5 large rivers are the main transport. Reservoirs of our region. The largest rivers of Russia: Western and Eastern Siberia
The Russian Federation is a superpower, the largest state in the world in terms of its territory. And the geography of the country, no matter how well we studied it at school, still remains a giant hole, a fat gap in knowledge for the majority of citizens of our vast Motherland.
Our project was created for those who want to know as much as possible about their country, and today for the most inquisitive, another informative article.
Today we will talk about the country's waterways - the largest rivers in Russia.
Russia is one of the most water-provided countries in the world. The country has almost the largest reserves of fresh water. Surface waters occupy 12.4% of the territory of Russia, while 84% of surface waters are concentrated to the east of the Urals.
By the way, did you know that there are about 2.5 million rivers in Russia?
Most of these rivers are relatively small and their length is usually no more than 100 kilometers. But as for the big rivers, they are truly huge and reach shocking sizes. So, let's figure it out together:
THE BIGGEST RIVERS OF RUSSIA
1 The Ob River is the largest river in Russia.
The Ob is a river in Western Siberia, the longest river in Russia (5410 km) and the second longest in Asia. The river is formed in Altai by the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers, the length of the Ob from the confluence is 3650 km (from the source of the Irtysh 5410 km). In the north, the river flows into the Kara Sea, forming a bay (about 800 km long), which is called the Gulf of Ob.
The area of the Ob basin is 2990 thousand km2. According to this indicator, the river ranks first in Russia. The Ob is also the third largest river in Russia (after the Yenisei and Lena).
2 The Yenisei River is the most abundant river in Russia.
The Yenisei is a river in Siberia that flows into the Kara Sea. The length of the river from the sources of the Small Yenisei is 4287 kilometers. The Yenisei flows through the territory of two countries (Russia and Mongolia), its area is 2,580,000 square kilometers, which allows it to take second place among the rivers of Russia. It takes out 600 cubic kilometers of water per year into the Kara Sea. This is almost three times more than the flow of the Volga, and even more than all the rivers of European Russia.
Three hydroelectric power stations were built on the Yenisei - Sayano-Shushenskaya, Krasnoyarskaya and Mainskaya.
Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP On the left bank of the Yenisei, the West Siberian plains end, and on the right bank, the mountain taiga begins. Therefore, in its upper reaches you can meet camels, and going downstream - polar bears.
Until now, there are legends about the origin of the word Yenisei: either it is the Tungus word "enesi" converted into Russian - big water, or the Kyrgyz "enee-Sai" - mother river.
The Yenisei and other Siberian rivers bring as much heat to the Arctic Ocean as burning 3 billion tons of fuel would give. If not for the rivers, the climate of the North would be more severe.
3 The Lena River is a great Siberian river. It is one of the longest rivers in the world.
Its waterway begins near Lake Baikal, makes a huge bend towards Yakutsk, and then rushes north and flows into the Laptev Sea, forming a vast delta. The length of the mighty river is 4400 km. This is the 11th place in the world.
Its area is 2,490,000 square kilometers, which rightfully makes it the third largest river in Russia. It is believed that the Russians first learned about this river in the 17th century, sending a detachment of Cossacks to search for it.
4 The Amur River is the main symbol of the Far East in Transbaikalia.
Crossing mountain ranges and plains, the river flows into the Sea of Okhotsk. Amur is a river flowing on the territory of three states (Russia, Mongolia and China). The basin area is 1,855,000 square kilometers and the river is 2,824 kilometers long. There are many points of view about the origin of the name Amur, one of which is the common basis of the Tungus-Manchu languages "Amar" and "Damur" (big river).
Bridge across the Amur River in Khabarovsk "River of the Black Dragon"- so called Cupid in China. According to legend, in ancient times, the black dragon, who lived in the river and personified good, defeated the evil, white dragon, which drowned boats on the river, prevented people from fishing and generally attacked any living creature. The winner remained to live at the bottom of the river.
Throughout the entire border of the Amur basin, one can observe the change of four physical and geographical zones: forest, forest-steppe, steppe and semi-desert. About thirty different peoples and ethnic groups live here.
5 The Volga River is the main river of Russia.
The Volga is one of the largest rivers in the world and the largest in Europe.
The Volga basin occupies about 1/3 of the European part of Russia and flows through 11 regions and 4 republics. By the way, the length of the river is 3530 km. It's like from Moscow to Berlin and back. The basin area is about 1,361,000 square kilometers, which makes it the largest river in Europe.
The river, first of all, is of great economic importance as a transport artery. The Volga is used as a source of hydropower. Currently, about 45% of industrial and approximately 50% of agricultural production in Russia is concentrated in the Volga basin. The Volga accounts for more than 20% of all fish caught in the country's rivers. 9 reservoirs with hydroelectric power stations have been built on the river.
