The largest river in Europe. The largest rivers in the European part of Russia are the Volga, Kama, Oka, Don. The largest river in the European part of the country.

The river network is most developed in the northern part of the region, in the zone of excess moisture (forest zone). As you move south, surface and underground flow decreases more and more, precipitation decreases, relative losses due to evaporation increase, groundwater lies deeper, etc. In accordance with this, the river network becomes less and less frequent, and in arid steppes and especially In the semi-desert, vast drainage-free spaces appear, that is, areas devoid of permanent rivers.

The hydrographic network in such places is represented by dry channels that operate for a short time during snowmelt or intense rainfall. Large rivers - the Volga and Dnieper - flowing through the steppe spaces, receive only relatively small tributaries and increase their water content little. In the semi-desert zone they even lose part of their water to evaporation and filtration (Volga below Volgograd, Ural).

In the steppe and forest-steppe zones, especially in areas with loess soils, a gully-beam network has become widespread, representing a dense network of temporary watercourses that operate only during the period of snowmelt or intense rainfall. In some places, the rapidly growing network of ravines causes great damage to agriculture, destroying fertile black soil.

Most of the area's watercourses are typical lowland rivers. They usually have well-developed valleys with wide, often swampy floodplains, abundant lakes and old rivers. Their flow rates and slopes are also low, not exceeding 0.1-0.3°/oo. Sharp fractures of the longitudinal profile are rare and are confined to places of shallow bedrock, cut here and there by rivers. There are a large number of unstable sandy rapids in river beds.

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 bank is flat and low. An explanation for this is found in the deviation of river flows 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. The Ural is also one of the large rivers in the southeast.

The Volga is one of the largest rivers in Europe. Among the rivers of Russia, it ranks sixth, inferior in drainage area only to the Siberian giant rivers - the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur and Irtysh. It originates on the Valdai Hills, where the source is taken to be a key secured by a wooden frame near the village of Volgine. The source point 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 1,380,000 km 2.

In terms of drainage area (220,000 km 2) and length (2,530 km), the Ural is one of the largest rivers in the European part of Russia. It originates from Southern Urals near the source of the river Belaya (the left tributary of the Kama) and initially flows directly to the south. Near the city of Orsk it turns sharply to the west, and, having traveled about 850 km in the latitudinal direction, in the area of ​​the city of Uralsk it again turns south almost at a right angle and maintains this direction until it flows into the Caspian Sea. According to these three main directions, 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 Uralsk, and the lower - from the city of Uralsk to the mouth.

Economic importance and use of rivers in the southeastern part of the region

Of the rivers in the southeastern part of the region, the Ural is of greatest importance, the waters of which 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 Orsko-Khalilovsky plant and other cities and industrial enterprises. The lower reaches of the Urals are used for shipping.

The Don, in terms of its catchment area of ​​422,000 km 2, ranks fourth 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 Central Russian Upland, at an altitude of about 180 m above sea level. The origin of it was previously taken to be the place of exit from the lake. Ivan. In reality, there is usually no flow from Ivan Lake to the Don. The sources of the Don are considered to be the springs located somewhat south of the lake. Ivan.

The Dnieper is the third, after the Volga and Kama, river in the European part of the country in terms of drainage area. 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 ​​503,000 km 2. The length of the river from its source to its 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 riverbed is split into numerous branches. According to the nature of the valley and bed, as well as a number of other characteristics, the Dnieper is usually divided into three sections: the upper - from the source to the city of Kiev, the middle - from the city of Kiev to the city of Zaporozhye and the lower - from the city of Zaporozhye to the mouth.

The Upper Dnieper covers most 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. The main flow of the river is formed in this part of the basin; more than 80% of the total flow passes through the Kyiv section. From the source and almost to the city of Orsha, the Dnieper flows along the border of the penultimate glaciation. Here, in places, when crossing moraine ridges, the river valley narrows and the river forms rapids, replete with boulders.

