The river network is most developed in the northern part of the region, in the zone of excessive moisture (forest zone). As you move south, the surface and underground runoff decreases more and more, the amount of precipitation decreases, the relative evaporation losses increase, more underground water occurs, etc. In accordance with this, the river network is becoming less frequent, and in the arid steppes and especially vast semi-desert already appear vast drainage spaces, that is, areas devoid of permanent rivers.
The hydrographic network is represented in such places by dry channels, operating for a short time during snowmelt or intense rainfall. Large rivers - the Volga and the Dnieper - flowing through the steppe spaces, take only relatively small tributaries and increase their water content little. In the semi-desert zone, they even lose part of their water for evaporation and filtration (the Volga is lower than Volgograd, the Urals).
In the steppe and forest-steppe zones, especially in areas where loess soils are spread, the ravine-girder network, which is a dense network of temporary streams that operate only during snowmelt or heavy rainfall, is widely developed. In some places, a rapidly growing network of ravines causes great damage to agriculture, destroying fertile black soil.
Most of the region’s watercourses are typical lowland rivers. They usually have well-developed valleys with wide, often swampy floodplains, abundant lakes and old rivers. Small also their speed and slopes, not exceeding 0.1-0.3 ° / oo. Sharp fractures of the longitudinal profile are rare and are confined to the shallow beds of bedrock cut through in some places by rivers. A large number of unstable sand rifts are noted in the riverbeds.
On large rivers (Volga, Don, Dnieper, etc.), the asymmetry of the slopes of the valleys is clearly expressed: the right bank is usually high and steep, the left gently sloping and low. The explanation for this is found in the deviation of the rivers to the right under the influence of the Earth's rotation (Coriolis force).
The main river of the Black Sea-Caspian slope is the Volga, followed by the Dnieper and Don. Among the large rivers is also the southeast - the Urals.
Volga is one of the largest rivers: Europe. Among the rivers of Russia, it ranks sixth, second only to the Siberian giant rivers - the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur and Irtysh - in terms of catchment area. It takes its beginning on the Valdai Upland where the key is taken as the source, which is fastened with a wooden log house near the village of Volgin. The elevation of the source is 225 m above sea level. The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. The length of the river is 3690 km, the basin area is 1380000 km 2.
The Urals in terms of catchment area (220,000 km 2) and length (2530 km) are among the largest rivers in the European part of Russia. It originates in the Southern Urals near the source of the river. White (the left tributary of the Kama) and initially flows directly to the south. Near the city of Orsk, it sharply turns to the west, and, having traveled in a latitudinal direction about 850 km, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Uralsk again it turns almost at a right angle to the south and maintains this direction until it flows into the Caspian Sea. Accordingly, these three main directions of the Urals are usually divided into three sections: the upper - from the source to the city of Orsk, the middle - between the cities of Orsk and Ural and the lower - from the city of Uralsk to the mouth.
Economic value and use of the rivers of the south-eastern part of the region
Of the rivers in the southeastern part of the region, the Urals are of the greatest importance, whose waters in the upper reaches are widely used for water supply to cities and enterprises of the industrial Urals. A number of reservoirs have been built here, supplying water to Magnitogorsk, the Orsk-Khalilovsk Combine and other cities and industrial enterprises. In the lower reaches, the Urals is used for shipping.
In terms of the catchment area of \u200b\u200b422,000 km 2, the Don takes the fourth place among the rivers of the European part of Russia, second only to the Volga, Dnieper and Kama. The length of the river is 1970 km. The source of the Don is located in the northern part of the Middle Russian Upland, at an altitude of about 180 m above sea level. For its beginning, the place of exit from Lake. Ivan In reality, there is usually no flow from Ivan Lake to the Don. For the sources of the Don, it is customary to consider keys located somewhat south of Lake. Ivan
The Dnieper is the third river after the Volga and Kama, the largest river in the European part of the country. It originates in the Smolensk region from a moss swamp (near the village of Kletsovo), at an altitude of about 220 m above sea level. Flowing through the territory of Belarus and Ukraine, the Dnieper collects water from a vast basin with an area of \u200b\u200b503,000 km 2. The length of the river from the source to the confluence with the Dnieper-Bug estuary of the Black Sea is 2285 km.
