Espe

Espe lies in the dry Tokrau basin north of Lake Balkhash. The Zhilanshchik-Espe is an intermittent watercourse that joins the Tokrau valley from the right, carrying water mainly during spring floods. Downstream, the Tokrau valley narrows through the Karatal gorge before widening again; its channel does not maintain a continuous flow across the dry country.