5 km above the city of Orsha, the Dnieper crosses a ridge of gray sandstone and forms the famous Kobelyak rapids, which present a significant obstacle to navigation in low water.

Below the city of Orsha, right up to the city of Kyiv, the Dnieper flows along the bottom of a wide valley, reaching a width of 10-14 km in places. Among the vast, sometimes swampy floodplain, the Dnieper channel forms numerous bends.

A characteristic feature of the middle Dnieper is a clearly defined asymmetrical valley, the right bank of which is high and steep, and the left bank is flat and low. Here the river, as it were, presses its right bank against the Volyn-Podolsk Upland and goes around it. On the left, an ancient terrace adjoins the Dnieper, looking like a wide, gently sloping plain. The main tributaries of the middle Dnieper are the Sula, Psel, and Vorskla. In the lower part of this section, from Dnepropetrovsk to Zaporozhye, the Dnieper, for 90 km, crosses the Azov-Podolsk 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 were an obstacle to navigation.

During the years of Stalin's five-year plans, the most powerful hydroelectric power station in Europe, the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station, was created in the area of ​​the Dnieper rapids; its 37 m high dam completely blocked the rapids, forming in their place a reservoir named after V.I. Lenin. Thus, in those days the problem of improving the navigation conditions of the Dnieper was radically solved.

Below the Dnieper hydroelectric power station, the Dnieper enters the Black Sea Lowland. The terrain on both banks of the river takes on a steppe, flat character. The river slope becomes insignificant (0.09-0.05°/oo); the total drop from Zaporozhye to the mouth is only 14 m. The river bed is divided into many branches, forming flat sandy islands overgrown with reeds. These are the so-called Dnieper flood plains, up to 20 km wide and limited on the left side of the river. A horse-drawn tram, which forms the border of the left floodplain of the Dnieper.

Below the city of Kherson, the Dnieper forms a delta, flowing into the Dnieper estuary with many branches. Having a large catchment area, the Dnieper is not characterized by high water content. Its average annual water flow at the mouth is 1700 m 3 /sec, which corresponds to a runoff module of 3.1 l/sec km 2. In terms of its water content, the Dnieper ranks sixth among the rivers of the European part of the former Soviet Union, behind not only the Volga and Kama, but also the Pechora, Northern Dvina and Neva. With a catchment area slightly smaller than the Kama, the average annual water flow of the Dnieper is approximately 2 times less than the latter’s flow.

Like other rivers of the European part, the Dnieper experiences high spring floods, which are formed due to the melting of snow accumulated over the winter in its basin. More than 50% of the total annual flow passes in the spring. The peak of the flood in the upper reaches occurs in mid-April, and in the lower reaches - in early May. After the passage of the flood, the level in the river drops sharply and during June, July and August low water is observed. The lowest level is observed in July.

The amplitude of level fluctuations is quite significant, especially in the upper reaches. In the Smolensk region, for example, it reaches 12 m. Below is information on the length, catchment areas and water flows of the main tributaries of the Dnieper (Table 1).

Table 1. Information about 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. Back in the 10th-12th centuries, the famous route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed along it.

Navigation begins in the section of the upper Dnieper near the city of Dorogobuzh and is carried out throughout the rest of the river. The importance of the Dnieper as a waterway especially increased after the construction of the Dnieper hydroelectric power station, when the Dnieper basin received direct communication with the sea. With the help of connecting water systems, the Dnieper is connected with adjacent basins: the Berezinsky system connects it with the Western Dvina basin, the Dnieper-Neman Canal with the Neman basin, the Dnieper-Bug Canal with 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 navigation. The rivers included in the systems (Neman and Western Dvina) are not regulated and, due to their rapidity, are inaccessible for through navigation. During Patriotic War the structures 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 of them are not large in size and have a relatively short length, their total length is 6.5 million km.

The Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea divide the territory of Russia into European and Asian parts. The rivers of the European part belong to the basins of such seas as the Black, Caspian, Baltic and the Arctic Ocean. Rivers of the Asian part - the basins of the Arctic and Pacific oceans.

