Kherlen River

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Categories: Rivers of Mongolia | People's Republic of China geography stubs | Mongolia geography stubs

Bridge over the Kherlen River in Choibalsan city

The Kherlen (Mongolian: Хэрулэн гол, Kherlen gol) or Herlen He (Chinese: 克鲁伦河), sometimes also Kerulen, is a river of 1,254 km length in Mongolia and China.

Course

The river has its origin in the south slopes of the Khentii mountains, near the Burkhan Khaldun mountain in the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area, about 180 km northeast of Ulan Bator. This area is the wathershed between the arctic (Tuul River) and pacific (Kherlen) basins.

From there the Kherlen flows mostly in eastern direction through the Khentii Province. On its further way it crosses the eastern Mongolian steppe past Ulaan Ereg and Choibalsan, entering China at 48°3′N, 115°36′E, emptying into Hulun Nuur at 48°44′N, 117°5′E.. Within the autonomous region Inner Mongolia it continues for another 164 km until it enters Lake Hulun.

Kherlen-Argun-Amur

In years with high precipitation, the normally exitless lake Hulun may overflow at its northern shore, and the water will meet the Argun river after about 30 km. The Argun marks the border between Russia and China for about 944 km, until it meets the Amur River. The system Kherlen-Argun-Amur has a total length of 5,052 km.