The Dnieper is one of the lowland rivers. The river valley is well developed and has a wide floodplain, where the channel is divided into numerous branches. By the nature of the valley and the riverbed, as well as by a number of other features, the Dnieper is usually divided into three sections: the upper - from the source to Kiev, the middle - from Kiev to Zaporizhia and the lower - from Zaporozhye to the mouth.
The Upper Dnieper covers a large part of the basin (approximately 65%), located in the forest zone and characterized by the most developed river network. Above the city of Kiev, its large tributaries flow into the Dnieper: Berezina, Sozh, Pripyat and Desna. In this part of the basin, the main river flow forms; in the Kiev section, more than 80% of the total flow already flows. From the source and almost to the city of Orsha, the Dnieper flows along the border of the penultimate glaciation. Here, in places, at the intersection of moraine ridges, the river valley narrows and the river forms rapids abounding in boulders.
5 km above the town of Orsha, the Dnieper crosses a ridge of gray sandstone and forms the famous Kobelyak rapids, which represent a significant obstacle to navigation in low water.
Below the city of Orsha, right up to the city of Kiev, the Dnieper flows along the bottom of a wide valley, which in some places reaches a width of 10-14 km. Among the vast, sometimes swampy floodplain, the Dnieper riverbed forms numerous bends.
A characteristic feature of the middle Dnieper is a pronounced asymmetric valley, the right root of which is high and steep, and the left is flat and low. Here, the river, as it were, is pressed by its right bank to the Volyn-Podolsk Upland and goes around it. To the left of the Dnieper adjoins the ancient terrace, which looks like a wide, gently sloping plain. The main tributaries of the middle Dnieper are Sula, Psel, Vorskla. In the lower part of this section, from the city of Dnepropetrovsk to the city of Zaporozhye, the Dnieper for 90 km crosses the Azov-Podilsky crystalline massif in its lowest part. Here were the famous Dnieper rapids with a total drop of more than 32 m, which for many centuries have been an obstacle to navigation.
During the years of the Stalin five-year plans, the most powerful hydroelectric power station in Europe, the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station, was created near the Dnieper rapids; its dam, 37 m high, completely blocked the rapids, forming in their place a reservoir named after V.I. Lenin. So, in those days, the problem of improving the shipping conditions of the Dnieper was radically solved.
Below the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station, the Dnieper enters the Black Sea Lowlands. The terrain on both banks of the river takes on a steppe, flat character. The slope of the river becomes insignificant (0.09-0.05 ° / oo); the total fall from Zaporozhye to the mouth is only 14 m. The riverbed is divided into many branches, forming flat sandy islands covered with reeds. These are the so-called Dnieper floodplains, which are up to 20 km wide and bounded on the left side of the river. Konka, making up the border of the left floodplain of the Dnieper.
Below the city of Kherson, the Dnieper forms a delta, merging into the Dnieper estuary with many sleeves. Having a large catchment area, the Dnieper is not characterized by high water content. The average annual water flow at the mouth is 1700 m 3 / s, which corresponds to a flow modulus of 3.1 l / s km 2. By its water content, the Dnieper ranks sixth among the rivers of the European part of the former Soviet Union, giving way not only to the Volga and Kama, but also to Pechora, the Northern Dvina and Neva. With the catchment area slightly inferior to Kama, the average annual flow rate of the Dnieper is about 2 times less than the discharge of the latter.
