificial rivers and reservoirs which are artifical lakes are also a part of Azerbaijan's water systems.[1]
There are 8,359 rivers of various lengths within Azerbaijan. Of them 8,188 rivers are less than 25 kilometers in length. Only 24 rivers are over 100 kilometers long. The largest rivers that flow through the country are:[1]
The rivers in Azerbaijan can be divided into three groups:[1]
The Kur basin rivers (Qanix, Qabirri, Turyan, Agstafa, Shekir, Terter, Khachin, etc.)
The Aras basin rivers (Arpachay, Nakhchivan, Okhchu, Hekeri, Kondelenchay, etc.)
Rivers, flowing directly into the Caspian Sea (Samur, Gudyal, Velvele, Vilesh, Lenkeran, etc.)
Kur and Aras
The Kur and Aras are the longest rivers in Azerbaijan. The rivers directly flow into the Caspian Sea. They come from the north-eastern slope of the Greater Caucasus and Talysh Mountains and run along the Samur-Devechi and Lenkeran lowlands.[1]
The Kur River drainage basin area (86,000 km²) up to the junction with the Aras River is smaller than the Aras drainage basin (101,937 km²). The river is still called Kur on the junction because the water level of the Kura is twice as high as that of the Aras River.[1]
There are over 60 water reservoirs. These help guide the river flow in Azerbaijan. Most of them are used for irrigation. The largest water reservoirs are:[1]