The Volga is dedicated not only to a song and a film with the title title known to all, without exception, Russians. The action of A. Ostrovsky's plays takes place, as a rule, in cities on the Volga.
6 The Kolyma River is the largest river in the Magadan Region.
This is a river in Yakutia, the length of which is 2,129 kilometers. The Kolyma is formed by the confluence of two rivers (Ayan-Yuryakh and Kulu) and flows into the Kolyma Bay. The basin area is approximately 645,000 square kilometers. The discovery of the Kolyma by the Russians was also carried out by the valiant Cossacks.
7 The Don River is the most important witness of Russian history.
According to scientists, the river appeared on Earth about 23 million years ago. The Don River is one of the largest rivers in the south of the Russian Plain.
Don is a river of Russia, originating in the Central Russian Upland (Tula region). Its area is 422,000 square kilometers, and its length is about 1870 km.
Don is one of the oldest rivers in Russia.
Ancient Greek authors give the name of the river - Tanais. Then the lower reaches of the Don were the habitat of the legendary Amazons. These female warriors also found their way into Russian epics, which often tell about the fights between Russian heroes and daring "polyanitsa riders".
The name was given by the Iranian peoples who once lived on the territory of the Northern Black Sea region, in whose language don is “river”.
The "father-Don" has two younger namesakes in England - the Don River in the Scottish county of Aberdeen and the river of the same name in the English county of York.
8 Khatanga River
A river located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Its length is 1636 kilometers. Khatanga is formed at the confluence of two rivers (Kheta and Kotui) and flows into the Khatanga Bay of the Laptev Sea. The area of the basin is about 364,000 square kilometers.
The very first information about the Khatanga River was received by the Russians from the Tungus around 1605.
9 Indigirka River
The Indigirka River flows through the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Belongs to the basin of the East Siberian Sea. Flows from south to north. Indigirka begins at the junction of the Taryn-Yuryakh and Tuora-Yuryakh rivers, which flow from the Halkan mountain range.
The area of Indigirka is 360,000 square kilometers, the length of the river is 1726 km.
The name of the river comes from the Even generic name Indigir - "indie people". Russian explorers of the 17th century. this name was pronounced as Indigirka - just like the name of other large Siberian rivers: Kureika, Tunguska, Kamchatka.
The north pole of cold is located on Indigirka - the village of Oymyakon and the city-monument Zashiversk, which died out from smallpox in the 19th century.
10 Northern Dvina River
Northern Dvina - a river in the White Sea basin. It flows in the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions of Russia. The Northern Dvina River is formed by the confluence of two rivers - the Sukhona and the Yug. It flows in the direction from south to north and flows into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea, forming a wide delta. The area of the basin is 357,000 square kilometers. It was on this river that the history of Russian shipbuilding began. The length of the rivers of the S. Dvina basin is 7693 km.
A large number of settlements on the river itself speaks of the presence of navigation on the river. From Veliky Ustyug to Severodvinsk - the waterway of the Northern Dvina.
Now you know what they are, the largest rivers in Russia.
Lena, length, km - 4320, basin area, thousand sq. km - 2418
Yenisei (with Biy-Khem), length, km - 4012, basin area, thousand sq. km - 2707
Ob (with Katun), length, km - 4070, basin area, thousand sq. km - 2425
Volga, length, km - 3690, basin area, thousand square meters km - 1380
Amur (with Shilka and Onon), length, km, basin area, thousand square meters km - 2824
Ural, length, km - 2530, basin area, thousand square meters km - 220
Kolyma, length, km - 2150, basin area, thousand square meters km - 644
Don, length, km - 1950, basin area, thousand sq. km - 422
Indigirka, length, km - 1790, basin area, thousand square meters km - 360
Pechora, length, km - 1790, basin area, thousand square meters km - 327
Northern Dvina (with Sukhona), length, km - 1300, basin area, thousand sq. km - 411
Yana (with Dulgalakh), length, km - 1070, basin area, thousand sq. km - 318
Selenga (with Ider), length, km - 1020, basin area, thousand sq. km - 445
Mezen, length, km - 966, basin area, thousand square meters km - 76
Kuban, length, km - 906, basin area, thousand square meters km - 51
Terek, length, km - 626, basin area, thousand sq. km - 44
Onega, length, km - 416, basin area, thousand square meters. km - 58
Neva, length, km - 74, basin area, thousand sq. km - 282
List of the largest lakes in Russia:
Caspian Sea, area in sq. km - 376,000, the greatest depth, in meters - 1,025
Lake Baikal, area in sq. km - 31,500, the greatest depth, in meters - 1,620
Lake Ladoga, area in sq. km - 17,700, the greatest depth, in meters - 230
Lake Onega, area in sq. km - 9 690, the greatest depth, in meters - 127
Lake Taimyr, area in sq. km - 4 560, the greatest depth, in meters - 26
Lake Khanka, area in sq. km - 4 190, the greatest depth, in meters - 11
Lake Chany, area in sq. km - 1 708-2 269, the greatest depth, in meters - up to 10
White Lake, area in sq. km - 1,290, maximum depth, in meters - 6
Topozero, area in sq. km - 986, the greatest depth, in meters - 56
Lake Ilmen, area in sq. km - 982, the greatest depth, in meters - up to 10
Lake Imandra, area in sq. km - 876, the greatest depth, in meters - 67
Khantayskoye Lake, area in sq. km - 822, the greatest depth, in meters - 420
Segozero, area in sq. km - 815, the greatest depth, in meters - 97
Kulundinskoye Lake, area in sq. km - 728, the greatest depth, in meters - 4
Teletskoye Lake, area in sq. km - 223, the greatest depth, in meters - 325
Chudsko-Pskovskoye Lake, area in sq. km - 3 550, the greatest depth, in meters - 15
Lake Baikal is a unique source of fresh water. The volume of water in Baikal is about 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 20% of the world and 90% of Russian fresh water reserves. If there were no other sources of fresh water on Earth, then thanks to Baikal, the inhabitants of our planet could live for about 40 years.
