Description, geographical location. Mackenzie (river). Description, geographical location Who discovered the Mackenzie River

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Mackenzie Dunav River, Mackenzie Volga River
1738 km

Mackenzie(English and French Mackenzie, slave Deh Cho - “big river”) - largest river Canada and the entire American North with a length of 1738 km. Named after Alexander Mackenzie, who discovered it.

Mackenzie in winter

It is a navigable river, the length of the navigable routes of the entire Mackenzie river system is 2200 km - from Waterways on the Athabasca River to the port of Taktoyaktuk on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The largest settlements are Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort Norman, Fort Providence and the Norman Wells oilfield center.

• 1. History
• 2 Tributaries
• 3 Hydrography
• 4 Notes

Story

It was discovered and first passed by A. Mackenzie from June 29 to July 14, 1789. It was originally called the Disappointment River (Eng. Disappointment, "Disappointment" or "Discontent").

tributaries

• R. Drank
• R. Liard
• R. Big Bear
• R. Arctic Red River
• R. Carcaju
• R. Ruth
• R. mountain
• R. Hare Indian

Hydrography

Mackenzie river basin

The beginning of the Mackenzie River is considered to be the source from the Great Slave Lake, the large Canadian lakes Woollaston, Clare, Athabasca and Great Bear also belong to the river basin. The last lake is connected with the river through the Bolshaya Medvezhya tributary. The average water flow at the mouth of the river is ≈10,700 m³/s, which puts the river on this indicator in second place among the rivers North America after Mississippi. Mackenzie's relatively low water content is due to the blocking effect of the Rocky Mountains to the west, which reduce the influence of the Pacific Ocean in the lower part of its catchment.

The Mackenzie, like more than half of Canada's rivers, belong to the Arctic Ocean basin. The food of the Arctic rivers is mainly snow and rain. central and northern regions countries rivers and lakes are covered with ice for 5 to 9 months. Mackenzie freezes in September - October, opens in May, in the lower reaches - in early June; snow and rain food; spring-summer flood.

The river valley is formed by strata of alluvial and water-glacial deposits, heavily swamped, covered spruce forest.

Notes

1. 1 2 Atlas of Canada.
2. Mackenzie (river) - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

mackenzie amazon river, mackenzie volga river, mackenzie dunav river, mackenzie maritsa river

Mackenzie (river) Information About

Mackenzie
Mackenzie Delta
Characteristic
Length
Swimming pool	1,805,200 km²
Water consumption
Source
- Coordinates
mouth
- Coordinates
The country	Canada Canada
Region

R:Rivers in alphabetical order R:Water bodies in alphabetical order R:Rivers up to 5,000 km in length Mackenzie (river) Mackenzie (river)

It is a navigable river, the length of the navigable routes of the entire river system Mackenzie 2200 km - from Waterways on the Athabasca River to the port of Taktoyaktuk on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The largest settlements: Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort Norman, Fort Providence and the Norman Wells oilfield center.

Story

It was discovered and first passed by A. Mackenzie from June 29 to July 14, 1789. Originally called the river Disappointment(English) Disappointment, "Disappointment" or "Discontent" ).

tributaries

• R. Carcaju
• R. Ruth
• R. mountain
• R. Hare Indian

Hydrography

The beginning of the Mackenzie River is considered to be the source from the Great Slave Lake, the large Canadian lakes Woollaston, Clare, Athabasca and Big Bear also belong to the river basin. The last lake is connected to the river through the Bolshaya Medvezhya tributary. The average water flow at the mouth of the river is ≈10,700 m³ / s, which puts the river in this indicator in second place among the rivers of North America after.

The river valley is formed by strata of alluvial and water-glacial deposits, heavily swamped, covered with spruce forest.

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Mackenzie (river)

Bolkhovitinov reported in detail at first everything that he was ordered to.
“Speak, speak quickly, do not torment your soul,” Kutuzov interrupted him.
Bolkhovitinov told everything and fell silent, waiting for the order. Tol began to say something, but Kutuzov interrupted him. He wanted to say something, but suddenly his face narrowed, wrinkled; he, waving his hand at Tolya, turned in the opposite direction, towards the red corner of the hut, blackened by images.
- Lord, my creator! You heeded our prayer ... - he said in a trembling voice, folding his hands. - Saved Russia. Thank you Lord! And he cried.

