Top 10 - the most big rivers in Russia

There are about 2.5 million rivers on the territory of Russia. Large quantity 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.

1. The Ob River is the largest river in Russia

The Ob is a river in Siberia, formed by the confluence of the Katun and Biya rivers. If we count from the source of the Irtysh, then it has a length of 5410 kilometers, which makes it the largest river in Russia in length.


In the North, the river flows into the Gulf of Ob - a bay in the Kara Sea. The Ob basin has an area of ​​2,990,000 square kilometers (that is why the river ranks first in our rating). More than 50 fish species live in the waters of this river, half of which are of industrial importance.

2. The Yenisei River


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 on the territory of two countries (Russia and Mongolia), its area is 2,580,000 square kilometers, which allows it to take the second place among the rivers of Russia.

3. Lena River
The Lena River originates in the mountains of Siberia and flows into the Laptev Sea. Lena, one of the largest Russian rivers, with a length of 4,480 kilometers.

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 in search of it.

4. Amur River

Amur is a river flowing in 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).

5. Volga river


This river originates from the Valdai plateau in the Tver region. The Volga is one of the largest rivers on Earth, its length is 3530 kilometers, and it is located on the territory of two states (Russia and Kazakhstan).


The basin area is about 1,361,000 square kilometers, making it the largest river in Europe.

6. Kolyma River

This is a river in Yakutia, the length of which is 2,129 kilometers. 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 Kolyma by the Russians was also carried out by the valiant Cossacks.

7. Don River


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 1,870 km. Don is one of the oldest rivers in Russia.

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.

The basin area is approximately 364,000 square kilometers.

9. Indigirka River

It originates on the slopes of the Khalkan Range, and its source consists of two rivers - Kuidusun and Omyokon.

The area of ​​Indigirka is 360,000 square kilometers.

10. Northern Dvina River


It originates in the Vologda region, at the confluence of two rivers (Sukhona and Yug). The basin area is 357,000 square kilometers.

It was on this river that the history of Russian shipbuilding began.

That's basically it! Now you know what they are, the largest rivers in Russia.

The longest river in the world is the Nile

Nile- the longest river in the world, its length is 6 690 km from the source of the Luvironza River in Burundi, in Central Africa, to its mouth at the confluence with the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile flows from south to north, and its basin is about 2 850 000 sq. Km. km, which is approximately equal to one tenth of the area of ​​Africa, including the territories of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Congo (Kinshasa). Its waters support virtually all agriculture in the most densely populated parts of Egypt, provide irrigation for nearly all food crops in Sudan, and are widely used throughout the basin for navigation and hydropower.

The deepest river in the world - the Amazon

River Amazon the second longest river in the world in length. Its length is about 6,296 km, it is formed by the junction in the northern Peruvian Andes of two main sources - Ucayali and the shorter Maranon. The Amazon flows through all of northern Brazil and into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Belem. Amazon is the most deep river world (carries more water than any other river in the world). The pool with tributaries is huge and is 6,475,000 sq. km, which is approximately 35% of the territory of South America. The Amazon draws water from both hemispheres and flows not only through Brazil, but also through parts of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The average depth of the river over its greater length is 50 m. The slope of the river is very small: Manaus, 1,610 km upstream, is only 30 m higher than Belem near the river delta. Marine vessels with a landing of 4 m can reach Iquitos in Peru, which is 3,700 km from Atlantic Ocean... Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia have international ports on the Amazon.

The following table shows the largest rivers in the world, including their name, source, where they flow and their length:

Name
rivers

Source

Mainland

Where
flows into

Length,
km

Tributaries of Lake Victoria

Mediterranean Sea

Amazon

Glacial lake, Peru

South America

Atlantic Ocean

Mississippi-Missouri

Red Rock River, Montana, USA

North America

Gulf of Mexico

Yangtze

Tibetan plateau, China

China sea

Altai, Russia

Gulf of Ob, gulf Kara Sea

Yellow he

Eastern Kunlun Mountains, China

Bohai Bay of the Yellow Sea

Yenisei

Tannu-Ola mountains, south of Tuva, Russia

Arctic Ocean

Parana

confluence of the Paranaiba and Rio Grande rivers, Brazil

South America

La Plata Bay of the Atlantic Ocean

Irtysh

Altai, Russia

Zaire (Congo)

confluence of the Lualaba and Luapula rivers

Atlantic Ocean

Amur

confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers

Tatar Strait of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk

Lena

Lake Baikal, Russia

Arctic Ocean

Mackenzie

the source of the Finlay River, british columbia, Canada

North America

Beaufort Sea
(Arctic Ocean)