As in other rivers of the European part, a high spring flood is observed on the Dnieper, which is formed due to the melting of the snow accumulated during the winter in its basin. In spring, more than 50% of the total annual runoff passes. The high water peak in the upper reaches in mid-April, and in the lower reaches - in early May. After the flood, the level in the river drops sharply and during June, July and August there is a low low-water period. The lowest level is observed in July.
The amplitude of the level fluctuation is quite significant, especially in the upper reaches. In the Smolensk region, for example, it reaches 12 m. Information on the length, catchment areas, and water discharge of the main tributaries of the Dnieper is given below (Table 1).
Table 1. Information on the main tributaries of the Dnieper
Use of the river. The Dnieper has long played an important role in the economic life of our country. In the X-XII centuries, the famous path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" passed along it.
Shipping begins on the section of the upper Dnieper near Dorogobuzh and is carried out along the rest of the river. The importance of the Dnieper as a waterway has increased especially after the construction of the Dnieper hydroelectric power station, when the Dnieper basin received direct communication with the sea. By means of connecting water systems, the Dnieper is connected to adjacent basins: the Berezinsky system connects it to the Zapadnaya Dvina basin, the Dnieper-Neman channel to the Neman basin, the Dnieper-Bug channel to the Western Bug basin.
It should be noted that these Black Sea-Baltic water systems, built at the beginning of the last century, are unsuitable for modern shipping. The rivers included in the systems (Neman and Zapadnaya Dvina) are unregulated and, differing in speed, are inaccessible for through navigation. During the Patriotic War, the facilities of the Dnieper-Bug Canal were destroyed, but restored after the war.
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 are not large and relatively short, with a total length of 6.5 million km.
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 are to the basins of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.
Large 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 in 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 rivers that differ in large sizes such as the Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma flow through the Asian part.
The Lena River, with a length of 4400 km, is one of the longest rivers on our planet (7th place in the world), its sources are located near the deep-water fresh lake Baikal in Central Siberia.
The area of \u200b\u200bits 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, Lena flows into the Laptev Sea, the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The river is the main transport artery of Yakutia, its largest tributaries of the Aldan, Vitim, Vilyui, Olekma...
The Ob River runs through the territory of Western Siberia, its length is 3650 km, together with the Irtysh it forms a river system with a length of 5410 km, and this is the sixth place in the world. The Ob River basin area is 2990 thousand km².
It originates in the Altai mountains, at the source 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 (over 4 thousand thousand km²) into the Kara Sea, Arctic Ocean basin. Water in the river is characterized by a high content of organic substances and a low oxygen content. It is used for commercial fishing (valuable breeds - sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, chir, whitefish, peled, as well as partial - pike, ide, burbot, dace, roach, crucian carp, perch), electricity production (Novosibirsk hydroelectric station on the Ob, Bukhtarma and Ust-Kamenogorsk on the Irtysh River), shipping ...
The Yenisei River is 3487 km long; it flows through Siberia, dividing it into the Western and Eastern parts. The Yenisei is one of the largest rivers in the world, together with the tributaries of the Angara, Selenga and the Ider River forms a large river system with a length of 5238 km, with a basin area of \u200b\u200b2580 thousand km².
The river begins in the Khangai Mountains, on the Ider River (Mongolia), flows into the Kara Sea of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic Ocean basin. The river itself is called the Yenisei near the city of Kyzyl (Krasnoyarsk Territory, Republic of Tuva), where the confluence of the rivers Big and Small Yenisei takes place. It has a large number of tributaries (up to 500), a length of about 30 thousand km, the largest: Angara, Abakan, Lower Tunguska. Kureyka. 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, rafting is carried out ...
The Amur River, with a length of 2824 km, with a basin area of \u200b\u200b1855 thousand km², flows in 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 eastern orientation and passes through the territory of the Far East, beginning on the Russian-Chinese border, its mouth is located in the Tatar Gulf (its northern part is called the Amur Liman) of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, which belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin. Large tributaries: Zeya, Bureya, Ussuri, Anyui, Sungari, Amgun.