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Russia is the largest state in the world (its area is 17.12 million km 2, which is 12% of the earth's land), about 3 million rivers flow through its territory. Most of them are not large and have a relatively short length, their total length is 6.5 million km.
By the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea, the territory of Russia is divided into European and Asian parts. The rivers of the European part belong to the basins of such seas as the Black and Caspian, Baltic and to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The rivers of the Asian part - the basins of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.
Major rivers of Russia
The largest rivers of the European part are the Volga, Don, Oka, Kama, Northern Dvina, some originate in Russia, but flow into the seas on the territory of other countries (for example, the source of the Western Dvina River is the Valdai Upland, the Tver Region of the Russian Federation, the mouth is the Gulf of Riga, Latvia). Such large rivers as the Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma flow through the Asian part.
The Lena River, 4400 km long, is one of the longest rivers on our planet (7th place in the world), its sources are located near the deep-water freshwater lake Baikal in Central Siberia.
The area of its basin is 2490 thousand km². It has a western direction of flow, reaching the city of Yakutsk, it changes its direction to the north. Forming a huge delta at the mouth (its area is 32 thousand km 2), which is the largest in the Arctic, the Lena flows into the Laptev Sea, the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The river is the main transport artery of Yakutia, its largest tributaries are the Aldan, Vitim, Vilyui, Olekma rivers...
The Ob River passes through the territory of Western Siberia, its length is 3650 km, together with the Irtysh it forms a river system 5410 km long, and this is the sixth largest in the world. The area of the Ob river basin is 2990 thousand km².
It starts in the Altai Mountains, at the headwaters of the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers, in the southern part of Novosibirsk, the constructed dam forms a reservoir, the so-called "Ob Sea", then the river flows through the Gulf of Ob (area of more than 4 thousand km²) into the Kara Sea, basin of the Arctic Ocean. The water in the river is characterized by a high content of organic matter and a low content of oxygen. It is used for commercial fish production (valuable species - sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, broad whitefish, whitefish, peled, as well as partial species - pike, ide, burbot, dace, roach, crucian carp, perch), power generation (Novosibirskaya HPP on the Ob, Bukhtarma and Ust-Kamenogorsk on the Irtysh), shipping ...
The length of the Yenisei River is 3487 km, it flows through the territory of Siberia, dividing it into the Western and Eastern parts. The Yenisei is one of the largest rivers in the world, together with its tributaries the Angara, the Selenga and the Ider, it forms a large river system 5238 km long, with a basin area of 2580 thousand km².
The river begins in the Khangai Mountains, on the Ider River (Mongolia), flows into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean basin. The river itself is called the Yenisei near the city of Kyzyl (Krasnoyarsk Territory, Republic of Tuva), where the Big and Small Yenisei rivers merge. It has a large number of tributaries (up to 500), about 30 thousand km long, the largest ones: Angara, Abakan, Lower Tunguska. Kureika. Dudinka and others. The river is navigable, it is one of the most important waterways in the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia, such large hydroelectric power stations as Sayano-Shushenskaya, Mainskaya, Krasnoyarskaya are located downstream, timber is rafted on rafts ...
The Amur River, 2824 km long, with a basin area of 1855 thousand km², flows through Russia (54%), China (44.2%) and Mongolia (1.8%). Its origins are in the mountains of western Manchuria (China), at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. The current has an easterly orientation and passes through the territory of the Far East, starting at the Russian-Chinese border, its mouth is located in the Tatar Bay (its northern part is called the Amur Estuary) of the Sea of Okhotsk, which belongs to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. Large tributaries: Zeya, Bureya, Ussuri, Anyui, Sungari, Amgun.