Niger

Futa Jallon, Guinea

Gulf of guinea atlantic ocean

Mekong

Tibetan plateau

South China Sea

Mississippi

Lake Itasca, Minnesota, USA

North America

Gulf of Mexico

Missouri

Confluence of the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison Rivers, Montana, USA

North America

mississippi river

Volga

Valdai Upland, Russia

Caspian Sea

Madeira

Confluence of the Beni and Mamore rivers, border of Bolivia and Brazil

South America

Amazon river

Purus

Peruvian Andes

South America

Amazon river

Thus, the Nile is the longest river in the world, the length of which is approximately 6,690 kilometers, and the largest river in Africa. The second largest river in the world, the Amazon, is also the longest river in South America... The third largest Mississippi River, together with the Missouri River, is the largest river North America... The fourth largest river, the Yangtze, is the longest river in Asia. And, being only the eighteenth largest in the world, the Volga is the longest river in Europe.

So, we examined the 20 largest rivers in the world, eight of which flow in Asia, eight in America, three in Africa, and only one of the 20 largest rivers in the world is in Europe.

Rivers entangle the whole of Russia like a spider web. If you count them all down to the smallest, you get over 2.5 million! But the overwhelming majority of them do not even have a name, so it is better to pay attention to the largest rivers of the country, not forgetting what can be caught in them, because there are many fishermen in Russia.

1. Lena (4400 km)

The longest river in Russia, and at the same time in Siberia, is the Lena. It is also solid by world standards, since it closes the top ten longest waterways the world. Lena takes its origin from a small lake near Baikal, winds a lot along the mountainous Baikal region, until it turns north and rushes to the Laptev Sea, where it forms an extended delta. Together with the latter, it has a length of 4,400 km with a basin area of ​​2.5 million square meters. km, the water consumption in the lower reaches is 16350 cubic meters. m / s. This is the longest Russian river, which flows entirely through the territory of the country, and the largest in the world, completely passing through the territory of permafrost. Lena is still one of the cleanest rivers in the world. Until now, man has not been honored to change its course, has not built a single dam, hydroelectric power station or other energy facilities. In areas remote from human activities, you can still drink water directly from the river.

2. Irtysh (4248 km)

Like most large rivers of Siberia, the mighty Irtysh from the depths of the Asian continent heads north until it flows into the Ob, being its main tributary. Their joint water system stretches for 5,410 km, which makes it the seventh longest on Earth. But even this is not the main attraction of the Irtysh, but the fact that it was he who became the longest tributary in the world, since its own length is 4248 kilometers. In this category, it is significantly inferior to the second-ranked Missouri, which has a length of "only" 3,767 kilometers.
Translated from the Turkic language, the Irtysh means "earth-moving", and this reflects the nature of the river, which very often changes its channel, undermining the banks. The Irtysh is fed by melt water and tributaries. But now floods rarely occur on it, since several hydroelectric power plants have been built here, the dams of which regulate the release of water.


There are areas on our planet where a person experiences special sensations: a surge of energy, euphoria, a desire to improve or spiritually ...

3. Ob (3650 km)

In the north-east of Asia, in the Altai Territory, near the administrative border with the Republic of Altai, two mountain rivers Biya and Katun, as a result of which a powerful deep river Ob is formed, the name of which has not yet been unraveled. The Ob crosses from south to north Western Siberia and, after 3650 kilometers, flows into the Kara Sea, more precisely, into a long (800 km) bay called the Ob Bay. The Ob has the largest basin in Russia, occupying nearly 3 million square kilometers, and in terms of high flow it is second only to the Yenisei and Lena, bringing 12,300 cubic meters of water to the mouth every second.