Large rivers of Russia

Largest rivers the European part - 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 - Valdai Upland, Tver region of the Russian Federation, mouth - Gulf of Riga, Latvia) . The Asian part is crossed by such large rivers as the Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka, and Kolyma.

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 km2), 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, and 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 begins in the Altai Mountains, at the source of the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers. In the southern part of Novosibirsk, a constructed dam forms a reservoir, the so-called “Ob Sea”, then the river flows through the Ob Bay (an area of ​​more than 4 thousand km²) into the Kara Sea, basin of the Arctic Ocean. The water in the river has a high content organic matter and low oxygen levels. Used for commercial fish production (valuable species - sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, broad whitefish, whitefish, peled, as well as small fish - pike, ide, burbot, dace, roach, crucian carp, perch), electricity production (Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station 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 Western and Eastern part. The Yenisei is one of the largest rivers in the world, together with the tributaries Angara, Selenga and the Ider River, 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), and flows into the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean basin. The river itself is called the Yenisei near the city of Kyzyl ( Krasnoyarsk region, Republic of Tyva), where the confluence of the Big and Small Yenisei rivers occurs. It has a large number of tributaries (up to 500), about 30 thousand km long, the largest: Angara, Abakan, Lower Tunguska. Chicken. Dudinka and others. The river is navigable, it is one of the most important waterways in the Krasnoyarsk region of Russia, such large hydroelectric power stations as Sayano-Shushenskaya, Mainskaya, Krasnoyarsk are located downstream, timber rafting is carried out...

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 sources are in the mountains of western Manchuria (China), at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. The current has an eastern direction and passes through the territory Far East, starting on the Russian-Chinese border, its mouth is located in the Gulf of Tatar (its northern part is called the Amur Estuary) of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, which belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin. Large tributaries: Zeya, Bureya, Ussuri, Anyui, Sungari, Amgun.

The river is characterized by sharp fluctuations in water levels, which are caused by summer and autumn monsoon precipitation; with heavy rainfall, 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 have been built here (Zeyskaya, Bureyskaya), commercial fisheries are developed (the Amur has the most developed ichthyofauna among all the rivers of Russia, about 140 species of fish live here, 39 species 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 "Toa folk beauty, like a deep 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 passes through Kazakhstan (0.2%).

This is one of the largest rivers in Russia and throughout Europe. Its sources are located 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 river bed (15 subjects are located here) Russian Federation) is called the Volga region, there are four large millionaire cities here: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd, 8 hydroelectric power stations of the Volga-Kama cascade...

The Ural River, 2428 km long (the third largest in Europe after the Volga and Danube) and a basin area of ​​2310 thousand km², is unique in that it divides the continent of Eurasia into two parts of the world, Asia and Europe, so 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 a mouth with branches and flows into the Caspian Sea. The Urals are used to an insignificant extent for shipping; in the Orenburg region, the Iriklinskoe reservoir and hydroelectric power station were built on the river, and commercial fishing is carried out for fish (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, its basin area is 422 thousand km², and in terms of volume of water it passes, it is the fourth in Europe after the Volga, Dnieper and Danube.

This river is one of the most ancient, its age is 23 million years, its sources are located 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, and Medveditsa. The river is rapid and shallow, has a typical flat character, and such large million-plus cities as Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don are located here. The Don is navigable from its mouth to the city of Voronezh, there are several reservoirs, the Tsimlyansk hydroelectric station...

The Northern Dvina River, 744 km long and with 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 near Veliky Ustyug (Vologda region), has a northern flow direction to Arkhangelsk, then northwest and again north, near Novodvinsk (a city in the Arkhangelsk region) it 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 the Vychegda, Vaga, Pinega, Yumizh. The river is navigable along its entire length; the oldest paddle steamer, built in 1911, N.V., plies here. Gogol"...

