Abstract: In the latest fourty years, the originally united Tarim river system has been disintegrated into three parts, one of which, the Akesu river-Tarim river system, appears to have been a closed independent river system.
The Akesu river and Tarim river are located seperatedly at the southern slope and the foreland plain of Tianshan Mountain, the two morphological units, with their natural conditions being of quite difference. Owing to the high elevation and rich precipitation, the former is characterized by intensive seasonal temperature change, relatively good vegetation and modern glaciers distributed in its alpine districts. The latter, with quite little rainfall, is subijected to dry climate through the whole year. Since the sunshine time is long in the foreland plain, there is plentiful illumination and heat resource. The agriculture in the oases mostly depends on the water resource from Tianshan Mountain. The Akesu river plays a key role in the agriculture development in the north Tarim Basin.
Compared with the whole south Xinjiang, the natural condition is good in the region of Akesu rivet-Tarim river. In the recent decades, the agriculture has been developed rapidly. Several large oases near the river occurred to have been the fundamental grain and cotton producing bases of Xinjiang. The much more economic, social, ecological benefits will be gained if we can utilize the natural resources better, make more reasonable arrangement of production avtivities, consider the local conditions as a whole and pay more attentions to the ecological environment.