4. Volga (3531 km)

The great Russian river Volga has over 150 tributaries, few other rivers on the planet have the same. Taking into account average speed current of 4 km / h, it is calculated that the water in it from the source to the mouth reaches in 37 days. This river even has its own holiday - the Volga Day is celebrated on May 20. The entire Volga basin is located on the territory of Russia, it crosses the territories of four republics and 11 regions of the country, and only one small branch of it, Kigach, turns into the territory of Kazakhstan.
And the source of the Volga is located on the Valdai Upland, in the Tver region near the village of Volgoverkhovye. While not the largest in Russia, the Volga is nevertheless the largest river in Europe. Its basin stretches over a third of the European territory of Russia, occupying 1,855 million square meters. km, and the water consumption is 8060 cubic meters. m / s. Nine hydroelectric power plants with reservoirs have been built on the Volga, half of them are served by its water. Agriculture and industry of the country.

5. Yenisei (3487 km)

The Yenisei River appears after the confluence of the Big Yenisei (Biy-Khem) and Small Yenisei (Kaa-Khem). Nearly 3.5 thousand kilometers, the Yenisei flows only through the territory of Russia, and before that another 600 kilometers winds through Mongolia. At the end of the route, it flows into the Yenisei Gulf belonging to the Kara Sea. The source of the Yenisei is located near geographic center Asia near the city of Kyzyl, in which there is even an obelisk reminiscent of this.
In terms of the basin area (2.58 million sq. Km), the Yenisei is second only to Lena, and its water consumption is also high - 19,800 cubic meters. m / s. In three places, it is blocked by powerful hydroelectric power plants: Sayano-Shushenskaya, Krasnoyarsk and Mainskaya. As for the name of the river, it is associated either with the Tungus word "enesi", which means "big water", or with the Kyrgyz word "ene-say", that is, mother-river.
The mighty stormy Yenisei is especially notable for its ice drifts. During the winter, a powerful ice shell grows on the river, from which the river is freed for at least a month. Thousands of tons of ice rush along the river, here and there forming jams that block the flow. As a result, the river overflows its banks and floods the surroundings. The power of this water element at one time had to be felt in different cities - Yeniseisk, Krasnoyarsk, Igarka and Minusinsk.


Russia is huge, Russia is beautiful, Russia is diverse. This is the most big country in the world, with an area of ​​more than 17 million square meters. km. Thanks to the occupied common ...

6. Lower Tunguska (2989 km)

This is another Siberian river, which is the right tributary of the Yenisei. Lower Tunguska flows through the Irkutsk region and Krasnoyarsk region... It winds for a long time along the middle part of the Siberian plateau until it comes to the Putorana plateau. Because of a large number rapids and whirlpools, navigation on the Lower Tunguska is severely limited. Back in 1911, plans were made for a connection near the city of Kirensk Lena and Nizhnyaya Tunguska, since here they converge up to a distance of 15 kilometers, however, Nizhnyaya Tunguska flows almost 85 meters above the Lena, and besides, it is not navigable in this place. Therefore, the construction of a connecting channel between them was abandoned due to the high cost and inexpediency of the project.

7. Amur (2824 km)

The Amur River is international - it flows through the lands of Russia, China and Mongolia, and flows into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the area of ​​the Amur estuary. The Amur is 2824 kilometers long, and the basin area is 1.855 million square meters. km with a water consumption of 10,900 cubic meters. m / s. Cupid flows through 4 different climatic zones: semi-desert, steppe, forest-steppe and forest, 30 different nationalities live on its banks. There is no clarity about the origin of the name of the river, but the most common version is from the Tungus-Manchurian words "damar" or "amar". The Chinese call it the River of the Black Dragon, but here the Amur symbolizes Far East and Transbaikalia.

8. Vilyui (2650 km)

The longest and largest left tributary of the Lena, flowing through the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Yakutia, is called the Vilyuy. Since ancient times, he has served man, giving him water and food. A couple of hydroelectric power stations were built on it. When the intensive industrial development of Siberia began, the ecological situation in the Vilyui basin deteriorated, causing concern to the indigenous people.


The territory of Russia is huge, so it is not surprising that there are dozens of waterfalls scattered across it, in its various corners. Some of them are like this ...

9. Ishim (2450 km)

Ishim is the left and longest tributary of the Irtysh; it passes through the territory of Kazakhstan and Russia. According to popular legend, the name "Ishim" comes from the name of the son of the Tatar Khan, Ishim, who drowned in a previously unnamed river. But there is also the Tatar word "ishimak", which means "destroying". On Ishim there are two reservoirs of great economic importance: the local population uses water from them, it irrigates fields and garden plots.