The river is characterized by sharp fluctuations in water level, which is caused by summer and autumn monsoon precipitation, with heavy rainfall a wide spill of water up to 25 km is possible, which lasts up to two months. Amur is used for shipping, large hydroelectric power stations (Zeyskaya, Bureyskaya) have been built here, commercial fishing has been developed (Amur has the most developed ichthyofauna among all the rivers of Russia, there are about 140 species of fish, 39 of which are commercial) ...
One of the most famous rivers flowing in the European part of Russia, for which the words from the song are composed "tomistress folk, 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 - Kazakhstan (0.2%).
This is one of the largest rivers in Russia and all of Europe. Its sources are located on the Valdai plateau in the Tver region, it will flow into the Caspian Sea, forming a delta, taking over two hundred tributaries along the way, the most significant of which is the left tributary of the Volga, the Kama River. The area around the river bed (15 constituent entities 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, with a length of 2428 km (third place in Europe after the Volga and the Danube) and a basin area of \u200b\u200b2310 thousand km², is unique in that it divides the continent 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 several times changing direction to the west, then to the south, then to the east, forms at the mouth with arms and flows into the Caspian. The Ural is used to a small extent for shipping, in the Orenburg region, the Iriklinsk reservoir and hydroelectric power station were built on the river, fish are being harvested (sturgeon, roach, bream, pikeperch, 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, and it is the fourth in Europe after the Volga, Dnieper and Danube in terms of water flow.
This river is one of the oldest, its age is 23 million years, its sources are in the small town of Novomoskovsk (Tula region), here begins the small river Urvanka, which gradually grows and soaks up the water of other tributaries (there are about 5 thousand of them) and spreads into a wide channel and It flows over significant areas of southern Russia, flowing into the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. The main tributaries of the Don are Seversky Donets, Khoper, Ursa Major. 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. Don is navigable from the mouth to the city of Voronezh, there are several reservoirs, the Tsimlyansk hydroelectric station ...
The Severnaya Dvina River, with a length of 744 km and a basin area of \u200b\u200b357 thousand km², is one of the largest navigable rivers in the European part of Russia.
Its origins are the confluence of the Sukhon and South rivers near Veliky Ustyug (Vologda region), has a northern direction of flow to Arkhangelsk, then northwest and north again, 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 wheeled 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. Length - 74 km, the basin area of \u200b\u200b48 thousand rivers and 26 thousand lakes - 5 thousand km². 26 rivers and rivulets flow into the Neva, the main tributaries are the Mga, Izhora, Okhta, and the Black River.
Neva is the only river flowing from the Shlisselburg Bay in Lake Ladoga, its channel flows through the territory of the Prievskaya Lowland, the mouth is 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, Otradnoe, the river is navigable throughout its entire length ...
The Kuban River in the very south of Russia originates in Karachay-Cherkessia at the foot of Mount Elbrus (the Caucasus 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, Kuban cascade of hydroelectric power stations, the cities of Karachayevsk, Cherkessk, Armavir, Novokubansk, Krasnodar, Temryuk ...
Russia occupies a vast geographical area, and it is not surprising that numerous rivers stretch across its expanses, which played an important historical role in the settlement and development of new lands. Almost all of the country's largest cities are located on rivers.
In total, there are about 3 million rivers in the Russian Federation, and all of them are an important component of the life of many people, animals and plants. Rivers provide us with food, water, electricity, places for recreation, and also serve as transport routes connecting different settlements. It is an indispensable source of water for agriculture and industry.
In this article you can get acquainted with the largest rivers of Russia, get their brief description and see the geographical location on the map of the country.
Rivers of the Russian Federation
Map of the largest rivers of Russia
The territory of the country is divided into European and Asian parts. The dividing line, as a rule, is the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea. The rivers of the European part flow into the Arctic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The rivers of the Asian part flow into the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.
