The Indus (sometimes considered a misnomer) is the English name for the Sengge Chu which flows from Tibet into Ladakh and Baltistan, finally arriving into Pakistan. Also called Sindh Nadi (nadi literally means "river"), known as the Sindhu in Sanskrit, Sinthos in Greek, and Sindus in Latin, is the principal river of Pakistan. Before the partition of India into the modern states of India and Pakistan in 1947, the Indus was second only to the Ganges in terms of cultural and commercial importance for the subcontinent, and the name India is derived from the root of the river's name. The river originates in Tibet, flowing from the Himalaya in a north-westernly direction through Kashmir, and then turning south for nearly the entire length of Pakistan. Figures for the total length of the river vary between 2900 and 3200 km. The Indus Valley Civilization had some of the earliest urban settlements in the world. Look up Misnomer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A misnomer is a misleading name, often idiomatic. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Sindh (Sind) سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and is home to the Sindhis and various other groups. ... Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम्) is an Indo-European classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Murray River in Australia. ... Britains holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948, becoming four new independent states: India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan (including East Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh). ... Early morning on the Ganges The River Ganges (Ganga in Indian languages) (Devanagiri गंगा) is a major river in northern India. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Himalaya is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. ... Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani control. ... The Indus Valley Civilization existed along the Indus River and the Hakra-Ghaggar river and their tributaries. ...

The Indus River in northern Pakistan, near the rock Aornus.

Image from [1] All photos were taken by Marco Prins. ... Image from [1] All photos were taken by Marco Prins. ...

Course and Hydrology

The ultimate source of the Indus is actually in Tibet; it begins at the confluence of the Sengge River and Gar River that drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan ranges. The Indus then flows northwest through Ladakh-Baltistan into Gilgit just south of the Karakoram range, then gradually bends to the south, coming out of the hills between Peshawar and Rawalpindi. It is dammed in this area also, forming the Tarbela Reservoir. The remainder of its route to the sea is in plains of the Punjab and Sind, and the river becomes slow-flowing and highly braided. It is joined by Panjnad river at Mithankot. Passing by Hyderabad, it ends in a large delta to the southeast of Karachi. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Located in the mountainous regions of Gilgit, Ladakh & Baltistan, the Karakoram is one of the great Himalayan mountain ranges, with many of the highest and most daunting peaks of the world. ... Peshāwar (translates to City on the Frontier from Persian; known as Pai-khawar in Pashto; in ancient times known as Purushapura in Sanskrit) is a city in Pakistans North-West Frontier Province (pop. ... Rawalpindi (Urdu: راولپنڈی) is a city in the Potwar Plateau near Islamabad, the current capital of Pakistan. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 The Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers; also Panjab, Gurmukhi: ਪੰਜਾਬ, Shahmukhi: پنجاب) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ... Sindh (Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... The Panjnad river (panj = five, nadi = river) is a river formed by successive confluence of the five rivers of Punjab, namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. ... Mithankot (a. ... Hyderabad located in Sindh province of Pakistan (also formerly known as Neroon Kot). ... Karachi (كراچى) is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ...

Tributaries

Satellite image of the Indus River basin.

• Shigar River
• Zangskar River
• Suru Chu River
• Wakha River
• Shingo River
• Gar River
• Astore River
• Gilgit River
• Ghizar River
• Hunza River

* Gumal River Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1300x1700, 479 KB) Satellite image of the Indus River basin. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1300x1700, 479 KB) Satellite image of the Indus River basin. ... The Hunza River is the principal river of Hunza, in a region known as the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ...

• Zhob River
• Kabul River
• Kunar River
• Sutlej River
• Shyok River
• Beas River
• Chenab River
• Jhelum River
• Ravi River

The Kabul River is a river than originates Sanglakh Range of Afghanistan and flows 700km to join the Indus River in Pakistan. ... The Sutlej is a river that flows through Northern India, with its source in Tibet. ... The Beas River (Punjabi: ) runs through the Northwestern Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. ... The Chenab River (also known as Chandrabagha river) is formed by the confluence of the Chandra and the Bagha rivers in Lahul-Spiti areas of the Himalayan ranges of Kashmir. ... The Jhelum River is the largest and most western of the five rivers of the Punjab province of Pakistan, and passes through Jhelum City. ... The Ravi originates near the Rohtang Pass in the Kangra Himalayas and follows a north-westerly course. ...

Other

The Indus is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit a tidal bore. The tidal bore in Upper Cook Inlet, Alaska A tidal bore (or just bore, or eagre) is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travel up a river or narrow bay against the direction of the current. ...

The Indus is, by volume, the largest exotic river (one that mainly flows through a country from which it receives no water) in the world.

History and Archeology

The Indus Valley Civilization was one of the three earliest civilizations of the ancient world, the other two being Sumer (in Mesopotamia/Iraq) and ancient Egypt. The major cities of the Indus Valley civilization, such as Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, date back to around 3300 BC, and represent some of the largest human habitations of the ancient world. The Indus Valley Civilization existed along the Indus River and the Hakra-Ghaggar river and their tributaries. ... Sumer (or Shumer, Egyptian Sangar, Bib. ... Sumerian list of gods in cuneiform script, ca. ... Monumental Statue of Pharaoh. ... Harappa is a city in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, located beside a former course of the Ravi River; about 35km southwest of Sahiwal. ... Structure dubbed the great bath in the excavated Mohenjo-daro ruins. ...

Wildlife

The Indus River Dolphin is a sub-species of Dolphins found only in the Indus River. It formerly also occurred in the tributaries of the Indus river. Palla fish (Hilsa ilisha) of the river is a delicacy for people living along the river. Located southeast of Karachi, the large delta has been recognised by conservationists as one of the world's most important ecological regions. Binomial name Platanista gangetica Subspecies Platanista gangetica gangetica Platanista gangetica minor Ranges of the Ganges River Dolphin and of the Indus River Dolphin The Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and Indus River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) are two sub-species of freshwater or river dolphins found in the Indian... Karachi (كراچى) is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ...

See also

• Geography of India
• Geography of China
• Geography of Pakistan
• Indus River Delta
• Indus Water Treaty

The geography of India is extremely diverse, with landscape ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to deserts, plains, hills and plateaus. ... China stretches some 5,000 kilometers across the East Asian landmass in an erratically changing configuration of broad plains, expansive deserts, and lofty mountain ranges, including vast areas of inhospitable terrain. ... Pakistan geologically overlaps onto both South Asia and the Eurasian landplate. ... Indus River Delta The Indus River Delta occurs where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea in Pakistan. ... The Indus Waters Treaty Historical context The partition of the Indian subcontinent created a conflict over the waters of the Indus basin. ...

External links

• Northern Areas Development Gateway
• The Mountain Areas Conservancy Project
• Indus River watershed map (World Resources Institute)