Çoruh

The Chorokh (Georgian: ჭოროხი Ch'orokhi, Turkish: Çoruh, Armenian: Ճորոխ Chorokh, Azerbaijani: Çorox, Greek: Άκαμψις, Akampsis) is a river that rises in the Mescit Mountains in north-eastern Turkey, flows through the cities of Bayburt, İspir, Yusufeli, and Artvin, along the Kelkit-Çoruh Fault, before flowing into Georgia, where it reaches the Black Sea just south of Batumi and a few kilometers north of the Turkish-Georgian border.

Çoruh Chorokh, Ch'orokhi, Acampsis
Location
Countries	Turkey and Georgia
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Mescit Mountains
Mouth	Black Sea
• coordinates	41.6047°N 41.5742°E / 41.6047; 41.5742
Length	438 km (272 mi)[1]
Basin size	22,100 km2 (8,500 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	278 m3/s (9,800 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	Machakhelistsqali, Acharistsqali

In Arrian's Periplus Ponti Euxini, it is called the Acampsis (Greek: Άκαμψις); Pliny may have confused it with the Bathys.^[2] Procopius 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.^[3]

In English, it was formerly known as the Boas, the Churuk, or the Chorokh.^[4][5]

Biodiversity

The Ch'orokhi valley lies within the Caucasus ecological zone, which is considered by the World Wide Fund for Nature and by Conservation International as a biodiversity hotspot.^[6][7] The Çoruh Valley is recognised by Turkish conservation organisations as an important plant area,^[8] an important bird area,^[9] a key biodiversity area^[10] 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.^[8]

Recreation

The Çoruh has been called "an eco-tourism gem" and "Turkey's last remaining wild river", and is being promoted for whitewater kayaking by the Eastern Anatolia Tourism Development Project.^[11] It attracts kayakers and rafters from all over the world and was the site of the 4th World Rafting Championship in 1993^[12] and the Coruh Extreme kayak competition in 2005.^[13]

Dams

A total of 17 large hydroelectric dams are planned as part of the Çoruh River Development Plan^[14] 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.^[15]

Dam	Phase
Tortum Dam	Operational – Tortum River (Çoruh tributary)
Muratli Dam	Operational
Borçka Dam	Operational
Deriner Dam	Operational
Olur Dam	Planned
Bağlık Dam	Planned – Berta River (Çoruh tributary)
Bayram Dam	Planned – Berta River (Çoruh tributary)
Artvin Dam	Operational
Yusufeli Dam	Operational
Altiparmak Dam	Planned – Barhal River (Çoruh tributary)
Ayvali Dam	Planned – Oltu River (Çoruh tributary)
Olur Dam	Planned – Oltu River (Çoruh tributary)
Arkun Dam	Operational
Aksu Dam	Preliminary construction
Güllübağ Dam	Operational
İspir Dam	Planned
Laleli Dam	Under construction

See also

• "The Yusufeli dam project". Rivernet.
• "Biological Assessment Yusufeli Dam & Hydro-Electricity Power Project's Environmental Impact Assessment" (PDF). ECA Watch. Archived from the original (PDF) on Feb 7, 2012.
• Friends of the Earth

References

1. UN Economic Commission for Europe, Our waters: joining hands across borders : first assessment of transboundary, p. 150
2. William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman geography, 1:216 (1854).
3. Procopius, History of the Wars, §8.2
4. Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition 2:757d
5. W. Rickmer Rickmers, "Lazistan and Ajaristan", The Geographical Journal 84:6 (Dec., 1934), p. 466. at JSTOR
6. WWF Global 200 Regions
7. Conservation International Biodiversity Hotspots
8. Ozhatay N, Byfield A & Atay S 2005, 122 Important Plant Areas of Turkey, for WWF Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey.
9. Magnin G & Yarar M 1989, Important Bird Area in Turkey, Dogal Hayati Koruma Dernegi, Turkey.
10. Eken G, Bozdogan M, I˙sfendiyaroglu S, Kılıç DT & Lise Y, (editörler) 2006, Key biodiversity areas in Turkey, Doga Dernegi, Ankara, Turkey.
11. "Eastern Turkey Becomes Tourist Destination". United Nations Development Programme: Europe & CIS. September 2009. Archived from the original on Sep 27, 2011.
12. Akkus, Cetin; Akkus, Gulizar (2019-01-17). Selected Studies on Rural Tourism and Development. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 9781527526013.
13. "Coruh Extreme". coruhextreme.com. Archived from the original on Dec 5, 2006.
14. ENCON 2006, ‘Yusufeli Dam and Hydroelectric Power Project Environmental Impact Assessment’, Ankara, Turkey.
15. "Hydroelectric Power energy Resources" (PDF) (in Turkish). State Hydraulic Works. Retrieved 10 May 2013.