The Neva River flowing through the territory Leningrad region, connecting Lake Ladoga with the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, is one of the most picturesque and deep-flowing rivers in Russia. Length - 74 km, basin area of ​​48 thousand rivers and 26 thousand lakes - 5 thousand km². 26 rivers and rivulets flow into the Neva, the main tributaries are Mga, Izhora, Okhta, Chernaya Rechka.

The Neva is the only river flowing from the Shlisselburg Bay in Lake Ladoga, its bed flows through the territory of the Neva Lowland, its 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 cities such 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 ( Caucasus Mountains) and flows through the territory North Caucasus, forming a delta, flows into the Sea of ​​Azov. 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 river is home to the largest reservoir in the Caucasus - Krasnodar, the Kuban cascade of hydroelectric power stations, the cities of Karachaevsk, Cherkessk, Armavir, Novokubansk, Krasnodar, Temryuk...

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

Top 10 longest rivers in Russia flowing under one name:

Top 10 rivers of Russia by total drainage basin area thousand km2:

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

The Lena flows out of Lake Baikal, forms a bend and continues northward to the Laptev Sea, where it forms a large delta. The length of the river route is 4400 km, the basin area is 2490 thousand square meters. km., and water consumption is 16350 m3/s. In terms of length, the Lena ranks 11th in the world, and the longest river in Russia. The name comes from the Evenki language (“Eluene” - 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 bay, up to 800 km long, called the Gulf of Ob. It is formed in Altai from the confluence of two rivers: Biya and Katun. It ranks first in terms of basin area, that is, the largest river in Russia (2990 thousand sq. km) and 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”, “auntie”, “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 flowing into the Caspian Sea. The river basin occupies 1855 thousand square meters. km (a third of the European part of Russia) with a water flow of 8060 m3/s. There are 9 hydroelectric power stations with reservoirs on the Volga and up to half of all Russian industry and Agriculture. The Yenisei crosses Russia and Mongolia for 4,287 kilometers (3,487 km of which are in Russia) and flows into the Yenisei Bay 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 water consumption 19800 m3/s. The 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 “enee-Sai” (mother river).

The Amur flows through Russia, Mongolia and China and flows into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (Amur Estuary). This Rossi River has a length of 2824 km, a basin area of ​​1855 thousand square meters. km and water consumption equal to 10900 m3/s. The Amur crosses four physical-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 much debate, but the most common opinion derives it from “Amar” or “Damar” (Tungus-Manchu group of languages). In China, the Amur is called the Black Dragon River, and for Russia it is a symbol of Transbaikalia and the Far East.

The Kolyma begins at the confluence of the Kulu and Ayan-Yuryakh rivers (Yakutia) and flows into the Kolyma Bay after 2129 kilometers of its path. The river basin covers an area of ​​643 thousand square meters. km, and water consumption is 3800 m3/s. IN Magadan region this is the largest water artery.

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 water consumption 680 m3/s. According to scientists, some sections of the river bed are about 23 million years old. The ancient Greeks mentioned the 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 Kotui 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 water flow 3320 m3/s. The first mentions of Khatanga were based on reports from the Tungus and date back to the beginning of the 17th century.

The Indigirka is formed from the rivers Tuora-Yuryakh and Taryn-Yuryakh (Khalkan mountain range) and flows for 1,726 kilometers through the lands of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), flowing into the East Siberian Sea. The area of ​​its water basin is 360 thousand square meters. km, and water consumption is 1570 m3/s. The word “Indigir” is of Evenki origin and means “people from the Indi clan.” The river is known for its attractions - the village of Oymyakon (the northern pole of cold) and the monument city of Zashiversk, the entire population of which died out from smallpox in the 19th century.

The Northern Dvina flows through the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions from the south to the north and, before flowing into the Dvina Bay (White Sea) in the form of a wide delta, it travels a distance of 744 km. Two rivers, the Yug and the Sukhona, give rise to it, so that the river basin subsequently occupies an area equal to 357 thousand square meters. km, and the water consumption was 3490 m3/s. This is an important shipping artery, providing a water crossing between Severodvinsk and Veliky Ustyug, as well as the historical center of the beginning of shipbuilding in Rus'.

