Kherlen River is a river of 1,254 km length in Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

 and China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

.

Course

The river has its origin in the south slopes of the Khentii mountains

Khentii Mountains

The Khentii Mountains are a mountain range in the Töv and Khentii Provinces in northern Mongolia. The chain overlaps the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area and includes Mongolia's sacred mountain, Burkhan Khaldun, which is associated with the origin of Genghis Khan.The range forms the watershed...

, near the Burkhan Khaldun mountain in the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area

Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area

The Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area is a government administered Strictly Protected Area in the Khentii aimag in Eastern Mongolia. Strictly Protected Areas are regions of land designated by the Mongolian government as wildlife preservation areas. Herding and tourism are tightly controlled,...

, about 180 km northeast of Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar

Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....

. This area is the watershed between the arctic (Tuul River

Tuul River

Tuul River is a river in central and northern Mongolia considered sacred by the Mongols. It is 704 km long and drains an area 49,840 square km. The river is called the "Duluo river" in the Suishu, a Chinese historical work completed in 636 AD...

) and pacific (Kherlen, Onon

Onon River

The Onon is a river in Mongolia and Russia of length 818 km and watershed 94,010 km². It originates at the eastern slope of the Khentii Mountains. For 298 km it flows within Mongolia...

) basins and named Three river basins.

From there the Kherlen flows in a mostly eastern direction through the Khentii aimag. On its further way it crosses the eastern Mongolian steppe past Ulaan Ereg and Choibalsan, entering China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 at 48°3′N 115°36′E, emptying into Hulun Nuur after another 164 km.

Kherlen-Ergune-Amur

In years with high precipitation, the normally exitless Hulun Lake may overflow at its northern shore, and the water will meet the Ergune River

Argun River (Asia)

Ergune or Argun is the river which is a part of the Russia–China border. Its upper reaches are known as Hailar River in China. Its length is 1,007 mi...

 after about 30 km. The Ergune marks the border between Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and China for about 944 km, until it meets the Amur River. The system Kherlen-Ergune-Amur has a total length of 5,052 km.