10. Ural (2428 km)

The Ural River is one of the largest in the European part of Russia. It descends along the southeastern Black Sea-Caspian slope, running 2,428 kilometers from the very source to the confluence with the Caspian. The river basin area is 220 thousand square meters. km. The Ural is a very meandering river, it is customary to divide it into three sections: from the source to Orsk, the middle one from Orsk to Uralsk and the lower one from Uralsk to the very mouth. A whole network of reservoirs has been built on this river, which provide the much needed water for industry and agriculture.

In total, there are about 2.5 million rivers on the territory of Russia
A significant number 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.

1. The Ob River is the largest river in Russia


The Ob is a river in Siberia, formed by the confluence of the Katun and Biya rivers. If we count from the source of the Irtysh, then it has a length of 5410 kilometers, which makes it the largest river in Russia in length. In the North, the river flows into the Gulf of Ob - a bay in the Kara Sea. The Ob basin has an area of ​​2,990,000 square kilometers (that is why the river ranks first in our rating). More than 50 fish species live in the waters of this river, half of which are of industrial importance.

2. The Yenisei River

This is a river in Yakutia, the length of which is 2,129 kilometers. 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 Kolyma was also carried out by the valiant Cossacks.

7. Don River

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 1,870 km. Don is one of the oldest rivers in Russia.

8. Khatanga River

The rivers of Russia like a spider web have enveloped the entire territory of the country, because their total number from the smallest to the largest is more than 2.5 million. We will not recalculate all of them in this article. And just make a list of the largest, longest, largest rivers in Russia, their names. And we will try to describe each of them separately, especially fishing. After all, rivers are of great interest from the point of view of an angler, and there are a lot of them.

Top 10 longest flowing rivers in Russia under one name:

River name Total length km. Where does
1 Lena 4400 Laptevih sea
2 Irtysh 4248 Ob
3 Ob 3650 Ob Bay of the Kara Sea
4 Volga 3531 Caspian Sea
5 Yenisei 3487
6 Lower Tunguska 2989 Yenisei
7 Amur 2824
8 Viluy 2650 Lena
9 Ishim 2450 Irtysh
10 Ural 2422 Caspian Sea

Top 10 Russian rivers by total area drainage basin thousand km2:

River name Pool area: sq / km Where does
1 Ob 2 990 000 Ob Bay of the Kara Sea
2 Yenisei 2 580 000 Yenisei Gulf of the Kara Sea
3 Lena 2 490 000 Laptevih sea
4 Amur 1 855 000 Amur estuary, Sea of ​​Okhotsk
5 Volga 1 360 000 Caspian Sea
6 Kolyma 643 000 East-Siberian Sea
7 Dnieper 504 000 Black Sea
8 Don 422 000 Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea
9 Khatanga 364 000 Khatanga Bay of the Laptev Sea
10 Indigirka 360 000 East-Siberian Sea

List of the largest rivers in Russia, and fishing on them:

A Abakan Agul Ay Aksai Alatyr
Amur Anadyr Angara Akhtuba Aldan
B Barguzin White (Agidel) Bityug Biya
V Volga Vazuza Vuoksa Varzuga Great
Vetluga Vishera Thief Volkhov Crow
Vyatka
G Rotten
D Gum Don Dubna Dnieper
E Yenisei Her
F Toad Zhizdra Zhukovka
Z Zeya Zilim Zusha
AND Izh Izhma Izhora Ik Ilek
Ilovlya Inga Ingoda Inzer Iput
Irkut Irtysh Iset Iskona Istra
Ishim Isha And I
TO Kagalnik Kazanka Kazyr Kakva Kama
Kamenka Kamchatka Kahn Kantegir Katun
Kelnot Kema Kem Kerzhenets Kilmez
Kiya Klyazma Kovashi Cola Kolyma
Conda Kosva Kuban Kuma
L Laba Lena Lovat Lozva Lopasnya
Meadows Luh
M Mana Manych She-bear Mezen Miass
Mius Moksha Mologa Moscow river Msta
H

Lena flows out of Lake Baikal, forms a bend and continues to move northward to the Laptev Sea, where it forms a large delta. The length of the river path is 4400 km, the basin area is 2490 thousand square meters. km., and the water consumption is 16,350 cubic meters / s. Lena ranks 11th in the world in length and is the longest river in Russia. The name comes from the language of the Evenki (“Yelyuene” - big river) or Yakuts (“Ulakhan-Yuryakh” - big water).

