The Chorokh ( ka, ჭოროხი ''Ch'orokhi'' , , ''Chorokh'', , , ''Akampsis'') is a river that rises in the Mescit Mountains in north-eastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, flows through the cities of

Bayburt Bayburt () is a city in northeast Turkey lying on the Çoruh River. It is the seat of Bayburt Province and Bayburt District.İspir İspir (, Sper; ka, სპერი, Speri) is a municipality and district of Erzurum Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,129 km2, and its population is 14,607 (2022). It is on the Çoruh River. The mayor is Ahmet Coşkun ( MHP). History İs ...

Yusufeli Yusufeli (, Berdagrak; ka, ახალთი, Akhalti) is a town and district of Artvin Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey, Black Sea region of Turkey. It is located on the bank of Çoruh River 104 km south-west of the city of Artvin, ...

, and Artvin, along the Kelkit-Çoruh Fault, before flowing into

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, where it reaches the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

just south of

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

and a few kilometers north of the Turkish-Georgian border. In Arrian's '' Periplus Ponti Euxini'', it is called the ''Acampsis'' (); Pliny may have confused it with the ''Bathys''.

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ; – 565) was a prominent Late antiquity, late antique Byzantine Greeks, Greek scholar and historian from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman general Belisarius in Justinian I, Empe ...

writes that it was called Acampsis because it was impossible to force a way through it after it has entered the sea, since it discharges its stream with such force and swiftness, causing a great disturbance of the water before it, that it goes out for a very great distance into the sea and makes it impossible to coast along at that point. In English, it was formerly known as the Boas, the Churuk, or the Chorokh.

Biodiversity

The Ch'orokhi valley lies within the Caucasus ecological zone, which is considered by the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

and by

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, in Arlington County, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and co ...

as a biodiversity hotspot. The Çoruh Valley is recognised by Turkish conservation organisations as an important plant area,Ozhatay N, Byfield A & Atay S 2005, 122 Important Plant Areas of Turkey, for WWF Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey. an important bird area, a key biodiversity area and has been nominated as a high priority area for protection. This valley is rich in plants and contains 104 nationally threatened plant species of which 67 are endemic to Turkey.

Recreation

The Çoruh has been called "an eco-tourism gem" and "Turkey's last remaining wild river", and is being promoted for

whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an outdoor adventure sport where paddlers navigate a river in a specially designed kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles: river running, creeking, slalom, playboating, and squirt boating. Each style offers ...

by the Eastern Anatolia Tourism Development Project. It attracts kayakers and rafters from all over the world and was the site of the 4th World Rafting Championship in 1993 and the Coruh Extreme kayak competition in 2005.

Dams

A total of 17 large hydroelectric dams are planned as part of the Çoruh River Development Plan but a total of 27 are proposed for the Çoruh River Catchment. Under the Çoruh Development Plan, 8 dams have been completed (Arkun, Artvin, Borçka, Deriner, Güllübağ, Murtli, Tortum and Yusufeli Dams), another 2 are under construction.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coruh Rivers of Georgia (country) Rivers of Turkey International rivers of Asia International rivers of Europe Landforms of Bayburt Province Landforms of Artvin Province Landforms of Erzurum Province Rivers of Artvin Province Tributaries of the Black Sea

Biodiversity

Recreation

Dams

See also

References