Ejin River
| Ejin River | |
|---|---|
Ejin river basin | |
Satellite view of the deserts of northern China. The middle and upper reaches of the Ejin river system are visible as the faint green trace as it is flowing upwards (north) along the right edge of the image. | |
| Etymology | Named for the seasonal flows in its lower course |
| Native name | 额济纳河 (Chinese) |
| Location | |
| Country | China |
| Subdivisions | Gansu, Inner Mongolia |
| Cities | Zhangye, Jiuquan |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Kan Chou and Hsü Chao springs |
| • location | Qilian Shan, Gansu |
| • coordinates | 38°00′04″N 100°54′45″E / 38.00111°N 100.91250°E |
| • elevation | 3,650 m (11,980 ft) |
| Mouth | Badain Jaran Playa |
• location | Badain Jaran Desert, Inner Mongolia |
• coordinates | 42°18′50″N 101°04′20″E / 42.31389°N 101.07222°E |
• elevation | 900 m (3,000 ft) |
| Length | 630 km (390 mi) |
| Basin size | 78,600 km2 (30,300 sq mi)approx. |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Dang He, Beida He |
The Ejin River is a major closed basin river system of northern China. It flows approximately 630 kilometres (390 mi) from its headwaters in the Qilian Mountains north-northeast into the Juyan Lake in the Badain Jaran Desert. The river forms one of the largest inland deltas and alluvial fans in the world.
Its drainage basin covers about 78,600 square kilometres (30,300 mi2) in parts of the Chinese subdivisions of Qinghai, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. It is bounded by the Mazong Shan in the west, the Heli Shan and Longshou Shan in the south, the Helan Mountains and Lang Shan ranges in the east, and the Gobi Altay in the north.