The Ob flows through Western Siberia for 3,650 km, flowing into the Kara Sea, where it forms a vast, up to 800 km long, bay called the Ob Bay. It is formed in Altai from the confluence of two rivers: Biya and Katun. It occupies the first place in terms of basin area, that is, the largest river in Russia (2990 thousand sq. Km) and the third in terms of water content (behind the Yenisei and Lena). Water consumption - 2300 m3 / s. The name of the river comes from the language of the Komi people, in which "ob" means "grandmother", "aunt", "respected elderly relative."

The Volga is one of the largest rivers on Earth and the largest river in Europe. Its length is 3531 km and it crosses 4 republics and 11 regions of Russia before it flows into the Caspian Sea. The river basin occupies 1,855 thousand square meters. km (one third of the European part of Russia) with a water flow rate of 8060 m3 / s. On the Volga there are 9 hydroelectric power plants with reservoirs and up to half of the total Russian industry and agriculture. The Yenisei crosses Russia and Mongolia for 4,287 kilometers (of which 3,487 kilometers pass through Russia) and flows into the Yenisei Gulf of the Kara Sea. There is a division of the river into the Big and Small Yenisei (Biy-Khem and Kaa-Khem). The river has a basin area of ​​2580 thousand square meters. km (second place after Lena) and a water flow rate of 19800 cubic meters / s. Sayano-Shushenskaya, Krasnoyarsk and Mainskaya hydroelectric power stations block the waters of the Yenisei in three places. The origin of the name is associated with the distorted Tungus name "enesi" (big water) or the Kyrgyz "ene-Sai" (mother-river).

The Amur flows through the territory of Russia, Mongolia and China and flows into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (Amur estuary). This Rossi river has a length of 2824 km, the basin area is 1855 thousand square meters. km and a water discharge equal to 10,900 cubic meters / s. Amur crosses four physical and geographical zones: forest, forest-steppe, steppe and semi-desert, and up to thirty different peoples and nationalities live on the banks of the river. The origin of the name causes a lot of controversy, but the most common opinion derives it from "amar" or "damar" (Tungus-Manchu group of languages). On the territory of China, the Amur is called the Black Dragon River, and for Russia it is a symbol of Transbaikalia and the Far East.

Kolyma begins at the confluence of the Kulu and Ayan-Yuryakh (Yakutia) rivers and flows into the Kolyma Bay after 2,129 kilometers. The river basin covers an area of ​​643 thousand square meters. km, and the water consumption is 3800 cubic meters / s. In the Magadan region, this is the largest waterway.

The Don flows from the Central Russian Upland in the Tula Region for 1870 kilometers and flows into the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of ​​Azov. Being one of the largest rivers in the south of the Russian Plain, the Don has a basin area of ​​422 thousand square meters. km and a water flow rate of 680 cubic meters / s. According to scientists, some parts of the river bed are about 23 million years old. The ancient Greeks mentioned Don under the name Tanais, and modern name belongs to the Iranian peoples of the Northern Black Sea region and simply means "river". Khatanga is born from the confluence of the Kotuy and Kheta rivers (Krasnoyarsk Territory) and flows into the Laptev Sea, forming the Khatanga Bay. The length of the river is 1636 km with a basin area of ​​364 thousand square meters. km and a water flow rate of 3320 cubic meters / s. The first mentions of Khatanga were based on the reports of the Tungus and date back to the beginning of the 17th century.

Indigirka is formed from the rivers Tuora-Yuryakh and Taryn-Yuryakh (Khalkan mountain range) and for 1726 kilometers flows through the lands of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), flowing into the East Siberian Sea. Its area water basin is 360 thousand sq. km, and the water consumption is 1570 cubic meters / s. The word "indigir" is of Evenk origin and means "people from the indi clan". The river is known for its attractions - the village of Oymyakon ( North Pole cold) and the city-monument of Zashiversk, whose population was completely extinct from smallpox in the 19th century.

The Northern Dvina flows through the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions from the south to the north and, up to the confluence in the form of a wide delta into the Dvinskaya Bay (White Sea), passes the way for 744 km. Two rivers, the South and the Sukhona, give rise to it, so that later the river basin would occupy an area equal to 357 thousand square meters. km, and the water consumption was 3490 cubic meters / s. This is an important navigable artery that provides a water passage from Severodvinsk to Veliky Ustyug, as well as the historical center of the beginning of shipbuilding in Russia.

