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Atrek Attrack
Atrak Headstream
Native name	اَترک (Persian)
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	North-eastern Iran
• coordinates	37°10′N 59°00′E / 37.167°N 59.000°E / 37.167; 59.000)
Length	563km
Basin size	27,300 square kilometres

The Atrek (Persian: اترک, Kurdish: Etrek, Turkmen: Etrek), also known as the Attrack, Atrak, and Etrek, is a fast-moving river which begins in the mountains of north-eastern Iran (37°10′N 59°00′E / 37.167°N 59.000°E / 37.167; 59.000) and flows 563 kilometres (350 mi) westward, draining into the south-eastern corner of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan. Because of the high use of its waters for irrigation, the Atrek only flows into the Caspian when it is in its flood stage.

Geography

The Atrek is 669 kilometres (416 mi) long and drains a basin of 27,300 square kilometres (10,500 sq mi).

Politics

Beginning at 37°59′28″N 55°16′29″E / 37.99111°N 55.27472°E / 37.99111; 55.27472, where its tributary the Sumbar joins it, the river forms the border of Iran with Turkmenistan; this helped keep the area closed throughout the Cold War years. A 1957 treaty between Iran and the USSR assigns equal rights to 50% of the water of the frontier parts of the Atrek. The same treaty also applies to the Aras River, which now forms part of the border between Iran and Azerbaijan.

Ecology

Even though sturgeons concentrate in the area of the Caspian Sea next to the Turkmen coast, they do not currently migrate into the Atrek River owing to its low water level and pollution. Since the Atrek is the only Caspian watershed river of the Turkmen coast, sturgeons no longer reproduce in Turkmenistan.

See also

• Chandyr River

References

This article includes content derived from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969–1978, which is partially in the public domain.

1. "Atrek" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed. 1878.
2. "Russian - Iranian Treaty of August 11, 1957". Middle East Journal. 13 (2): 193–195. 1959. JSTOR 4323108.
3. Sturgeons in Turkmenistan Archived June 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

v t e Rivers of Iran
Lake Urmia basin	Aji Chay Quri Chay Alamlou River Barandouz River Gadar River Ghaie River Leylan River Mahabad River Nazlou River Rozeh River Shahar River Simineh River Zarrineh River Saqqez River Zola River
Persian Gulf basin	Arvand Rud Karkheh River Karun River Marun River Dez River Koohrang Jarahi River Bahmanshir Mehran River Mond River
Oman sea basin	Bahu Kalat River
Caspian basin	Aras Sefid-Rud Ghezel Ozan Shahrood (River) Alamut River Zarjoob Chalus River Sardab River Haraz River Lar River Atrek River Kojoor River Do Hezar River Atrek River Qarasu River Gorganrud River Astarachay
Gavkhouni basin	Zayanderud
Namak Lake basin	Qom (River) Abhar River Jajrud Karaj River Jajrud
Hamun-e Jaz Murian basin	Halil River Bampur River
Other	Shesh Taraz

v t e Rivers in Turkmenistan
Rivers	Amu Darya Atrek (Etrek) Chandyr Kushk Murghab Sumbar (Sari-su) Tejen
Canal	Karakum Canal
River (extinct)	Uzboy

• Rivers of North Khorasan Province
• Rivers of Turkmenistan
• International rivers of Asia
• Iran–Turkmenistan border
• Landforms of Golestan province
• Border rivers
• Landforms of North Khorasan province
• Tributaries of the Caspian Sea