The largest rivers of the European part of Russia are the Volga, Don, Kama, Oka and Northern Dvina, while some rivers originate in Russia, but flow into other countries, for example, the Dnieper and Western Dvina. The following large rivers flow through the Asian expanses of the country: the Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma.
Of the five main drainage basins: the Arctic, Pacific, Baltic, Black Sea and Caspian, the first, located in Siberia and including the northern part of the Russian Plain, is the most extensive. To a greater extent, this basin is filled with the three largest rivers of Russia: the Ob (3650 km), which together with its main tributary, the Irtysh River, forms a river system with a length of 5410 km, the Yenisei (3487 km), and the Lena (4400 km). The sum of their catchment areas exceeds 8 million km², and the total water consumption is about 50,000 m³ / s.
The large rivers of Siberia provide transport arteries from the inside to the Arctic Sea Route, although they are blocked by ice for a long period each year. The small slope of the Ob River makes it slowly loop through a huge flood plain. Due to the flow to the north, from the upper to the lower borders of the thaw, quite often extensive floods occur, which leads to the development of huge swamps. Vasyugan marshes on the Ob-Irtysh interfluve cover an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 50,000 km².
The rivers of the rest of Siberia (about 4.7 million km²) flow into the Pacific Ocean. In the north, where the watershed is close to the coast, numerous small fast streams flow from the mountains, but most of southeastern Siberia is drained by the Amur River. Over a greater length of its length, Cupid forms the border separating Russia and China. Ussuri, one of the tributaries of the Amur River, forms another significant border line between the countries.
Three large catchment areas are located in the European part of Russia south of the Arctic basin. The Dnieper, only the upper reaches of which are located in Russia, as well as the Don and Volga, is the longest European river, originating in the northwest of the Valdai Upland and flowing into the Caspian Sea. Losing only to Siberian rivers, the Volga basin covers an area of \u200b\u200b1380000 km². The rivers of the East European Plain have long served as important transport arteries; in fact, the Volga river system provides two-thirds of the movement of the entire Russian inland waterway.
10 largest and longest rivers of Russia
Many powerful rivers flow through the territory of the Russian Federation, but the size of some of them is truly impressive. Below is a list and maps of the country's largest rivers, both in length and in catchment area.
Lena
The Lena River is one of the longest rivers on the planet. It originates near Lake Baikal in southern Russia and flows to the west, and then smoothly turns northward above Yakutsk, where it flows into the Laptev Sea (the Arctic Ocean basin). Near the mouth, the river forms a huge delta with an area of \u200b\u200b32,000 km, which is the largest in the Arctic and the largest protected wildlife area in Russia.
The Lena Delta, which spills every spring, serves as an important area for nesting and migration of birds, and also supports a rich population of fish. The river is home to 92 plankton species, 57 species of benthos and 38 species of fish. Sturgeon, burbot, chum, whitefish, nelma and albula are the most commercially important fish species.
Swans, dippers, geese, ducks, plovers, waders, snipes, flippers, terns, skuas, birds of prey, sparrows and seagulls are just some of the migratory birds that nest on Lena's productive wetlands.
Ob
The Ob is the seventh longest river in the world, stretching over a distance of 3650 kilometers in the West Siberian region of the Russian Federation. This river, which is of great economic importance for Russia, occurs when the Biya and Katun rivers merge in Altai. It mainly passes through the territory of the country, although many of its tributaries originate in China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The Ob connects with its largest tributary, the Irtysh River, about 69 ° east longitude. It flows into the Kara Sea of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic Ocean, forming the Gulf of Ob. The river has a huge catchment area, which is about 2.99 million km².