From the time of this news until the end of the campaign, Kutuzov’s entire activity consists only in using power, cunning, and requests to keep his troops from useless offensives, maneuvers and clashes with a dying enemy. Dokhturov goes to Maloyaroslavets, but Kutuzov hesitates with the whole army and gives orders to clear Kaluga, a retreat beyond which seems to him very possible.
Kutuzov retreats everywhere, but the enemy, without waiting for his retreat, runs back in the opposite direction.
Historians of Napoleon describe to us his skillful maneuver on Tarutino and Maloyaroslavets and make assumptions about what would have happened if Napoleon had managed to penetrate into the rich midday provinces.
But apart from the fact that nothing prevented Napoleon from going to these midday provinces (since the Russian army gave him the way), historians forget that Napoleon's army could not be saved by anything, because it already carried in itself the inevitable conditions death. Why this army, which found abundant food in Moscow and could not keep it, but trampled it underfoot, this army, which, having come to Smolensk, did not sort out food, but plundered it, why could this army recover in the Kaluga province, inhabited by those the same Russians as in Moscow, and with the same property of fire to burn what is lit?
The army could not recover anywhere. She, from the battle of Borodino and the robbery of Moscow, already carried in herself, as it were, chemical conditions decomposition.
The people of this former army fled with their leaders not knowing where, desiring (Napoleon and every soldier) only one thing: to get out personally as soon as possible from that hopeless situation, which, although it was not clear, they were all aware of.
Only for this reason, at the council in Maloyaroslavets, when, pretending that they, the generals, are conferring, giving different opinions, last opinion the simple-hearted soldier Mouton, who said that everyone thought that they only needed to leave as soon as possible, closed all mouths, and no one, not even Napoleon, could say anything against this universally recognized truth.
But although everyone knew that they had to leave, there was still the shame of knowing that they had to run. And an external push was needed to overcome this shame. And this impulse came at the right time. It was the so-called French le Hourra de l "Empereur [imperial cheer].
The next day after the council, Napoleon, early in the morning, pretending to want to inspect the troops and the field of the past and future battle, with a retinue of marshals and an escort, rode in the middle of the line of disposition of troops. The Cossacks, snooping about the prey, stumbled upon the emperor himself and almost caught him. If the Cossacks did not catch Napoleon this time, then he was saved by the same thing that ruined the French: prey, on which both in Tarutino and here, leaving people, the Cossacks rushed. They, not paying attention to Napoleon, rushed to the prey, and Napoleon managed to get away.

Expeditions and finds

A. Mackenzie spent 1791 in Scotland, where he studied topography and geography, and was preparing for a new big journey in order to find river routes leading from Athabasca to the Pacific Ocean. Returning to Canada in 1792, he passed from the river. St. Lawrence, using dry and river routes, to Lake Athabasca.

He chose to study big river(Peace River), flowing from the west into the Slave at its exit from the lake (at 59 ° N. Lat.). He hoped that by ascending this river, he could come close to the Pacific Ocean. But the valley turned southwest, then straight south. So he sailed up the river until he reached 56 ° N. sh. It was late time year, and Mackenzie stopped for the winter near the mouth of the "Smoking River" (Smoky River).

In early May 1793, when the river broke up, A. Mackenzie with nine companions, including the "English Leader", continued sailing up the Peace River on a large but very light Indian canoe. He walked about another 250 km and, having bypassed a canyon 20 km long, got back into the canoe. Climbing up the river to another canyon, cut by it in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, and dragging the boat through the canyon, the travelers reached at 56 ° N. latitude, 124° W e. two rivers flowing in opposite directions - northern (Finley) and southern (Parsnip); they constituted the Peace River here. Where to go - north or south?