The Volga takes its sources on the Valdai Hills. 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. A system of water canals connects the river with the Baltic, White, Black and Azov seas. Akhtuba is the longest branch of the Volga. The total floodplain of these two rivers covers 7600 square meters. km.

The Kama is considered the fifth river in Europe in terms of channel length - 2030 km, as well as an important river highway. Being a tributary of the Volga, it also absorbs more water on its way small rivers such as Vyatka, Vishera, Belaya, Chusovaya. There are more than two hundred large tributaries of the Kama alone. The Kamskaya, Botkinskaya and Nizhnekamskaya 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 major tributaries are the Ugra, Moscow River, Klyazma and Moksha. Hydrological studies make it possible to divide the Oka path into three parts: upper (Aleksin - Shchurovo), middle (Shchurovo - mouth of Moksha), lower (mouth of Moksha - Volga).

The Don is a calm and slow river due to a slight slope along the entire route. Among its largest tributaries are the Seversky Donets, Manych and Sal. The river is actively used for electricity, navigation 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 a 2285 km route, the Dnieper follows from its source to the Black Sea (Dnieper-Bug estuary). This 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” passed along the Dnieper (10th-12th centuries).

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 its source to its confluence with the Caspian Sea, and the basin area covers 220 thousand square meters. km. Due to the strong tortuosity of the riverbed, the Urals are usually divided into three parts: the upper (source - Orsk), middle (Orsk - Uralsk) and lower (Uralsk - mouth). A network of reservoirs has been built in the Urals, providing water to the cities and enterprises of the region.

The Yenisei is one of the largest rivers on Earth in terms of channel length and water basin area. 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 width of the channel varies from 800 meters at the source (Angara region) to 2-5 kilometers in the Ust-Port and Dudinka region, and the width of the river valley varies from 40 km (Lower Tunguska region) to 150 km (Dudinka region). Research on 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 largest river in northern Russia. It flows through the Central Yakut Lowland, forming a wide (up to 25 km) valley and fed by a large number of lakes, swamps, rivers and rivulets. 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 marked the beginning of a systematic study of the river, and its first scientific and geographical description was made by naturalist Johann Gmelin.

The Ob has the largest water reserves in the north of the country. It combines the flows of the two rivers that form it: the Biya, which originates in Lake Teletskoye, and the Katun, which is fed by the glaciers of Mount Belukha (Altai). The channel, deep at the beginning of the flow, is divided into the Big and Small Ob, then merges into one stream (Salekhard region), and in the delta it again bifurcates into the Khamanel and Nadym Ob. Arrival at the mouth great river The ships of the Second Kamchatka Expedition marked the beginning of the development of the Northern Sea Route.

The Kolyma flows through northeastern Siberia. After a deep and narrow upper valley, on a granite ridge the river forms the steps of the Great Kolyma Rapids. In the middle of its journey, the Kolyma breaks up into numerous (up to a dozen) channels, and as many as three rivers come to the Kolyma Bay: Kamennaya (Kolyma), Pokhodskaya and Chukochya. The river basin is famous for finds of fossil animal bones and gold deposits.

HOLIDAY ON THE RIVERS

Volga - the largest river in Europe, 3888 km long with a basin area of ​​1360 thousand km 2. It originates on the Valdai Hills, flows into the Caspian Sea, forming a delta with an area of ​​19 thousand km 2. It has about 200 tributaries, the largest being the Kama and Oka. The flow is highly regulated by a cascade of hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs. The largest hydroelectric power stations are Volzhskaya (Kuibyshevskaya), Volzhskaya (Volgogradskaya), Cheboksary. Volga connects with Baltic Sea The Volga-Baltic waterway, with the White Sea - the North Dvina water system and the White Sea-Baltic Canal, with the Azov and Black Seas - the Volga-Don shipping canal, with the Moscow River - the Moscow Canal. In the Volga basin there are the Volzhsko-Kama, Zhigulevsky and Astrakhansky nature reserves national park Samara Luka.