The habitat surrounding the Ob consists of endless expanses of steppe and taiga flora in the upper and middle reaches of the river. Birch, pine, fir and cedar are some of the famous trees growing in these areas. Thickets of willow, wild rose and bird cherry also grow along the watercourse. The river basin is replete with aquatic life, including more than 50 species of fish (sturgeon, cyprinids, perch, nelma and peled, etc.) and about 150 species of birds. Minks, wolves, Siberian moles, otters, beavers, ermines and other local species of mammals. In the lower reaches of the Ob, the Arctic tundra is characterized by snowy landscapes for most of the year. Polar bears, arctic foxes, polar owls and arctic hares represent this region.
Volga
The longest river in Europe, the Volga, which is often considered the national river of Russia, has a large basin, covering almost two-thirds of the European part of Russia. The Volga originates in the northwest of the Valdai Upland, and flows south overcoming 3,530 km, where it flows into the Caspian Sea. About 200 tributaries join the river along the entire route. Eleven major cities of the country, including Moscow, are founded along the Volga basin, whose area is 1.36 million km².
The climate in the river basin varies along its course from north to south. In the northern regions, a temperate climate prevails with cold snowy winters and warm, humid summers. The southern regions are characterized by cool winters and hot dry summers. The Volga Delta is one of the richest habitats that serves as a home for 430 species of plants, 127 species of fish, 260 species of birds and 850 species of aquatic.
Yenisei
The mouth of the Yenisei River is located near the town of Kazyl, where it merges with the Small Yenisei River, originating in Mongolia and flows north, where it drains a huge territory of Siberia before it flows into the Kara Sea (the Arctic Ocean), having traveled a path length of 3487 km. The Angara River, which flows from Lake Baikal, is one of the main tributaries of the upper Yenisei.
About 55 species of local fish live in the Yenisei waters, including Siberian sturgeon, flounder, roach, northern pike, Siberian gudgeon, tench and sterlet. Most of the river basin is surrounded mainly by the following conifers: fir, cedar, pine and larch. In some areas of the upper Yenisei, steppe pastures are also stretched. In the north, boreal forests give way to arctic. Musk deer, elk, roe deer and Japanese mouse are some species of mammals that live in taiga forests along the river. Also, there are such birds as the Siberian blue robin, Siberian lentils, capercaillie and woodland hollow. Ducks, geese and swans are found in the lower reaches in the summer.
Lower Tunguska
Lower Tunguska is the right tributary of the Yenisei, flowing through the Irkutsk region and the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia. Its length is 2989 km, and the basin area is 473 thousand km². The river stretches near the watershed between the Yenisei and Lena rivers and flows north and then west through the Central Siberian Plateau.
In the upper reaches, the river forms a wide valley with numerous shallows, but after turning west the valley narrows and numerous gorges and rapids appear. In the river basin lies the vast Tunguska coal basin.
Amur
Amur is the tenth longest river in the world, located in East Asia and forms the border between the Far Eastern District of the Russian Federation and Northeast China. The river originates at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. Amur flows over 2825 km to the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean and flows into the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.
The river has many plant zones in various parts of its basin, including taiga forests and swamps, Manchurian mixed forests, Amur meadow steppes, forest-steppes, steppes and tundra. The wetlands along the Amur basin are some of the most valuable ecosystems that serve as home to a huge variety of flora and fauna. These are important shelters for millions of migratory birds, including white storks and Japanese cranes. The river basin is home to over 5,000 species of vascular plants, 70 species of mammals and 400 species of birds. There are rare and endangered species, such as the Amur tiger and the Far Eastern leopard - the most iconic species of mammals in the region. A wide variety of fish species lives in the Amur waters: about 100 species in the lower reaches and 60 in the upper. Chum, burbot and whitefish are some of the most commercially important northern fish species.
Vilyuy
Vilyui is a river in Central and Eastern Siberia, flowing mainly through the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in eastern Russia. This is the largest tributary of the Lena, with a length of 2650 km and a basin area of \u200b\u200babout 454 thousand km².
Vilyui originates on the Central Siberian Plateau and first flows east, then south and southeast, and again east to the confluence with the Lena (about 300 km northwest of the city of Yakutsk). The river and adjacent reservoirs are rich in commercial fish species.