After consulting with the local Indians, A. Mackenzie chose a southerly direction and climbed the river. Parsnip to the source near 54 ° 30 "N and 122 ° W. After reconnaissance, it turned out that in the south, behind a short and convenient portage, some kind of river flows to the west, which brought it to another large and navigable river(Frazer) flowing southward behind the mountain range. He hoped to go down it to the Pacific Ocean and began rafting, overcoming the rapids. But after several tens of kilometers, the Indians warned him that further navigation was impossible because of the rapids. Then A. Mackenzie returned to the mouth of the river. West Road (100 km upstream) and accompanied by local Indians traced it to its source. On rafts he crossed the river. Dean, and then turned south and, passing through a small valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains, whose peaks were hidden in the clouds, reached a new short river (Bella Kula). On Indian canoes, the detachment went down to its mouth (at 52 ° 30 "N), it fell into short sleeve fjord. In order to dispel all doubts, A. Mackenzie moved further to the southwest, two days later he went to the Pacific Ocean, to Queen Charlotte Bay, and made an inscription on the rock: “Alexander Mackenzie, from Canada, by land, July 22, 1793.”

When he first crossed North America, he traced the entire river. Peace River (1923 km), crossed the Front and Coast Ranges of the Rocky Mountains, opening between them the Inner Plateau and the upper section of the river. Fraser. In the same way, in September 1793, A. Mackenzie returned to Lake Athabasca, and after wintering, arrived in 1794 on the river. St. Lawrence, having made the second crossing of the mainland and passing in both directions more than 10 thousand km.

Discovery of the Mackenzie River

Scotsman Alexander Mackenzie moved to Montreal as a young man and joined the fur company, which was soon absorbed by the Northwest Company. In 1787, already an experienced agent, he was sent to Lake Athabasca to replace P. Pond. They spent the winter together, and A. Mackenzie, with the participation of P. Pond, drew up a plan for further exploration of the Cook River.

In 1788, on behalf of A. Mackenzie, his cousin Roderick Mackenzie built near the mouth of the river. Athabaskan Fort Chipewyan (relocated to the mouth in 1804), where they both wintered. On June 3, 1789, leaving Roderick as the temporary head of the fort, A. Mackenzie set out with 12 companions on a river trip on canoes made of birch bark.

The expedition was led by a Chipewaian Indian, nicknamed "The English Leader", who took part in S. Herne's campaign to the North Arctic Ocean. On June 9, they reached the Great Slave Lake, almost completely covered with ice, only a narrow strip was visible near the shore clean water. Soon in the rain and strong wind the ice began to break, but so slowly that it took about two weeks to cross in canoes. A. Mackenzie spent another six days looking for a further path: the northern shore of the Great Slave Lake is very dissected, especially in the northwest, where the river. The Marian flows into the long and narrow bay of North Arm. Only on June 29 did he find a mighty stream flowing from the western corner of the lake at the latitude of the "Cook River" and carrying its waters to the west. A few days later, A. Mackenzie met three groups of Indians who told him horror stories about the huge length of the river, the impossibility of finding food in the lower reaches - and he barely managed to persuade his guides not to leave it.

At 350 km from the lake, the river turned sharply to the north and entered the mountainous region. On the left side, heights approached it (Mackenzie Mountains), on the right - other heights (Franklin Mountains), which are 65 ° N. sh. interrupted by a wide valley of a full-flowing eastern tributary. A. Mackenzie did not investigate this stream, which led him away from the main goal. At 67° N. sh. the main river went low, but mountains were visible to the west, extending in a meridional direction (Richardson Mountains).