Kama - the fifth longest river in Europe (2030 km): only the Volga, Danube, Ural and Dnieper are longer than it, the Kama is one of the most important river highways, has more than 200 large tributaries, such as the Vishera, Chusovaya, Belaya, Vyatka, etc. Drain The Kama River is regulated for a considerable length by the dams of the Kama, Botkinsk and Nizhnekamsk hydroelectric power stations, above which reservoirs were created. At the confluence of the Kama and the Volga there is the Volzh-1-Kama Nature Reserve.

Nature of the Kama Basin is diverse and includes the slopes of the Ural ridge, ancient plateaus, and lowland plains. In the upper reaches - coniferous forests, in the lower reaches there are oak groves and lindens.

Oka - the second largest tributary of the Volga, has a length of 1478 km. It originates on the Central Russian Upland, 4 km from the village. Maloarkhangelsk. It flows into the Volga near Nizhny Novgorod. According to hydrological data and the nature of the path, it is divided into upper, middle and lower sections. Verkhnyaya Oka - from the city of Aleksin to the village. Shchurovo. Average - from the village. Shchurovo (mouth of the Moscow River) to the mouth of the river. Moksha. Here it differs sharply from the upper section - the slopes decrease, the river becomes more abundant. For 100 km (river Shchurovo - Kuzminsk) there is a lock section. The Lower Oka (from the mouth of the Moksha River to Nizhny Novgorod) is characterized by frequent narrowing and widening of the channel from 1 to 2 km. The right bank (from Pavlov to Gorky) is high, the left bank (from Murom to Nizhny Novgorod) is low. Along the banks of the Oka there are cliffs on one side, and water meadows on the other. Closer to the confluence with the Volga, the Oka becomes fuller, coniferous forests and copses appear on the banks.

The main tributaries of the Oka: Ugra, Moscow River, Klyazma, Moksha. On the left bank in the middle reaches is the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve. The Oka is navigable from the city of Chekalin, regular shipping is from Serpukhov.

Don begins on the Central Russian Upland. The length of the Don is about 1970 km, the basin area exceeds 440 thousand km 2. It flows into the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of ​​Azov, forming a delta with an area of ​​340 km 2. Small slopes in the lower reaches provide a very slow flow. The main tributaries: Khoper, Medveditsa, Sal, Seversky Donets. The Tsimlyanskaya hydroelectric power station and reservoir, Nikolaevsky, Konstantinovsky and Kochetkovsky hydroelectric complexes are located on the Don. Navigation from the mouth of the river. Sosny (1604 km), regular shipping - from the town of Liski. In the Don basin - a nature reserve Galichya Mountain. The largest cities: Liski, Kalach-on-Don, Rostov-on-Don, Azov, Volgodonsk.

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 the largest cities in the country are located on rivers.

In total, there are about 3 million rivers on the territory of 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 them brief description and see the geographical location on a map of the country.

Rivers of the Russian Federation

Map of the largest rivers in Russia

The country's territory is divided into European and Asian parts. The dividing line is usually considered to be 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 in European Russia are the Volga, Don, Kama, Oka and Northern Dvina, while some rivers originate in Russia but flow into other countries, such as the Dnieper and Western Dvina. The following large rivers flow through the Asian expanses of the country: Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma.

Of the five main drainage basins: 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 large extent, this basin is filled by the three largest rivers in Russia: the Ob (3650 km), which, together with its main tributary, the Irtysh River, forms a river system 5410 km long, the Yenisei (3487 km), and the Lena (4400 km). The sum of their drainage areas exceeds 8 million km², and the total water flow is about 50,000 m³/s.