The river is characterized by sharp fluctuations in the water level, which is caused by summer and autumn monsoon precipitation, with heavy showers, a wide flood of water up to 25 km is possible, which lasts up to two months. The Amur is used for navigation, large hydroelectric power stations (Zeyskaya, Bureyskaya) have been built here, commercial fisheries have been developed (the Amur has the most developed ichthyofauna among all the rivers of Russia, about 140 species of fish live here, 39 species of them are commercial) ...
One of the most famous rivers flowing in the European part of Russia, for which the words from the song are composed "tofolk race, like a full-flowing sea» - Volga. Its length is 3530 km, the basin area is 1360 thousand km² (1/3 of the entire European part of Russia), most of it passes through the territory of Russia (99.8%), the smaller part - Kazakhstan (0.2%).
This is one of the largest rivers in Russia and throughout Europe. Its origins are on the Valdai plateau in the Tver region, it flows into the Caspian Sea, forming a delta, along the way receiving water from more than two hundred tributaries, the most significant of them is the left tributary of the Volga, the Kama River. The area around the riverbed (15 subjects of the Russian Federation are located here) is called the Volga region, four large millionaire cities are located here: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd, 8 hydroelectric power stations of the Volga-Kama cascade ...
The Ural River, 2428 km long (third place in Europe after the Volga and the Danube) and with a basin area of 2310 thousand km², is unique in that it divides the mainland of Eurasia into two parts of the world, Asia and Europe, therefore one of its banks lies in Europe, the other - in Asia.
The river flows through the territory of Russia and Kazakhstan, begins on the slopes of Uraltau (Bashkortostan), flows from north to south, then changes direction several times to the west, then to the south, then to the east, forms an estuary with branches and flows into the Caspian. For navigation, the Urals are used to a small extent, in the Orenburg region, the Iriklinskoe reservoir and hydroelectric power station were built on the river, commercial fishing is carried out (sturgeon, roach, bream, pike perch, carp, asp, catfish, Caspian salmon, sterlet, nelma, kutum) ...
The Don River is one of the largest rivers in the European part of Russia, its length is 1870 km, the basin area is 422 thousand km², it is the fourth in Europe after the Volga, Dnieper and Danube in terms of water throughput.
This river is one of the most ancient, its age is 23 million years, the sources are in the small town of Novomoskovsk (Tula region), the small river Urvanka begins here, which gradually grows and absorbs the water of other tributaries (there are about 5 thousand of them) spills into a wide channel and flows over large areas of southern Russia, flowing into the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov. The main tributaries of the Don are the Seversky Donets, Khoper, Medveditsa. The river is rapids and shallow, has a typical flat character, such large million-plus cities as Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don are located here. The Don is navigable from the mouth to the city of Voronezh, there are several reservoirs, the Tsimlyansk hydroelectric station ...
The Northern Dvina River, with a length of 744 km and a basin area of 357 thousand km², is one of the largest navigable rivers in the European part of Russia.
Its origins are the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug rivers under Veliky Ustyug (Vologda region), it has a northern direction of flow to Arkhangelsk, then north-western and again northern, near Novodvinsk (a city in the Arkhangelsk region) forms a delta consisting of several branches, its area is about 900 km², and flows into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea, the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The main tributaries are Vychegda, Vaga, Pinega, Yumizh. The river is navigable along its entire length; the oldest paddle steamer, built in 1911, “N.V. Gogol "...
The Neva River, flowing through the territory of the Leningrad Region, connecting Lake Ladoga with the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, is one of the most picturesque and full-flowing rivers in Russia. The length is 74 km, the basin area of 48 thousand rivers and 26 thousand lakes is 5 thousand km². 26 rivers and rivulets flow into the Neva, the main tributaries are the Mga, Izhora, Okhta, Chernaya Rechka.
The Neva is the only river flowing from the Shlisselburg Bay in Lake Ladoga, its channel flows through the territory of the Neva Lowland, the mouth is located in the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, which is part of the Baltic Sea. On the banks of the Neva there are such cities as St. Petersburg, Shlisselburg, Kirovsk, Otradnoye, the river is navigable along its entire length ...
The Kuban River in the very south of Russia originates in Karachay-Cherkessia at the foot of Mount Elbrus (Caucasian Mountains) and flows through the territory of the North Caucasus, forming a delta, flows into the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. The length of the river is 870 km, the basin area is 58 thousand km², 14 thousand tributaries, the largest of them are Afips, Laba, Pshish, Mara, Dzheguta, Gorkaya.
The largest reservoir in the Caucasus is located on the river - Krasnodar, the Kuban cascade of hydroelectric power stations, the cities of Karachaevsk, Cherkessk, Armavir, Novokubansk, Krasnodar, Temryuk ...