On July 10, A. Mackenzie wrote: "It is quite clear that this river flows into the Great North Sea." For three more days, he descended along the river flowing in the low banks, from which numerous branches departed on both sides. Instead of the Indian settlements, previously occasionally found on its shores, here and there the dwellings of the Eskimos were visible. On July 13, at 69 ° 30 "N from the hill of one of the islands of the delta, the traveler saw a strip of open sea in the west - Mackenzie Bay of the Beaufort Sea, and in the east - iced bay (maybe Eskimo Lake). At night, when the sun did not set, he watched the tide, in the morning he saw whales playing in the water in the western bay. Undoubtedly, he reached the Arctic Ocean. But, since he did not follow the adjacent sections in both directions sea ​​coast, the veracity of his message was doubted for a long time. A. Mackenzie himself justified himself by saying that he was running out of provisions. On July 16 he turned back; climbing the river, of course, took much more effort, and the detachment moved twice as slowly. Six days later, A. Mackenzie learned from the Indians he met that eight or nine years ago, far to the west, the Eskimos had contact with white people who had come to big ships and exchanged iron for skins. It is not excluded - the Canadian historical geographer Roy Daniells believes that these were ships of Russian industrialists, and the meeting supposedly took place in the vicinity of Cape Barrow, the northernmost tip of the Alaska Peninsula (71 ° 23 "N, 156 ° 12" W d.). In our historical and geographical literature, there is no information or just mention of this outstanding achievement of domestic sailors.

A. Mackenzie completed his trip to the Arctic Ocean on September 12, 1789 at Fort Chipewyan, covering almost 5,000 km in 102 days. The great stream flowing from the Great Slave Lake and flowing into the Beaufort Sea was called the river. Mackenzie.

Mackenzie is the largest river in North America, in particular Canada. Its length is more than 4000 km. From this article you can learn a lot of interesting things about this reservoir.

origin of name

The longest river in Canada bears the name of the explorer and discoverer - the Scot Alexander Mackenzie. It was he who made the first journey through its waters in 1789. This river interested Europeans as a potential route that would lead to the Pacific Ocean. But Mackenzie is a river that could not lead them to the Pacific coast, since it is fenced off from it on the western side by the Rocky Mountains.

The first name of the river in translation from English meant "disappointment", or "discontent". It is likely that she did not make a very pleasant impression on the first researcher.

Geographic location of the Mackenzie River

The Mackenzie River flows in the northwest of the country. Due to its numerous tributaries, it is a branched river system. It occupies about 20% of Canada. The river basin lies in several Canadian provinces at once. It also includes a number of Canadian lakes. The main path of the river passes through the lands of the circumpolar region of the country, which are called the Northwest Territories.

Mackenzie originates from the Great Slave Lake. It is the deepest body of water on the North American continent. Its depth is 614 meters. This lake is considered to be one of the wonders of the local nature. Mackenzie flows into the Gulf of the Arctic Ocean. 11% of the total runoff is its water.

When it flows into the bay, the swampy delta of the Mackenzie River is formed; it occupies a vast territory - about 12,000 square meters. km. Here the soil binds eternal Frost.

Northwest - it is in this direction that Mackenzie carries its waters. The river formed the valley from the thickness of alluvial and glacial deposits. It is covered mainly with spruce forest and swampy.

Description of the river

Mackenzie is not only the longest river in the north of America, but also quite deep. Therefore, it is suitable for navigation. In summer, river boats go along it for 2000 km. But also in winter period used for economic purposes, however, very unusual. The ice road for cars is Mackenzie in winter. The river forms very thick and durable ice. Its thickness can reach up to 2 meters, so the movement of cars is absolutely safe.

Since the reservoir belongs to the Arctic water sources, it feeds mainly on snow and rainfall. Severe flooding often occurs during the melting of snow and ice. harsh enough. In view of this, the Mackenzie River in the central and northern regions of the country is covered with ice for more than six months: from mid-October to early May. Sometimes freezing can last until the beginning of June, it mainly occurs in the lower reaches of the reservoir.

Where and how does the river flow?

The Canada River flows through a vast area of ​​the country. This area consists mainly of forests and forest-tundra. As a rule, these are deserted, untouched spaces. The banks of the Mackenzie, covered with forests, are very picturesque. Many species of wild animals are found here, including the well-known ones. Many areas are heavily swamped - about 18% of the entire area of ​​the river basin. Throughout its entire length, the Mackenzie River, the photo of which is presented in this article, has a fairly wide channel, it can reach 5 km. The water flows calmly, slowly. The height difference from the source of the Mackenzie to its mouth is very small and is just over 150 meters.

