The Amu Darya is a major river in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Kush, the Amu Darya is formed by the confluence of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers, in the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and flows from there north-westwards into the southern remnants of the Aral Sea. In its upper course, the river forms part of Afghanistan's northern border with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. In ancient history, the river was regarded as the boundary of Greater Iran with "Turan", which roughly corresponded to present-day Central Asia.
The Kyzylkum Desert is the 15th largest desert in the world. Its name means Red Sand in Turkic languages. It is located in Central Asia, in the land between the confluent rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, a region historically known as Transoxania. Today it is divided between Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It covers about 298,000 km2 (115,000 sq mi).
Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous, and are descended from other, earlier acipenseriform fish, which date back to the Early Jurassic epoch, some 174 to 201 million years ago. The family is grouped into four genera: Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus, and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. Two species may be extinct in the wild, and one may be entirely extinct. Two closely related species, Polyodon spathula and Psephurus gladius are of the same order, Acipenseriformes, but are in the family Polyodontidae and are not considered to be "true" sturgeons. Both sturgeons and paddlefish have been referred to as "primitive fishes" because their morphological characteristics have remained relatively unchanged since the earliest fossil record. Sturgeons are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America.
Acipenseriformes is an order of basal ray-finned fishes that includes living and fossil sturgeons and paddlefishes (Acipenseroidei), as well as the extinct families Chondrosteidae and Peipiaosteidae, and the more basal Eochondrosteus.
Karakalpakstan, officially the Republic of Karakalpakstan, is an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan. It occupies the whole northwestern part of Uzbekistan. The capital is Nukus. The Republic of Karakalpakstan has an area of 166,590 km2 (64,320 sq mi). Its territory covers the classical land of Khwarezm, which in classical Persian literature was known as کات.
Türkmenabat, formerly and since medieval times Chardzhou, and in ancient times Āmul, is the second-largest city in Turkmenistan and the capital of Lebap Province. As of 2009, it had a population of approximately 254,000 people. From 1924 to 1927 it was briefly renamed Leninsk in honor of Vladimir Lenin.
Xorazm Region or Khorezm Region as it is still more commonly known, is a viloyat (region) of Uzbekistan located in the northwest of the country in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River. It borders with Turkmenistan, Karakalpakstan, and Bukhara Region. It covers an area of 6,050 square kilometres (2,340 sq mi). The population is estimated 1,893,300 (2021), with 67% living in rural areas. The capital is Urgench. Other major towns include Xonqa, Khiva, Shovot, and Pitnak.
The European sea sturgeon, also known as the Atlantic sturgeon or common sturgeon, is a species of sturgeon endemic to France. It was formerly abundant, being found in coastal habitats all over Europe. It is anadromous and breeds in rivers. It is currently a critically endangered species. Although the name Baltic sturgeon sometimes has been used, it has now been established that sturgeon of the Baltic region are A. oxyrinchus, a species otherwise restricted to the Atlantic coast of North America.
The shovelnose sturgeon is the smallest species of freshwater sturgeon native to North America. It is often called "hackleback", "sand sturgeon", or "switchtail." Switchtail refers to the long filament found on the upper lobe of the caudal fin. Shovelnose sturgeon are the most abundant sturgeon, found in the Missouri River and Mississippi River systems, and the only commercially fished sturgeon in the United States of America.
The pallid sturgeon is an endangered species of ray-finned fish, endemic to the waters of the Missouri and lower Mississippi river basins of the United States.
The Syr Darya sturgeon is a species of fish in the family Acipenseridae. It is found in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, where it is endemic to the Syr Darya River and, before its drainage, the Aral Sea. Due to the loss of its breeding site and damming projects over the length of the river, it is currently considered Critically Endangered and likely extinct, as no sightings have been reported since 1960. The sturgeon is among the 25 "most wanted lost" species that are the focus of Global Wildlife Conservation's "Search for Lost Species" initiative.
Pseudoscaphirhynchus is a genus of relatively small, highly threatened sturgeons that are restricted to the Aral Sea system, including the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins, in Central Asia.
The dwarf sturgeon, little shovelnose sturgeon, or small Amu-Darya shovelnose sturgeon is a species of fish in the family Acipenseridae. It is found in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and probably in Tajikistan.
Huso is a genus of large sturgeons from Eurasia. It contains two species, which both are critically endangered:
Scaphirhynchus is a genus of sturgeons native to the United States of America. All species in this genus are considered to be threatened. The pallid sturgeon is Endangered and the Alabama sturgeon is Critically Endangered.
Scaphirhynchinae is a subfamily of sturgeon which includes two genera comprising a total of six species.
Gurlan is a town and seat of Gurlan District in Xorazm Region in Uzbekistan. It is located near the border with Turkmenistan in western Uzbekistan, 42 kilometres (26 mi) north-west of Urgench, north of Shovot, and south of the Amu Darya river. Gurlen is a major centre for cotton production, and rice and yams are also significant other crops.
The fishing industry in Turkmenistan has been of benefit to the economy of Turkmenistan and food supply, particularly on the Caspian Sea for centuries. The fishing industry took off around 1910 in Turkmenistan but declined between 1950 and 1990, with the banning of sturgeon catching in Turkmen waters. Today, the fishing industry is developing rapidly, due to technological modernization and renewal schemes and the growth of aquaculture. Under the command of the Turkmen president, fishing facilities in the country have been reconstructed and constructed with modern industry infrastructure, particularly in the Caspian Sea 610 km coastline of western Turkmenistan in Balkan Province.
Aral-Paygambar, which means the island of the prophet, is an island on the Amu Darya river which separates Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The nature reserve was created in 1960 on the island of Aral-Paygambar on the Amu Darya river near Termez. The island has 3.1 hectares for conservation of riparian forests and the unique population of Bukhara deer. In all there are 150 species of plants, 21 species of mammals, 143 species of birds, 25 species of reptiles, and c. 35 species of fish. Many rare and endangered species, including large and small Amu Darya shovelnose, golden eagles, black storks, jungle cat, dressing, Asian otters, etc. In recent years, due to the reduction of floods and expansion households. activity in the floodplain degradation the national complex.
The Khorezm Fortresses, or Elliq Qala in Uzbek, are a collection of more than 50 desert fortresses in Karakalpakstan and the Khorezm Region of Uzbekistan. They are included on UNESCO’s Tentative List for World Heritage Site status as the Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm.