On the territory of our country there are a huge number of rivers (2.5 million). Most of them are small, their length usually does not exceed 100 kilometers. Then the question arises: what are the largest rivers in Russia? We will try to answer it in this article.
To begin with, we will present you with a list of these rivers:
- Yenisei.
- Lena.
- Amur.
- Volga.
- Kolyma.
- Khatanga.
- Indigirka.
- Northern Dvina.
And now let's talk about them in more detail.
River Ob
The largest river in Russia, which is located in Western Siberia. It is formed by the confluent Biya and Katun rivers. From the source of the Irtysh, its length is 5410 kilometers. In the North, it flows into the Gulf of Ob. The water basin of the river occupies a huge area - 2,990 thousand square meters. km. According to this indicator, it rightfully occupies a leading position in our list. In terms of water content, the Ob is in third place, second only to the Lena and the Yenisei.
The Ob feeds mainly on melt water. During the spring-summer flood, the largest river in Russia receives most of its annual flow. From April, the flood begins in the upper reaches, in the second half of April it begins in the middle reaches, and in early May this process occurs in the lower reaches. The water level rises when it freezes. When the river opens up, short-term insignificant rises in levels occur as a result of the resulting jams.
The flood ends in the upper reaches in July. In September - October, a rain flood begins, which continues until freezing in the lower and middle reaches. The ice cover remains on the Ob for an average of 220 days a year.
The main tributary of the Ob is the Irtysh. The length of this river from its source, which is located on the border of China and Mongolia, to its confluence with the Ob is 4,248 km.
Fishing has been developed on this river for a long time. Even at the end of the 19th century, there were a lot of ruff, perch, sculpin, pike, shokur, muksun, nelma and other fish species in the river waters. Today, there are fewer fish in the waters of the Ob, but nevertheless there are about 50 species.
Yenisei
Today we present you the largest rivers in Russia. The list continues with the mighty Yenisei. This river is considered a natural border between the West and East of Siberia.
Its length is 4287 km. The Yenisei flows through the lands of two neighboring states - Mongolia and Russia. The total area of the river is 2,580 thousand square kilometers. This figure allows this huge river to take second place in Russia.
On the left bank of this Siberian river there are plains, and on the right bank there is an endless mountain taiga. In this regard, there is a sharp asymmetry of the banks of the Yenisei. The right bank is more than 5 times higher than the left one. On its way from source to mouth, the river crosses all the climatic zones of Siberia. That is why camels are found in the upper reaches of the Yenisei, and polar bears are found in the lower reaches, closer to the ocean.
Lena river
It cannot be said that this is the largest river in Russia, although its dimensions are impressive. The length of the river is 4480, and its total area is 2490 thousand square meters. km. The Lena River is rightfully in third place among the major rivers of our country.
The river is mainly fed by water from the melting of glaciers and snow - approximately 50% of the total. Precipitation gives the river approximately 38% of water and approximately 13% is underground nutrition, more typical for the upper reaches.
In mid-October, the Lena freezes up in the upper reaches. It opens in mid-April. The ice cover is kept on the river for about 270 days a year.
Amur
The topic of our article was the largest rivers in Russia. The names of many are known not only to Russians, but also to our neighbors from other countries. For example, Amur. This is one of the longest rivers in our country and the largest in the Far East. It flows on the border of Russia and China and carries its waters through the territory of Mongolia. The Amur flows into the Sea of Okhotsk.
The basin area of this river is 1,855 thousand square kilometers, and its length is 2,824 km.
Volga
Sung by poets and composers, which inspired artists to create immortal canvases, is, of course, the Volga River. And although this is not the largest river in Russia, it is a symbol of our country.
The source of the Volga is located on the Valdai plateau of the Tver region. The Volga is considered one of the largest rivers on our planet. The length of the river is 3530 km. The total area is 1361 thousand square meters. km. The river flows through the lands of Russia and Kazakhstan.
Kolyma river
This river is located in Yakutia. Its length is 2,129 km. Water basin - 645 thousand square meters. km. Kolyma was formed as a result of the confluence of two small rivers Kulu and Ayan-Yuryakh. Kolyma flows into the bay of the same name.
Don
This river is considered the oldest in Russia. Don originates in the Tula region on the Central Russian Upland. Its length is 1870 km, the water basin is 422 thousand sq. km.
The course is very slow, for which the Cossacks call this leisurely and majestic river "quiet Don". This is due to the flat profile in which the channel passes. The slope to it is quite insignificant, on average this value does not exceed 0.1 degrees. In some areas, the width of the valley reaches 13 km. The right bank is steep and high, while the left bank is low.
Khatanga river
This river is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Its length is 1636 km. Water basin area of 364 thousand square meters. km. It is formed by two rivers Kotuy and Kheta.
This river flows through a wide valley in the North Siberian lowland. There are more than 112 thousand lakes in the Khatanga basin. Their total area is 11.6 thousand sq. km.