Near the northernmost settlement of Canada, Tuktoyaktuk, where the mouth of the Mackenzie River is located, hydrolaccoliths, or pingos, are located. These are cone-shaped hills. They consist of gravel and other soil elements that are literally squeezed out of the bowels of the earth to the surface under the influence of ice from below. The hills can be up to 40 meters high and about 300 meters in diameter.

Approximately 53 species of fish live in Mackenzie waters. An interesting fact is that many representatives of the fauna are genetically related to those that live in. Scientists have a version that in the past they could be interconnected by systems of lakes and channels.

River today

Mackenzie is the main transport artery. It transports goods both in winter and summer. The level of seasonal fluctuations in the water in the river is used to extract hydropower. Several dams have been built on it. They not only produce the energy necessary for a person, but also fight floods during a flood. In the south it became possible development Agriculture.

The Mackenzie Basin is rich in minerals:

1. Oil.
2. Gas.
3. Stone coal.
4. Gold.
5. Wolfram.
6. Potassium salt.
7. Silver.
8. Uranus.
9. Diamonds, etc.

Mining developments have turned many of the inhospitable areas of the Mackenzie Basin into habitable areas. Mackenzie is a river whose banks are almost entirely covered with forests. Therefore, the extraction of raw materials and blanks is in full swing here. Only 1% live in the basin - only about 400,000 people. This is approximately 0.2 people per 1 sq. km. But in recent times all greater value ecotourism plays a role in the regional economy.

The Mackenzie River is a very attractive place for tourists - adventurers who can travel by canoe or boat. No wonder thousands of travelers from all over the world come here every year.

A cold, calm river in northwestern Canada that crosses the Arctic Circle and calmly carries its waters to the Arctic, forms a delta 80 km wide, which freezes in winter and merges with a flat coastal plain. It was actually discovered by mistake when they were looking for ways to the Pacific Ocean. The first disappointment quickly passed: gold, oil and gas were found in the river basin; in the south, in its upper reaches, there is a region rich in timber reserves. The river supplies Canadians with energy and is home to over 50 species of fish. But only a few people dare to permanently reside on the shores of the Mackenzie - because of the harsh Arctic climate.

ON THE WAY TO THE ARCTIC

Throughout its long and slow journey from the southeast to the northwest, Mackenzie collects water from rivers and lakes (including the two largest in Canada - Slave and Great Bear) into the Arctic Ocean from several vast Canadian regions at once, being an important part of the Arctic catchment.

most long river Canada and the entire American North is Mackenzie (including the rivers Finlay, Peace River and Slave). This river flows through the northwestern part of the country and thanks to a large number tributaries is an extremely branched river system, occupying up to 20% of Canada. The Mackenzie Basin spans several Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan in the south and Yukon in the northwest. River in the 18th century Europeans became interested as a potential route to the Pacific Ocean, but Mackenzie could not bring the discoverers to the Pacific coast, it is separated from it by mountains - to the south, these are the ridges of the Rocky Mountains, and to the north, the Mackenzie Mountains.

For most of the way, the river flows through the lands of the northwestern, subpolar region of the country, which is called the Northwest Territories. Its source is also located here - in the Great Slave Lake, although in fact the Mackenzie River begins in the Rocky Mountains from the source of the Finlay River, which passes into the Peace River, and it, in turn, flows into Athabasca Lake, which, through the Slave River, connects to the Great Slave Lake, thus forming the largest Canadian and the second true river system in North America after the Mississippi-Missouri. The Great Slave Lake is the deepest (614 m) on the North American continent, it is rightfully considered one of the wonders of the local nature. Its name goes back to the designation of the local slave tribe - consonant, but not related to English word"slave" ("slave", "slave"). The translation of the name of the lake as "Slave", in fact, is erroneous. By the way, the descendants of the slaves were able to defend their right to the original lands of the tribe, so a small community of Indians still lives on the shores of the lake named after them.

