Encyclopedia

Kura

Kura (koorä') [key], ancient Cyrus, Georg. Mhtvari, river, c.950 mi (1,530 km) long, the chief river of Georgia and Azerbaijan. It rises in NE Turkey, NW of Kars, and flows NE into Georgia, then SE, parallel to the Caucasus Mts., to the Caspian Sea. There are hydroelectric plants on the river near Tbilisi and Mingechaur; the extensive reservoir at Mingechaur is also used for irrigation. The lower Kura River, joined by the Araks River, its chief tributary, flows through an irrigated plain that extends into NW Iran. Cotton is the chief industrial crop of the region, which lies partly below sea level. The Kura is navigable c.300 mi (480 km) upstream.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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