The Emil River is the principal watercourse of the Emin Valley, the plain bounded by the Tarbagatai Mountains in the north, the Barlyk Mountains (Chinese: 巴尔鲁克山; pinyin: Bā'ěrlǔkè Shān) in the southeast and Lake Alakol in the west.

The river continues it flow to the west, the border of Tacheng City and Yumin County mostly following its course.

The Emil crosses the Sino-Kazakh border at 46°29′35″N 82°43′30″E / 46.49306°N 82.72500°E / 46.49306; 82.72500, and after a short stretch in Kazakhstan discharges into Lake Alakol, where it forms a small delta.

Similarly to the much larger and better known Ili, the Emil receives most of its water from the mountains on the Chinese side of the border and is an essential for the water balance of a major lake in Kazakhstan (the Alakol in case of the Emil, the Balkhash for the Ili).

Accordingly, the management of its water within China is also of concern for Kazakhstan, and is a subject of interaction between the authorities of the two countries.