The river basin occupies the northern part of the Canadian (North American) platform. This is a Precambrian (earlier 500 million years) formation, the antiquity of which determined the presence of a number of minerals: ores of iron, copper, nickel, uranium, gold, zinc, lead and other metals, which occur in the foundation of the platform, which is exposed in the north of the continent, and more the late sedimentary cover of the platform contains deposits of oil, gas, coal, potash and other salts. Thanks to their development, these inhospitable places turned into more habitable: for example, the discovery in the 1930s. gold in the Slave Lake region led to the birth of the city of Yellowknife, which later became administrative center province of the Northwest Territories and the center of gold mining. Silver and uranium are also mined here, and in 1991 - diamonds.

Flowing through the Northwest Territory, Mackenzie, not far from its mouth, crosses the border of the Arctic Circle and flows through the bay of the same name into the Beaufort Sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. At its confluence with the sea, it forms a vast delta, the soil of which, up to a depth of 100 m, is bound by permafrost. The waters of the Mackenzie supply about 11% of the total river flow of the Arctic Ocean and play an important role in creating the microclimate in the delta region.

The river flows through a vast area, which is forests and tundra, in places with heavily swampy areas. For the greater part of its journey, Mackenzie has a rather wide channel (from 2 to 5 km), through which water flows slowly and calmly (the height difference from source to mouth is only 156 m). A delta up to 80 km wide is formed at the mouth. The banks are rocky and indented in places, but swamps make up no more than 18% of the river basin area. Most of The basin is covered with forest-tundra and forests, of which 93% are deserted, untouched by man expanses. The food comes from rain and snow, and during the melting of snow and ice, serious floods occur. From September to May, the river is hidden under ice.

The cold waters of Mackenzie are home to 53 species of fish, some of which are endemic. Interestingly, many fish species are genetically related to species found in the Mississippi: scientists suggest that previously these rivers could be connected through a system of lakes and tributaries.

Despite the fact that the two largest Canadian lakes enter the river from the east, about 60% of the water in Mackenzie comes from the western part of its basin, where the Liard, Arctic Red River and Peel tributaries originate in the mountains. In his upstream both the Mackenzie and its tributaries are characterized by high rapids. The ice begins to open in the upper reaches, causing floods, ice jams, destruction of the channel and structures near the coast. Water at this time pulls out coastal trees with a root. Its energy is used in hydroelectric power plants.

HOW DISAPPOINTED IN THE NORTHERN

Exploring the inhospitable pool northern river threatened to become the deepest disappointment not only for Alexander Mackenzie, but also for other geographers and travelers concerned primarily with the search for river route to the Pacific Ocean. Over time, the river was appreciated and it immortalized the name of the discoverer.

The beginning of the formation of lakes and rivers in this region dates back to the end of the last ice age- about 11,000 years ago. The study of Mackenzie began not so long ago. The first European who managed to reach the coast of the Arctic Ocean, making his way to it along the mainland, is the English merchant and traveler Samuel Herne (1745-1792). And the first description of this river dates back to 1789 and belongs to the Scottish merchant and traveler Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820). However, according to Mackenzie himself, around 1780, in the lower reaches of the river, the Indians were already exchanging some kind of white skins for iron. It could also be Russian sailors. As an employee of the Northwest Fur Company, Mackenzie secured the organization of the expedition. Initially, she had to find a waterway in Pacific Ocean that the Indians talked about. It was precisely because the expedition found a way out not to the Pacific, but to the Arctic Ocean, that the river was first called "Disappointment", which means "Disappointment" in English. The campaign began with the founding of Fort Chipewyan on the Athabasca River. The river expedition itself started on June 3, 1789. Information has been preserved about the guide - an Indian named "English leader", who participated in the campaign to the Arctic Ocean of S. Herne. Six days later, boats made of birch bark approached Slave Lake, but only on June 29 did Mackenzie find an unnamed river flowing towards the Pacific (as he thought) Ocean. The Indians they met spoke about the endless length of the river and the difficulties with food. The most unpleasant surprise was that the river turned due north, and on July 10, A. Mackenzie wrote: “It is quite clear that this river flows into the Great North Sea,” and on July 13 he saw the sea itself. The expedition did not explore its shores, but the night tides and the whales frolicking in the bay made it clear that this was an ocean. Later, the English explorer of the Arctic, John Franklin (1786-1847), having carried out in 1825-1826. expedition to this river, and assigned to her, and the mountains, and the bay, first explored by Mackenzie, the name of the "disappointed" Scot.