Indigirka
In Yakutia, on the slopes of the Khalkan Range, there is the source of the Indigirka River. Its length is 1726 km, the water basin area is 360 thousand square meters. km. Its source is made up of two medium-sized rivers - Omyokon and Kuidusun.
The Indigirka is the coldest river in Russia. In winter, in the lower reaches, it freezes through. In summer, it is covered with frost and turns into a sparkling ice stream, picturesquely flowing among the mountains. From the end of September, the river is shackled by ice, which does not disappear until June.
Northern Dvina
Our list of the 10 largest rivers in Russia has come to an end. It is completed by the Northern Dvina, which flows through two large regions - Arkhangelsk and Vologda.
Its length is 744 km, the area is 360 thousand square meters. km. At its source, the small rivers Sukhona and Yug join. This northern river is famous for the fact that the history of shipbuilding in Russia began on it.
Russia is located in the east of Europe and in the north of Asia, occupying about 1/3 of the territory of Eurasia and 1/9 of the earth's land. The European part of the country (about 23% of the area) includes territories to the west of the Ural Mountains (the border is conditionally drawn along the Urals and the Kumo-Manych depression); The Asian part of Russia, which occupies about 76% of the territory, lies to the east of the Urals and is also called Siberia (however, the exact definition of the boundaries of Siberia is a matter of dispute) and the Far East. The total length of Russia's borders is 60,933 km (of which 38,808 km are maritime borders); Russia's borders in the north and east are maritime, in the south and west they are mostly land. Despite the fact that Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area, the climatic and soil conditions in most of its territory do not favor agriculture.
Russia is one of the most water-provided countries in the world. The country has one of the world's largest reserves of fresh water. Surface waters occupy 12.4% of the territory of Russia, while 84% of surface waters are concentrated to the east of the Urals; many densely populated areas of the European part of Russia experience a shortage of water resources. Production needs prevail in the structure of water use.
In Russia there are the deepest lake in the world (Baikal), the longest river in Europe (Volga) and the largest lake in Europe (Ladoga), the cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere (Verkhoyansk), as well as the highest peak in Europe (Elbrus) (when drawing the border between Europe and Asia along Greater Caucasus Range, and not along the rivers Kum and Manych to the mouth of the Don).
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Lakes of Russia
There are over 2.5 million lakes in Russia. The largest lakes are the Caspian, Ladoga, Onega, Baikal. The Caspian is the largest lake in the world in terms of area, and the deepest is Baikal. The lakes are very unevenly distributed. There are especially many of them in the Vilyui basin, on the West Siberian Plain and in the north-west of the European Plain - in Karelia. All these areas are in conditions of excessive moisture. To the south, in the zone of steppes and semi-deserts with their arid climate, the number of lakes decreases sharply, and many lakes have saline or brackish water. Salty are such drainless large lakes as the Caspian Sea, as well as lakes Elton and Baskunchak, where table salt is mined.
There are countless smaller lakes, located mainly in the poorly drained lowlands of the Russian and West Siberian Plains, especially in the more northern regions. Some of them reach significant sizes, in particular, Lake Beloe (1.29 thousand sq. km.), Topozero (0.98 thousand sq. km.), Vygozero (0.56 thousand sq. km.) and Lake Ilmen (0.98 thousand sq. km.) in the territory of the European north-west of the country, and Lake Chany (1.4-2 thousand sq. km.) in the south-west of Siberia.
Lakes also differ in the origin of the basins. Lakes of tectonic origin are located in troughs and dips of the earth's crust. The largest tectonic lake Baikal is located in a graben and therefore reaches a depth of 1637 m.
Glacial-tectonic lake basins arose as a result of the processing by the glacier of tectonic depressions in the earth's crust: Imandra, Ladoga, Onega. In Kamchatka and the Kuriles, lakes are mainly of volcanic origin. In the northwest of the European Plain, the origin of lake basins is associated with continental glaciations. Many basins are located between moraine hills: Seliger, Valdai.
As a result of landslides, dammed lakes arose in mountain valleys: Sarez in the Pamirs, Ritsa in the Caucasus. Small lakes appear above karst sinkholes. In the south of Western Siberia, there are many saucer-shaped lakes that arose as a result of subsidence of loose rocks. When ice melts in permafrost areas, saucer-shaped shallow lakes also form. The oxbow lakes are located on the floodplains of lowland rivers. On the shores of the Black and Azov Seas there are lakes-estuaries.
All large and largest lakes in Russia are widely used in the national economy. They catch and breed fish. Especially a lot of fish, including the most valuable sturgeon, are caught in the Caspian. There is omul fishing in Baikal. The lakes are also used for navigation. A variety of minerals are mined in the basins of the lakes: oil and mirabilite in the Caspian Sea, table salt in Elton and Baskunchak.
