Also referred to as the “Sindhu”, the Indus River is a long transboundary river in the Continent of Asia that is shared by the countries of China, India, and Pakistan. Rising in Western Tibet, the river flows for more than 3,180km and is considered as one of the world’s largest rivers and the longest river in Pakistan. The Indus river’s total drainage area is approximately 1,165,000 sq. km, of which 453,000 sq. km falls within the Himalayan ranges, the Karakoram Range, and the Hindu Kush mountains, while the remaining part lies in the desert plains of Pakistan.
Geography

Aerial view of the Indus River Valley in Karakoram, Pakistan. The Indus River is fed by numerous glaciers and small rivers of the Himalayan, Hindu Kush, and Karakoram Mountain ranges. Some of the major tributaries of the Indus include the Zanskar River, the Shyok River, the Shigar River, the Gilgit River, the Astor River, the Kabul River, the Kurram River, the Gomal River, the Jhelum River, the Chenab River, the Beas River, the Ravi River, and the Sutlej River. The five major tributaries of the River Indus – Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, and Sutlej (“Panjnad”), give the name to the region of Punjab (“the land of five rivers”) that is divided between the countries of India and Pakistan. Adjacent to the town of Tatta, in Pakistan’s Sindh Province, the Indus divides into many distributaries that form a large delta before draining into the Arabian Sea. The Indus River Delta covers an area of more than 7,800 sq. km and extends along the coast for about 120km.
The Indus River and its tributaries together make up the Indus Basin, which spans four countries (China, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan) and supports a population of about 300 million people. The Indus River provides water to the Indus submarine fan, which is considered the planet’s 2nd largest sediment body.
Climate

Since the tributaries of the Indus River are snow-fed, their flow varies greatly throughout the year, with minimum discharge during the winter months of December to February. There is a rise in the water level during the early summer and spring seasons from March to June and floods occur during the monsoon season from July to September. The river is also prone to flooding during the monsoon season. The estimated annual flow of the Indus River is 243km3, which is about two times that of the Nile River and three times that of the combined Tigris-Euphrates Rivers. Therefore, Indus is considered one of the world’s largest rivers in terms of average annual flow. It is also one of the world’s few rivers to exhibit a tidal bore.
Flora and Fauna

Brief History

The Indus River finds mention in the Rigveda with the name of “Sindhu”. It is believed that the country name “India” has also been derived from the name of the Indus River. The name “Indus” has been derived from the Persian word “Hindu” which itself has been derived from the Sanskrit word “Sindhu”. The ancient Greeks referred to the Persian word “Hindu” as “Indos” and the Indians as Indoi, which translates to the “The People of the Indus”.
Economy
The Indus River is of immense economic importance to the countries of India, China, and Pakistan. The Indus River is the most crucial water supplier in the plains of Punjab and Sindh. As the largest river of Pakistan, it forms the backbone of the country’s agricultural economy. Since the Indus Valley Civilization, the waters of the river have been used for irrigation purposes in the semi-arid regions. During the British colonial period, large canal systems were constructed, which eventually formed one of the world’s most complex irrigation networks. In 1960, the Indus Water Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan, where it was decided that the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas rivers would be exclusively used by India, while the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers would be exclusively used by Pakistan.Some of the barrages that have been constructed on the Indus in Pakistan include the Guddu Barrage, the Kotri Barrage, the Sukkur Barrage, the Jinnah Barrage, the Chashma Barrage, and the Taunsa Barrage. These irrigation projects support the production of economically important crops like cotton, sugarcane, wheat as well as helps in the generation of hydroelectricity. In India also, several dams and link canals have been built along the Indus River.