Mackenzie is navigable - the length of its navigable routes is 2200 km. The level of seasonal fluctuations in water is used to generate hydropower. In 1968, the Bennett Dam, one of the largest in the world, was built in the upper Mackenzie on the Peace River, and it is not the only one here: dams have appeared in many places, both for hydropower and for flood control. Agriculture became possible in the south. In addition, there is an ambitious project to relocate the Mackenzie Arctic freshwater through the Mackenzie reservoir. melt water inland and beyond.

Not only people use the river for their own purposes: the Mackenzie Delta, located at the junction of four major migration routes for North American birds (their number reaches a million in autumn), is an important transshipment point for them.

The construction of the dam caused significant damage to the ecosystem of the river and, in particular, to its delta, which led to a significant reduction in populations of migratory birds. According to the US Geological Survey, published in Forbes magazine in 2004, about a quarter of the world's oil and natural gas reserves are located in the Arctic. In particular, the Delta Mackenzie and the adjacent marine area is extremely rich natural gas, which will be produced over the next decade. Due to the massive transformation of the area around the pipeline, many species may soon become extinct. Oil, uranium, tungsten, gold and diamonds are mined elsewhere in the river basin, and timber is mined in the upper reaches of the river. In addition, Mackenzie is the main transport artery: entire “trains” of barges move along its smooth surface (in winter they move along it on dog sleds and snowmobiles).

No matter how noticeable human activity is for the river, only 1% of Canadians now live in its basin. The population of the basin is about 397,000 people (according to 2001 statistics), that is, the average population density is approximately 0.2 people per square kilometer, but in last years tourism is beginning to play an increasingly important role in the economy of the region, the city of Inuvik is the most visited settlement in the Arctic, the center of Inuit culture and the launching pad for many ecotourism routes. Great importance also have Scientific research- hydrographic and geological.

CURIOUS FACTS

■ Canada's first casino, Gertie's Diamond Tooth, gets its exotic name from Gertie Lovejoy: This 1898 local dancehall queen's front teeth were adorned with a real diamond.

■ Taktoyaktuk - the northernmost locality Canada, former whaling center.

■ The ice road along the Mackenzie River is approximately 3 m wide and up to 2.5 m thick, suitable for truck traffic. The driving speed must not exceed 75 km/h. However, there is a risk: if the car stalls, you can easily freeze in it, and traffic along this icy highway between Taktoyaktuk and Inuvik cannot be called active, so there is nowhere to wait for help.

■ Samuel Herne was accompanied on his campaign by an Indian guide who, in turn, was accompanied by... eight wives.

■ In winter, there are often blizzards that give the effect of "white out" when, with a strong wind, the snow turns into a stream, inside which the feeling of the depth of space is lost.

ATTRACTION

■ Natural: National parks Lesser Slave Lake and Hillard's Inlet, Mackenzie Buffalo Sanctuary with a protected herd of 2,000 (north of Yellowknife), youngest national park Arctic - Tuyuut Nogate, Nahanni National Park (South Nahanni River Valley, south of the Mackenzie Mountains, founded in 1976) - UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1978), Cameron Falls, pingo hydrolaccoliths (cone-shaped hills up to 40 m in height and up to 300 m in width, which appeared on the surface under the pressure of the ice lying in the lower layers).
■ Cultural and historical: Bennett Dam (1968) on the river. Peace River (tributary) with excursion center.
■ Inuvik: Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary the Conqueror (1958-1960), built in the shape of an igloo.
■ Yellowknife: Old city, including houseboat settlement, Prince of Wales Historical Center (Inuit and Dene Ethnographic Museum), Legislative Assembly (1993)
■ Fort Providence: Dene craft center.
■ Hay River Settlement: the main port of the Northwest Territories, home to the Dene people for over 1,000 years.

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