Siberia's major rivers provide transport arteries inland to the Arctic Sea Route, although they are blocked by ice for long periods each year. The slight slope of the Ob River causes it to slowly meander through a huge floodplain. Due to the flow to the north, from the upper reaches to the lower boundaries of the thaw, extensive flooding occurs quite often, which leads to the development of huge swamps. The Vasyugan swamps on the Ob-Irtysh interfluve cover an area of ​​more 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-flowing streams flow from the mountains, but most of southeastern Siberia is drained by the Amur River. For most of its length, the Amur forms the border separating Russia and China. The Ussuri, one of the tributaries of the Amur, forms another significant border line between the countries.

Three large drainage basins are located in European Russia south of the Arctic Basin. The Dnieper, only the upper reaches of which are in Russia, as well as the Don and Volga are the longest European river, originating in the north-west of the Valdai Hills and flowing into the Caspian Sea. Second only to the Siberian rivers, the Volga basin covers an area of ​​1,380,000 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 entire Russian inland waterway traffic.

10 largest and longest rivers in Russia

Many mighty 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 by length and by drainage basin area.

Lena

The Lena River is one of the longest rivers on the planet. It originates near Lake Baikal in southern Russia and flows west, and then above Yakutsk it smoothly turns north, where it flows into the Laptev Sea (a basin of the Arctic Ocean). Near its mouth, the river forms a huge delta with an area of ​​32,000 km, which is the largest in the Arctic and the largest protected area wildlife in Russia.

The Lena Delta, which floods every spring, serves as an important area for nesting and migration of birds, and also supports rich fish populations. The river is home to 92 planktonic species, 57 benthos species and 38 fish species. Sturgeon, burbot, chum salmon, whitefish, nelma and albula are the most commercially important fish species.

Swans, dippers, geese, ducks, plovers, waders, snipe, phalaropes, terns, skuas, predator birds, sparrows and gulls are just some of the migratory birds that nest in the Lena's productive wetlands.

Ob

The Ob is the seventh longest river in the world, stretching over a distance of 3,650 kilometers in the Western Siberian region of the Russian Federation. This river playing big economic importance for Russia, it occurs at the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers in Altai. It mainly passes through the country, although many of its tributaries originate in China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The Ob is connected to its largest tributary by the Irtysh River, about 69° east longitude. It flows into the Kara Sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean, forming the Ob Bay. The river has a huge drainage area, which is about 2.99 million km².

The habitat surrounding the Ob consists of vast expanses of steppe and taiga flora in the upper and middle reaches of the river. Birches, pines, firs and cedars are some of the famous trees growing in these areas. Thickets of willow, rose hips and bird cherry also grow along the watercourse. The river basin is replete with aquatic flora and fauna, including more than 50 species of fish (sturgeon, carp, perch, nelma and peled, etc.) and about 150 species of birds. Minks, wolves, Siberian moles, otters, beavers, stoats and other local mammal species. In the lower reaches of the Ob, arctic tundra, characterized 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 European Russia. The Volga originates in the north-west of the Valdai Hills, and flows south over 3530 km, where it flows into the Caspian Sea. About 200 tributaries join the river along the entire route. Eleven of the country's major cities, including Moscow, are located along the Volga basin, which covers an area of ​​1.36 million km².

The climate in the river basin varies along its course from north to south. The northern regions have a temperate climate with cold snowy winter 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, which is home to 430 plant species, 127 fish species, 260 bird species and 850 aquatic species.

Yenisei

The mouth of the Yenisei River is located near the city of Kazyl, where it merges with the Little Yenisei River, which originates in Mongolia and flows north, where it drains a vast area of ​​Siberia before emptying into the Kara Sea (Arctic Ocean), a journey of 3,487 km. The Angara River, which flows from Lake Baikal, is one of the main tributaries of the upper Yenisei.