Kolyma
With a length of more than 2100 kilometers and a basin area of \u200b\u200b643 thousand km², the Kolyma is the largest river in Eastern Siberia, which flows into the Arctic Ocean. The upper reaches of this river system began to develop in the Cretaceous period, when the main watershed was formed between the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the Arctic Ocean.
At the beginning of its journey, Kolyma paves its way through narrow gorges with numerous rapids. Gradually, its valley expands, and below its confluence with the Zyryanka river, it flows along the wide swampy Kolyma lowland, and then flows into the East Siberian Sea.
Ural
The Urals is a large river flowing in Russia and Kazakhstan, with a length of 2428 km (1550 km in the territory of the Russian Federation) and a basin area of \u200b\u200babout 231 thousand km². The river originates in the Ural Mountains on the slopes of Kruglyaya Sopka and flows in a southerly direction. In the city of Orsk, it abruptly turns west through the southern outskirts of the Urals, past Orenburg, and again turns south, heading for the Caspian Sea. Its flow has a large spring maximum, and freezing lasts from late November to April. River navigation is carried out to the city of Oral in Kazakhstan. The dam and hydroelectric power station were built on the Iriklinsky reservoir, south of the city of Magnitogorsk.
Wetlands in the Ural delta are especially important for migratory birds as the main refuge along the Asian flyway. The river is also important for many species of fish in the Caspian Sea that visit its deltas and migrate upstream for spawning. In the lower reaches of the river, there are 47 species from 13 families. 40% of the species diversity of fish, sturgeon and herring - 11%, perches - 9% and salmon - 4.4% fall on the family of cyprinids. The main commercial species are sturgeon, roach, bream, zander, carp, asp and catfish. Rare species include Caspian salmon, sterlet, nelma and kutum. About 48 species of animals live in the Ural delta and the surrounding areas, of which 21 species teach the order of rodents.
Don
The Don is one of the largest rivers in the Russian Federation and the 5th longest river in Europe. Its basin is located between the Dnieper-Donets Basin in the west, the Volga Basin in the east, and the Oka River basin (a tributary of the Volga) in the north.
The Don originates in the city of Novomoskovsk 60 km southeast of Tula (120 km south of Moscow), and flows at a distance of about 1870 km to the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. From its source, the river heads south-east to Voronezh, and then south-west to the mouth. The main tributary of the Don is Seversky Donets.
Table of the largest rivers of the Russian Federation
| River name | Length in Russia, km | Total length, km | Pool, km² | Water consumption, m³ / s | Place of confluence (Estuary) |
| r. Lena | 4400 | 4400 | 2.49 million | 16350 | Laptevih sea |
| r. Ob | 3650 | 3650 | 2.99 million | 12492 | Kara Sea |
| r. Volga | 3530 | 3530 | 1.36 million | 8060 | Caspian Sea |
| r. Yenisei | 3487 | 3487 | 2.58 million | 19800 | Kara Sea |
| r. Lower Tunguska | 2989 | 2989 | 473 thousand | 3680 | r. Yenisei |
| r. Amur | 2824 | 2824 | 1.86 million | 12800 | Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk |
| r. Vilyuy | 2650 | 2650 | 454 thousand | 1468 | r. Lena |
| r. Kolyma | 2129 | 2129 | 643 thousand | 3800 | East-Siberian Sea |
| r. Ural | 1550 | 2428 | 231 thousand | 400 | Caspian Sea |
| r. Don | 1870 | 1870 | 422 thousand | 900 | Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov |
The reservoirs of our planet are beautiful, each of them is unique. But there are such rivers that flow through the whole country or several countries, striking in its size, rich flora and fauna. We present to your attention the TOP 6 of the largest rivers in Europe.
