Russia has the richest fresh water reserves in the world. On its territory there are about 2 million rivers with a total length of more than 6.5 million km. The length of many does not exceed more than 100 km. But among them there are those that are rightfully considered the country's largest waterways. The largest rivers of Russia They are famous not only for their length, but also for the catchment area.
The reader is presented with a list of the largest waterways of the Russian Federation.
10. The Urals | The area of the basin is 231 thousand square meters. Km
Ural opens the top ten largest Russian rivers. Its length is 2422 km, and the basin area is 231 thousand. The Urals flows into the Caspian Sea. By its length in Europe, the river is second only to the Volga and Danube. Until 1775, one of the largest waterways in the country was called Yaik, which means "wide." By decree of Catherine II, the river was renamed, and was called the Urals. Now it serves as a natural water border between Europe and Asia.
9. Kolyma | The area of the basin is 645 thousand km
Kolyma with a length of 2129 km, it is one of the largest Russian rivers and the largest in the Magadan region. The area of its basin is 645 thousand. Kolyma is formed from the confluence of Ayan-Yuryakh and Kulu, which originate in the Okhotsk-Kolyma highlands. The main food of Kolyma is snow water, about 40% of the river receives from rainwater. The Kolyma Hydroelectric Power Station, built on its water expanses, provides electricity to almost the entire Magadan Region. Kolyma refers to navigable rivers. In its basin are deposits of gold.
8. Vilyuy | The area of the basin is 454 thousand km
Vilyuy takes eighth place among the largest rivers in Russia and is the largest left tributary of Elena. The total length of the river is 2650 km, and the basin area is 454 thousand. The Vilyuya basin has about 70 thousand lakes, the largest of which are Nijili (119 sq. Km.), Baratalakh (110 sq. Km), Mastakh (80 sq. Km. .) other. A huge number of different types of fish live in the waters of Vilyui: sturgeon, taimen, lenok, nelma, ide, perch, burbot, dace, tugunok, sorog, etc. The main tributary of the river is r. Markha. Two hydroelectric power plants have been built in Vilyue. The river basin is rich in deposits of diamonds, iron ore, gas, etc. It is considered a navigable river.
7. Lower Tunguska | Basin area 473 thousand km
Lower Tunguska - one of the largest rivers in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Yenisei. Its length is 2989 km, and the basin area is 473 thousand. Lower Tunguska is a navigable river. It feeds on melt snow and rain. The main tributary of the Tunguska is the Kochechum River with a length of 733 km and a basin area of about 100 thousand. At the beginning of the 20th century, a project was developed that resulted in the Lower Tunguska to connect with the Lena in the area of Kirensk. But soon, the construction of the canal was considered impractical due to the complexity of the work and high cost. In the near future, it is planned to build a hydroelectric power station, which will become the largest hydroelectric power station in the Russian Federation.
6. The Volga | The area of the basin is 1 million 361 thousand km
Volga It is one of the largest rivers in Russia and the world. Its length is 3531 km, and the basin area is 1 million. One of the main water arteries in Russia flows in 11 regions and 4 republics. The navigable river is of great agricultural and industrial importance for the country. About 20% of all fish harvested in Russia falls on the Volga. The river is also used as a source of hydropower: about 10 reservoirs with hydroelectric power plants are concentrated here. The largest tributary of the Volga is Kama.
5. Irtysh | Basin area 1 million 643 thousand km
Irtysh - one of the largest rivers in Russia and the largest tributary of the Ob. Its length is 4248 km, which exceeds the length of the largest river. Together they form a length of 5410 km. The area of the Irtysh basin is 1 million. A water artery flows in the territory of three states: Russia, Mongolia and China. Irtysh refers to rivers with mixed nutrition. The underwater world of the tributary is quite rich in various species of fish: representatives of sturgeon, cyprinids, whitefish, pike, etc. live here. The river waters are used for irrigation and water supply.
4. Cupid | The basin area is 1 million 855 thousand km
The fourth largest river in Russia in area is Amurlocated in the Far East and East Asia. Its length is 2824 km. The river flows in three countries: Russia, Mongolia and China. The area of its basin is 1 million. Amur flows into the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. There is a version that the name of the water artery comes from the common basis for the Tungus-Manchu languages, “amar”, “damur”, which means “big river”. In China, Cupid is referred to as the "Black Dragon River." One of the legends says that a black dragon used to live here, which was the personification of good. He defeated the white dragon, who flooded people's boats on the water and ate all living things. After that, the hero stayed to live in these expanses of water.
3. Lena | The area of the basin is 2 million 490 thousand km
Lena It is considered the longest river in Russia and one of the largest in the world with a length of 4,400 km. It is located on the lands of Yakutia and the Irkutsk region. Its source begins not far from the deepest Russian lake Baikal, and then its waters rush into the Laptev Sea. The Lena basin area is 2 million. There is a version that the name of the river came from the Eveni language. Evenki referred to Lena as "Elyu-Ene," which means "big river." The Russians, who discovered the river for the first time in the 17th century, recorded its name as Yeluene. Then the people became entrenched with the name Lena. Its largest tributaries are Aldan and Vilyuy. Lena is the main transport artery of Yakutia.
2. The Yenisei | The area of the basin is 2 million 580 thousand km
Yenisei - one of the largest and largest rivers in Russia, the length of which is 3487 km. One of the main waterways flows on the territory of the Russian and Mongolian states. It is considered the most watery river, its basin area is 2 million. About 600 cubic km. Yenisei makes in the Kara Sea. The name comes from the Evenki “Ionessi”, which means “big water”. The Yenisei feeds on snow and rainwater. More than 500 rivers flow into it, the largest of them are the Angara and Lower Tunguska. Three hydroelectric power plants are concentrated on the Yenisei.
1. Ob | The area of the basin is 2 million 990 thousand km
Ob - the largest river in Russia with a length of 3650 km. The total area of its basin is 2 million 990 thousand. The largest freshwater artery flows into the Kara Sea. The main food for the Ob is thawed snow. The river is third in water availability, after Lena and Yenisei. The main and largest tributary of the river is the Irtysh. About 50 species of fish are found in the Ob; therefore, fishing is developed here. The valuable species that live here include the following river representatives: sturgeon, sterlet, tugun, nelma, etc.