Amu Darya

Amu Darya
Oxus, Jayhoun, də Āmu Sind, Vaksu, Amu River
Looking at the Amu Darya from Turkmenistan
Name origin: Named for the city of Āmul (now Turkmenabat)
Countries	Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Region	Central Asia
Tributaries
- left	Panj River
- right	Vakhsh River, Surkhan Darya, Sherabad River, Zeravshan River
Primary source	Pamir River/Panj River
- location	Lake Zorkul, Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan
- elevation	4,130 m (13,550 ft)
- coordinates	37°27′04″N 73°34′21″E / 37.45111°N 73.57250°E / 37.45111; 73.57250
Secondary source	Kyzyl-Suu/Vakhsh River
- location	Alay Valley, Pamir Mountains, Kyrgyzstan
- elevation	4,525 m (14,846 ft)
- coordinates	39°13′27″N 72°55′26″E / 39.22417°N 72.92389°E / 39.22417; 72.92389
Source confluence	Kerki
- elevation	326 m (1,070 ft)
- coordinates	37°06′35″N 68°18′44″E / 37.10972°N 68.31222°E / 37.10972; 68.31222
Mouth	Aral Sea
- location	Amudarya Delta, Uzbekistan
- elevation	28 m (92 ft)
- coordinates	44°06′30″N 59°40′52″E / 44.10833°N 59.68111°E / 44.10833; 59.68111Coordinates: 44°06′30″N 59°40′52″E / 44.10833°N 59.68111°E / 44.10833; 59.68111
Length	2,400 km (1,491 mi)
Basin	534,739 km2 (206,464 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	2,525 m3/s (89,170 cu ft/s)
Map of the Amu Darya watershed

The Amu Darya (Persian: آمودریا‎‎, Âmudaryâ; Turkmen: Amyderýa, آمیٛدِريآ, Амыдеря; Uzbek: Amudaryo, Амударё, ەمۇدەريا; Tajik: Амударё, Amudaryo/Amudarjo; Pashto: د آمو سيند‎, dă Āmú Sínd), also called the Amu River and historically known by its Latin name, Oxus, is a major river in Central Asia. It is formed by the junction of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers, at Qal`eh-ye Panjeh in Afghanistan, and flows from there north-westwards into the southern remnants of the Aral Sea. In ancient times, the river was regarded as the boundary between Greater Iran and Turan.

In classical antiquity, the river was known as the Ōxus in Latin and Ôxos in Greek—a clear derivative of Vakhsh, the name of the largest tributary of the river. In Vedic Sanskrit, the river is also referred to as Vakṣu (वक्षु). The Avestan texts too refer to the River as Yakhsha/Vakhsha (and Yakhsha Arta ("upper Yakhsha") referring to the Jaxartes/Syr Darya twin river to Amu Darya).