The Ilek ( kk, Елек, ''Elek'', russian: Илек) is a river in the
Aktobe Region
The Aktobe Region ( kk, Ақтөбе облысы, Aqtöbe oblysy; russian: Актюбинская область, translit=Aktyubinskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. The name ''Aktobe'' comes from Kazakh ''aq'' 'white' and ''töbe'' 'hill' ...
,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, and
Orenburg Oblast,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .
The river basin is of archeological significance. There are burial sites of ancient
Kurgan
A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central As ...
(Indo-European) cultures.
Course
The Ilek is a left tributary of the
Ural
Ural may refer to:
*Ural (region), in Russia and Kazakhstan
*Ural Mountains, in Russia and Kazakhstan
*Ural (river), in Russia and Kazakhstan
* Ual (tool), a mortar tool used by the Bodo people of India
*Ural Federal District, in Russia
*Ural econ ...
. It is a
steppe river, flowing at the southern end of the
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...
. It rises just south of
Orsk
Orsk (russian: Орск) is the second largest city in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the steppe about southeast of the southern tip of the Ural Mountains. The city straddles the Ural River. Population: It lies adjacent to the Kazakhstan– ...
, flows south a short distance and then flows westward south of and parallel to the river Ural, with many meanders and oxbow lakes, and joins the Ural about west of
Orenburg. Two main cities lie on the banks of the Ilek River:
Sol-Iletsk
Sol-Iletsk (russian: Соль-Иле́цк) is a town in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Ilek River ( Ural's tributary), south of Orenburg, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 22,000 (1975); 11,802 ( ...
and
Aqtöbe
Aktobe ( kz, Ақтөбе, Aqtöbe; russian: Актобе, Aktobe) is a city on the Ilek River in Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of Aktobe Region. In 2020, it had a population of 500,757 people.
Aktobe is located in the west of K ...
(alternate spelling: Aktöbe,
Aktyubinsk).
The Ilek remains the most
polluted water body in the Ural-Caspian
basin. The content of
boron and
chromium in the river is caused by the tailing ponds of former chemical plants via ground water. The pollution level varies from "polluted" to "very polluted".
["Water resources of Kazakhstan in the new millennium," Water Resources Committee of RK, 2002] Tributaries of the Ilek include the
Bolshaya Khobda and the
Kargaly
Kargaly is a copper mining-metallurgical district in the southern Urals of Russia. Prehistoric sites in Kargaly form a large and unique complex, especially when compared to neighboring metal production centers or the more distant ancient centers ...
.
Fauna
There are catfish, carp, perch, pike, etc. in the Ilek. It is used for water supply of industrial enterprises, irrigation of agricultural lands.
See also
*
List of rivers of Kazakhstan This is a list of rivers of Kazakhstan, arranged by drainage basin. Tributaries are listed in order from mouth to source. Flowing into the Arctic Ocean Ob Irtysh (''Ertis'') River
* Tobol
** Ubagan
** Ayat
** Uy
** Syntasty
* Ishim
** Imanburlyq
* ...
References
External links
*
Rivers of Kazakhstan
Rivers of Orenburg Oblast
International rivers of Asia
Ural basin
{{Russia-river-stub