The largest lakes in Russia
Caspian Sea, area - 376,000 square kilometers, maximum depth - 1,025 meters.
Lake Baikal, area - 31,500 square kilometers, maximum depth - 1,620 meters.
Lake Ladoga, area - 17,700 square kilometers, maximum depth - 230 meters.
Lake Onega, area - 9,690 sq. km., maximum depth - 127 meters.
Taimyr lakes, area - 4,560 sq. km., maximum depth - 26 meters.
Lake Khanka, area - 4,190 sq. km., maximum depth - 11 meters.
Lake Peipus-Pskovskoye, area - 3,550 sq. km., maximum depth - 15 meters.
Lake Chany, area - 1 708-2 269 sq. km., the greatest depth - up to 10 meters.
White Lake, area - 1,290 sq. km., maximum depth - 6 meters.
Topozero, area - 986 sq. km., the greatest depth - 56 meters.
Lake Ilmen, area - 982 sq. km., the greatest depth - up to 10 meters.
Lake Imandra, area - 876 sq. km., maximum depth - 67 meters.
Khantai lake, area - 822 sq. km., maximum depth - 420 meters.
Segozero, area - 815 sq. km., maximum depth - 97 meters.
Kulunda Lake, area - 728 sq. km., the greatest depth - 4 meters.
Teletskoye lake, area - 223 sq. km., maximum depth - 325 meters.
Rivers of Russia
Russia occupies a vast geographical area, and it is not surprising that numerous rivers spread over its expanses, which played an important historical role in the settlement and development of new lands. Almost all the largest cities of the country are located on the rivers. Within Russia there are about 3 million rivers with a total length of almost 10 million km. Most of the Russian rivers belong to the Arctic Ocean basin. It makes up over 66% of the country's area; up to 80% of atmospheric precipitation falls within its limits. The rivers flowing into the northern seas are the longest and most full-flowing in Russia. The longest river Lena is 4400 km. The most full-flowing river is the Yenisei (623 km3 per year). In terms of catchment area, the first place in the country is occupied by the Ob (2975 sq. km.). The rivers of the Arctic Ocean are freezing. In winter, a winter road is installed along them for about four months - roads for the movement of cars and sledges.
The largest rivers of Siberia originate in the south of the country in the Altai, Sayan and Baikal mountains. The rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin are fed by snow and rain. In the spring, due to the melting of snow on the rivers, the water rises. The flood begins in the south, and in the north the ice for a long time prevents the flow of melt water to the ocean. Therefore, on all rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin in the middle and lower reaches, high water rises occur in spring. In the southern parts of the rivers of Siberia are swift and rapids. On these segments of the valleys, large hydroelectric power plants have been built and are being built: Krasnoyarsk and Sayano-Shushenskaya on the Yenisei, Novosibirsk on the Ob, Bukhtarma and Ust-Kamenogorsk on the Irtysh, Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimskaya on the Angara, on the tributaries of the Lena - Vilyui and Vitim - built Vilyui and Mamakanskaya HPP. In the northern plains, the course of these rivers is calm and smooth. In summer they are used for timber rafting and navigation, connecting the southern and inland regions of the country with the Northern Sea Route and the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The rivers of the European part of the Arctic Ocean basin - Pechora, Mezen, Northern Dvina and Onega are much shorter than the Siberian rivers. They flow completely over the plains and therefore have a calm current.
The Pacific Ocean covers approximately 19% of the country's area. The main river of this basin is the Amur and its tributaries Zeya, Bureya and Ussuri. Rivers are predominantly rain fed. In the conditions of the monsoon climate in the Pacific basin, little snow falls in winter, so there are no spring floods, but floods are very significant due to summer monsoon rains. The water in the Amur and its tributaries rises to 10-15 m and floods vast areas. Catastrophic spills usually occur in early autumn. At this time, sudden and stormy downpours of cyclones - typhoons often fall on the Far Eastern regions of the country. River floods reach several tens of kilometers and cause great damage to agriculture, cities and towns.
The Amur and its tributaries have a large fall and are rich in hydropower. The Zeya hydroelectric power station was built on the Zeya River. The Amur is the main river highway of the Far East, through which the inner remote regions are connected with the seas. The state border of Russia with the People's Republic of China runs along the rivers Argun, Amur and Ussuri.
Near the rivers of Chukotka and the basin of the Sea of Okhotsk, snow is predominantly fed. Therefore, they are full-flowing in late spring and early summer, which favors the movement of salmon fish, rising to spawn up rivers and streams.
The Caspian basin is called drainless, since the rivers carry their waters not to the World Ocean, but to an internal drainless reservoir - to the Caspian Sea. The basin covers the interior regions of the East European Plain, the Southern Urals, and the eastern part of the Caucasus.