The Volga takes its origins in the Valdai Upland. This is one of the largest rivers in Europe, receiving up to one and a half hundred tributaries along its route, including the Kama and Oka, the largest of them. There are numerous reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations on the river. The water supply system connects the river with the Baltic, White, Black and The Azov seas... Akhtuba is the longest of the Volga's sleeves. The total floodplain of these two rivers covers 7600 sq. km.

The Kama is considered the fifth river in Europe in terms of channel length - 2030 km, as well as an important river artery. Being a tributary of the Volga, it also absorbs the waters of smaller rivers on its way, such as Vyatka, Vishera, Belaya, Chusovaya. Only large tributaries Kama has more than two hundred. The Kama, Botkin and Nizhnekamsk hydroelectric power stations with reservoirs were built on the river.

The Oka is a tributary of the Volga (region Nizhny Novgorod). The river bed is characterized by differences in slope and width. Among the large tributaries are the Ugra, Moskva River, Klyazma and Moksha. Hydrological studies make it possible to divide the Oka route into three parts: upper (Aleksin - Shchurovo), middle (Shchurovo - Moksha mouth), lower (Moksha mouth - Volga).

Don - the river is calm and slow due to a slight slope along the entire route. Its largest tributaries are the Seversky Donets, Manych and Sal. The river is actively used for generating electricity, shipping and irrigation of adjacent lands. The Dnieper in the European part of Russia ranks third (behind the Volga and Kama) in terms of the size of the basin, with an area of ​​503 thousand square meters. km. On the path of 2285 km, the Dnieper follows from the source to the Black Sea (Dnieper-Bug estuary). It is a flat river with a wide floodplain and numerous branches and significant fluctuations in water level (up to 12 m in the Smolensk region). In ancient times, a section of the legendary route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" (10-12 centuries) passed along the Dnieper.

The Ural is one of the largest rivers in the European part of Russia and is located in the southeast of the Black Sea-Caspian slope. Its length is 2530 km from the source to the confluence with the Caspian Sea, and the basin area covers 220 thousand square meters. km. Due to the strong tortuosity of the channel, the Urals are usually divided into three parts: upper (source - Orsk), middle (Orsk - Uralsk) and lower (Uralsk - mouth). In the Urals, a network of reservoirs has been built to supply water to the city and regional enterprises.

The Yenisei belongs to the largest rivers of the Earth in terms of the length of the channel and the area of ​​the water basin. On the territory of Russia, the Yenisei basin unites up to two hundred thousand rivers and up to one and a half thousand lakes. The channel width varies from 800 meters at the headwaters (Angara region) to 2-5 kilometers in the Ust-Port and Dudinka regions, and the river valley width varies from 40 km (Nizhnyaya Tunguska region) to 150 km (Dudinka region). Exploration of the river began in the first half of the 18th century, thanks to the hydrographer Dmitry Ovtsyn, who was part of the Great Northern Expedition.

Lena is the most large river north of Russia. It flows along the Central Yakut lowland, forming a wide (up to 25 km) valley and feeding on a large number of lakes, swamps, rivers and streams. The Kharaul mountains and the Chekanovsky ridge narrow the valley to two kilometers, and a hundred kilometers from the mouth of the Lena, it expands again and forms a delta of 30 thousand square meters. km. The Great Northern Expedition initiated the systematic study of the river, and its first scientific and geographical description was made by the naturalist Johann Gmelin.

Ob has the largest water reserve in the north of the country. It unites the streams of two rivers that form it: the Biya, which originates in Lake Teletskoye, and the Katun, which feeds on the glaciers of Mount Belukha (Altai). The channel, which is deep at the beginning of the current, divides into the Bolshaya and Malaya Ob, then merges into one stream (the Salekhard region), and in the delta again bifurcates into the Khamanel and Nadym Ob. Arrival at the mouth great river ships of the Second Kamchatka Expedition marked the beginning of the development of the Northern Sea Route.

Kolyma flows through the north-east of Siberia. After a deep and narrow valley of the upper reaches, on a granite ridge, the river forms the steps of the Great Kolyma rapids. In the middle of its way, the Kolyma splits into numerous (up to ten) channels, and as many as three rivers come to the Kolyma Bay: Kamennaya (Kolymskaya), Pokhodskaya and Chukochya. The river basin is famous for the finds of animal bones and gold deposits.