The waters of the Yenisei are home to about 55 species of local fish, including Siberian sturgeon, flounder, roach, northern pike, Siberian gudgeon, tench and sterlet. Most of the river basin surrounds, mainly consisting of the following rocks coniferous trees: fir, cedar, pine and larch. In some areas of the upper Yenisei there are also steppe pastures. In the north, boreal forests give way to arctic forests. Musk deer, elk, roe deer and Japanese mouse are some of the mammal species found in the taiga forests along the river. Also found are birds such as the Siberian blue robin, Siberian lentil, capercaillie and wood snipe. Ducks, geese and swans are found in the lower reaches of summer time of the year.

Lower Tunguska

The Lower Tunguska is a right tributary of the Yenisei, flowing through the Irkutsk region and Krasnoyarsk region of Russia. Its length is 2989 km, and the basin area is 473 thousand km². The river extends near the watershed between the Yenisei and Lena river basins and flows north and then west across the Central Siberian Plateau.

In the upper reaches the river forms a wide valley with numerous shallows, but after turning to the west the valley narrows and numerous gorges and rapids appear. In the river basin lies the vast Tunguska coal basin.

Amur

The Amur is the tenth longest river in the world, located in East Asia and forms the border between Far Eastern District Russian Federation and Northeast China. The river originates at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. The Amur flows for 2825 km to the northwestern part Pacific Ocean and flows into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

The river has many vegetation 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, home to a huge variety of flora and fauna. These are important refuges for millions of migratory birds, including white storks and red-crowned cranes. The river basin is home to more than 5,000 species of vascular plants, 70 species of mammals and 400 species of birds. Rare and endangered species are found here, such as Amur tiger and the Far Eastern leopard are the most iconic mammal species in the region. The waters of the Amur are home to a wide variety of fish species: about 100 species in the lower reaches and 60 in the upper reaches. Chum salmon, burbot and whitefish are among the most commercially important northern species fish

Vilyui

Vilyui - a river in the 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 ​​​​about 454 thousand km².

The Vilyui originates on the Central Siberian Plateau and first flows east, then south and southeast, and again east to its 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 2,100 kilometers and a basin area of ​​643 thousand km², the Kolyma is the largest river in Eastern Siberia, flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The upper reaches of this river system began to develop back in the Cretaceous period, when the main watershed between the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Arctic Ocean was formed.

At the beginning of its journey, Kolyma makes its way through narrow gorges with numerous rapids. Gradually, its valley expands, and below the confluence with the Zyryanka River, it flows through the wide swampy Kolyma Lowland, and then flows into the East Siberian Sea.

Ural

The Ural is a large river flowing in Russia and Kazakhstan, 2428 km long (1550 km in the Russian Federation), and a basin area of ​​about 231 thousand km². The river originates in Ural mountains on the slopes of the Round Hill and flows in a southerly direction. In the city of Orsk, it turns sharply west through the southern outskirts of the Urals, past Orenburg, and turns south again, heading towards the Caspian Sea. Its flow has a large spring maximum, and freeze-up lasts from late November to April. Navigation on the river is carried out to the city of Oral in Kazakhstan. The dam and hydroelectric power station were built on the Iriklinskoye reservoir, south of the city of Magnitogorsk.

The Ural Delta wetlands are particularly important for migratory birds as a primary refuge along the Asian Flyway. The river is also important for many fish species of the Caspian Sea, which visit its deltas and migrate upstream to spawn. In the lower reaches of the river there are 47 species from 13 families. The carp family accounts for 40% of the species diversity of fish, sturgeon and herring - 11%, perch - 9% and salmon - 4.4%. The main commercial species are sturgeon, roach, bream, pike perch, carp, asp and catfish. TO rare species include Caspian salmon, sterlet, nelma and kutum. The Ural delta and surrounding areas are home to about 48 species of animals, of which 21 species belong to 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 depression 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 for a distance of about 1870 km to Sea of ​​Azov. From its source, the river heads southeast to Voronezh, and then southwest to its mouth. The main tributary of the Don is the Seversky Donets.

Table of the largest rivers of the Russian Federation