River · Jordan
Zarqa River
The Zarqa River is the longest river in Jordan and one of the busiest waterways of the country. It starts near the capital Amman and flows west until it joins the Jordan River.
Picture credit: Adeeb Atwan (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Zarqa River?
The river starts here: Springs near Amman, Jordan.
It ends in the Jordan River.
Countries on the river: Jordan.
The story behind it
The Zarqa starts at springs close to Amman and then cuts down through dry brown hills towards the deep Jordan Valley. Because Jordan is one of the driest countries in the world, every drop matters here: the river is tapped for drinking water, for factories and for fields of tomatoes, olives and citrus. In summer parts of the bed can run almost dry, and much of what flows is treated waste water from the cities, which worries many people. Its length is given differently in different books, because nobody agrees where exactly the main stream begins. Even so, birds still gather in the green strips along the banks, and archaeologists have found very old settlements nearby, since people have always built where there was water.
Questions children ask
How long is the Zarqa River?
The Zarqa is given here as about 65 kilometres long. Other sources name higher numbers, because it is not clear where the main stream really begins.
Which country does the Zarqa River flow through?
The Zarqa flows only through Jordan, from the highlands around Amman down into the Jordan Valley. It is counted as the country's longest river.
Where does the Zarqa River flow into?
The Zarqa flows into the Jordan River, well below sea level. Its water then travels on with the Jordan towards the Dead Sea.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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