The Volga, Ural, Araks, Terek, Emba and other rivers flow into the Caspian. The largest river is the Volga. Its basin occupies 34% of the East European Plain. Most of the tributaries of the Volga are located in a temperate continental climate with sufficient moisture. Food is mostly snowy. In the spring, when the snow melts, there is a significant rise in water in the river. In summer, the main source of food is groundwater and rain. Some rise of water in the channel also occurs in autumn, when evaporation is significantly reduced. Below the mouth of the large left tributary of the Kama, the Volga flows through the steppe and semi-desert zones, where there is very little precipitation and therefore there are no significant tributaries. Below Volgograd, the Volga has no tributaries and is of a transit nature. It only carries water and partially evaporates it. From here, the Volga splits into branches, the largest of which is Akhtuba. Below Astrakhan, the channel is divided into 80 branches, forming a vast delta. Now almost the entire Volga has turned into a cascade of dams and reservoirs. On the Upper Volga, not far from Tver, there is the Ivankovskoye Reservoir. From him begins the channel to them. Moscow, through which the Volga water is pumped for the water supply of Moscow. Below, the entire Volga to Volgograd turned into a chain of interconnected reservoirs (Uglich, Rybinsk, Gorky, Cheboksary, Kuibyshev, Saratov and Volgograd). They retain a significant part of the spring flood water, which is used to generate electricity, supply cities, and irrigate drylands. Thanks to reservoirs, the movement of large river vessels is possible. Now the river is connected by the Volga-Don navigable canal with the Black and Azov seas, the Volga-Baltic - with the Baltic and White seas. Half of all river cargo and passengers of the country are transported along the Volga. But the reservoirs flooded large areas of fertile floodplain lands. The dams slowed down the flow of the Volga. As a result, a large amount of pollutants began to accumulate in the reservoirs, which come here from the fields, as well as with industrial and domestic effluents. Therefore, the river is currently heavily polluted.
The Atlantic Ocean basin occupies the smallest area - about 5% of the entire territory of Russia. The rivers flow west into the Baltic Sea and south into the Black and Azov Seas. To the west flow the Western Dvina, Neman, Neva, etc. To the south - the Dnieper, Don and Kuban. All rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin are full-flowing all year round, since most of their watersheds are located on the territory of sufficient moisture. They mainly feed on snow, and in summer - underground and rain. The rivers flowing into the Baltic Sea have very little fluctuations in runoff, since precipitation falls evenly throughout the year. There are only small spring floods and autumn floods. The Neva River occupies a special place. This short river (74 km long) carries a huge amount of water - 79.7 km3 per year, four times more than the Dnieper, which has a length of over 2 thousand km. The Neva originates in Lake Ladoga and therefore its flow is constant throughout the year.
But almost every year it floods part of St. Petersburg with its waters. The culprits of the floods are surges of water from the Baltic Sea, which dam up the Neva. As a result, the water in the river rises by 2 - 3.5 m and splashes out of the granite embankments onto the streets and squares of the city.
The rivers of the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean basin receive water in their branched upper reaches. In the lower sections, they are of a transit nature, since here the rivers cross the steppe zone with an arid climate. The food of the Dnieper and Don is mainly snow, so they have high spring floods. A cascade of hydroelectric facilities and reservoirs has been built on the southern rivers. Reservoirs are used both to generate electricity and to irrigate arid lands in the south of the East European Plain. Rice and other agricultural crops are grown in the Sea of Azov and the North Caucasus thanks to the waters of the Don and Kuban.
The largest rivers of Russia
Lena, length - 4320 km., Basin area - 2418 thousand sq. km.
Yenisei (with Biy-Khem), length - 4012 km., Basin area - 2707 thousand sq. km.
Ob (with Katun), length - 4070 km., Basin area - 2425 thousand sq. km.
Volga, length - 3690 km., Basin area - 1380 thousand sq. km.
Amur, length - 2824 km., Basin area - 1855 thousand sq. km.
Ural, length - 2530 km., Basin area - 220 thousand sq. km.
Kolyma, length - 2150 km., Basin area - 644 thousand sq. km.
Don, length - 1950 km., Basin area - 422 thousand sq. km.
Indigirka, length - 1790 km., Basin area - 360 thousand sq. km.
Pechora, length - 1790 km., Basin area - 327 thousand sq. km.
Northern Dvina (with Sukhona), length - 1300 km., Basin area - 411 thousand sq. km.
Yana (with Dulgalakh), length - 1070 km., Basin area - 318 thousand sq. km.
Selenga (with Ider), length - 1020 km., Basin area - 445 thousand sq. km.
Mezen, length - 966 km., Basin area - 76 thousand sq. km.
Kuban, length - 906 km., Basin area - 51 thousand sq. km.
Terek, length - 626 km., Basin area - 44 thousand sq. km.
Onega, length - 416 km., Basin area - 58 thousand sq. km.
Neva, length - 74 km., Basin area - 282 thousand sq. km.