1. Volga (Russia)
The Russian Federation is the largest country, and it is it that can be proud of the longest river in Europe. We are talking about the Volga, whose length exceeds 3,500 km. The source of the Volga hid in the Tver region, it flows into the Caspian Sea, halving the European part of the Russian Federation.
Off the coast of the Upper Volga there are numerous forests, fields with agricultural crops, gardens. Off the coast of the Lower Volga rich flora and fauna: 1,5 thousand species of insects and 200 species of birds. It is also important that 70 species of fish are found in the waters, 40 of them are commercial (bream, sturgeon, pike, ruff and others).
The Volga is strategically important, because the amount of fish extracted from it provides 20% of the country's fishing. Hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs rise on the banks of the river; approximately half of the country's agricultural production is located in the basin.
2. Danube (10 European countries)
The source of this river can be found in the mountains of Germany. It flows through the lands of Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Croatia, Serbia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, flowing into the Black Sea. The length of the river exceeds 2800 km, the basin area reaches 800 thousand km, sometimes it is called the river of ten countries.
The Danube has one unique feature, which is that in a certain place it hides underground, going into the rocks. Not far from the source, the water hides underground, and after 12 km you can observe the Aakh source (key).
In the Danube, pure water, because the river receives food from melt mountain snow, streams, groundwater. But the water is painted in a brown tint due to the fact that there is a huge amount of silt particles in it. Therefore, the waters of the Danube can rightly be considered the most muddy in the countries of Europe.
3. Ural (Kazakhstan, Russia)
The third largest river in Europe was called the Urals, it flows through the regions of Russia and Kazakhstan. Its length exceeds 2.4 thousand km, the basin area reaches 230 thousand km. The majestic river originates on the Uraltau ridge, its winding water channel goes to the Caspian Sea.
This river is considered the border that conditionally divides Europe and Asia. The opinion is erroneous, but a monument has long been erected in Orenburg that says that on one side of the reservoir is Europe and on the other is Asia.
Large industrial complexes are located near the water surface - this is a metallurgical plant, a reservoir, from which water is taken to irrigate fields for growing watermelons. The Urals satisfy half of Kazakhstan’s fish needs, so the river is of great economic importance for the development of this region.
4. Dnipro (Ukraine, Belarus, Russia)
The Dnieper (2200 km long) flows through the territory of 3 fraternal countries - Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The longest channel is located in Ukraine (48%), where many large cities and villages were built on the banks of the river.
The Dnieper is characterized by a calm course, the source is in a small swamp, located in the Smolensk region, flows into the Black Sea. The waters are rich in fish, there are 60 species, but due to the poor environmental situation, some species of fish are gradually disappearing.
The Dnieper plays a huge role for the economy and waterways of Ukraine. Industrial enterprises, hydroelectric power stations, dams are located on the shore, water is used to irrigate fields, passenger ships run along the Dnieper.
Due to the active use of the resources of the Dnieper over the past 20 years, serious environmental problems have ripened. Some species of fish disappeared from the waters, pollution by sewage was recorded, and waterlogging occurs.
5. Don (Russia)
This famous river stretches for 1800 km across the territory of Russia, and its source is located in the city of Novomoskovsk (Tula region). It flows through the European part of the country, flowing into the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov.
The river is important, because 65 species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, are found in its waters. The basin is based near the forest-steppe and steppe zones, but the active plowing of the steppe lands has led to the fact that many representatives of the flora and fauna are no longer visible in these territories.
Near the coast there are hydroelectric power stations, dams, in those sections where depth allows, river ships go, although navigation is difficult.
6. Pechora (Russia)
Located in the Komi Republic, it takes 6th place in the list of the largest rivers in Europe. The length is 1800 km, the source is in the Northern Urals. Fishing is well developed here, and valuable deposits of oil, gas and minerals are concentrated in the Pechora basin.
Each of the above rivers is important for the regions through which it flows. The largest rivers in Europe provide a huge amount of water and electricity to large cities, fish are extracted from them, and water is used for agricultural development.