The Yenisei is one of the largest rivers in Russia and the world. Its length is 3,487 km, the basin area is 2,580,000 km2. In ancient times, the locals called it differently. For example, the Tuvans gave the Yenisei the name “Ulug-Khem”, which translates as “great river”. The Evenks called the river "Ionesi" - translated as "big water".
There were also names Ene-Sai, Kim, Hook and others. However, Russian merchants who traded with the Evenks began to call the river an Evenk name, only remaking the name in their own way. And Ionesi became Yenisei. The river is now known under this name.
Three mighty rivers flow through Siberia: Ob, Lena and Yenisei. But it is the Yenisei that divides Siberia into two equal parts: Western and Eastern. It crosses the land in a swift stream, passing through mountains and plains, steppes and forests.
Where does the Yenisei flow
The Yenisei is the deepest and most abundant river in Russia, the basin of which is twice the size of the Volga basin and five times the size of the Dnieper basin. This basin is asymmetric - the area located to the right of the river is five times larger than the left side of the basin. The Yenisei flows through the territory of Tuva, Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia. It originates from the confluence of the Big Yenisei and the Small Yenisei not far from the city of Kyzyl, and flows into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean.
In the world ranking, the Yenisei ranks fifth in the length of the waterway, leaving ahead of itself the Amazon, Nile, Yangtze and Mississippi. The Yenisei waterway begins in the Khangai Mountains with the Ider River in Mongolia. Then it continues along the rivers Delger-Muren and Selenga. The latter flows into Lake Baikal, from which the Angara flows out. Above the Yeniseisk, the Angara flows into the Yenisei.
If we talk about the length of the Yenisei, then Lake Kara-Balyk, located in the Eastern Sayan Mountains, is taken as a starting point. The Biy-Khem river (translated as Big Yenisei) originates from it. Merging with the Small Yenisei (Kaa-Khem) near the city of Kyzyl, it forms the full-flowing Yenisei.
In terms of the basin area, this Siberian river is also one of the largest in the world. True, in this case, Yenisei takes seventh, not fifth, place. In addition, the reservoir passes ahead of itself another full-flowing Siberian river Ob, the basin area of which is 2,990,000 km2.
The river is conventionally divided into parts:
- The Upper Yenisei begins near the city of Kyzyl, where the Big and Small Yenisei merge. It flows to the Krasnoyarsk reservoir for 600 kilometers through the mountainous terrain. The largest tributaries of the Upper Yenisei are Khemchik, Tuba and Abakan.
- The middle Yenisei is the part that connects the Krasnoyarsk reservoir and the confluence of the Angara. After the Krasnoyarsk storage facility, the area along which the Yenisei flows loses its mountain character.
- The lower Yenisei is long and wide. The length is 1,820 km, and the width ranges from 2.5 to 5 km. The two banks of the river are different here. The right one is mountainous, the left one is flat. The lower Yenisei reaches the village of Ust-Port.
The sources and estuaries of the river
Officially, the source of the Yenisei is the high-mountainous lake Kara-Balyk in the Eastern Sayan Mountains, from where the Biy-Khem River originates. There is also Kaa-Khem, aka Small Yenisei, with which Biy-Khem merges near the city of Kyzyl. The origins of Kaa-Khem are in Mongolia.
The mouth of the Yenisei is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The river passes into the Yenisei Bay, which is 50 km wide and 50-60 meters deep. The stream at the mouth is calm. The northern port of Russia is located here.
The food on the Yenisei is mixed, with snow predominating (50%). About 40% of the Yenisei "gets" due to the rains, the rest is added by underground sources. The freezing of the river begins in early October, and at the end of October, the lower reaches of the Yenisei are frozen. In mid-November, the ice reaches Krasnoyarsk and by December reaches the top of the river.
Tributaries of the Yenisei
The Yenisei is a full-flowing river. More than 500 tributaries and even more streams carry water into it. There are more right tributaries than left ones. Large right tributaries: Angara, Kebezh, Lower Tunguska. And also Sisim, Podkamennaya Tunguska, Kureika and others. Left tributaries: Abakan, Sym, Bolshaya and Malaya Kheta, Kas, Turukhan. Let's consider some of them in more detail.
The Lower Tunguska is the longest right tributary of the Yenisei. The length is almost 3000 km. The Lower Tunguska flows in Siberia (Irkutsk Region, Krasnoyarsk Territory). The source of the river is considered to be an underground spring on the Tunguska ridge of the Central Siberian plateau. Conventionally, the water flow is divided into two regions: upstream and downstream.
The upper part of the river has a wide valley and gentle slopes. The length of this section is almost 600 km. In the lower reaches, the width of the valley often changes, becomes narrower, and the shores become rocky. The uniqueness of this area lies in the fact that sometimes there are eddies in some areas.
The Angara River is a deep right tributary of the Yenisei with a length of 1,779 km. The source is Lake Baikal. Angara is the only river that flows out of this lake. The catchment area is 1 million km2. Outflowing from Baikal, it leaves in a northern direction to the city of Ust-Ilimsk. Then it turns west.
The river has sharp elevation changes. Four hydroelectric power plants were built along the length of the channel. The cities of Angarsk, Irkutsk, Bratsk rise on the banks of the river. More than 30 species of fish are found in the river, among them: grayling, perch, taimen, lenok.
Podkamennaya Tunguska is another large tributary of the Yenisei. The length of the watercourse is 1865 km. The source of the river is the Angarsk ridge (upland), the entire channel runs along the Central Siberian plateau.
Podkamennaya Tunguska is considered mainly a mountain river. The current speed is up to 3-4 m per second. The river is fed by mixed, snow-fed prevails. The river is navigable, it is used in the transport sector.
The longest left tributary of the Yenisei. The length reaches 700 km. The Sym flows through the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The catchment area is 61 thousand km2.
The source of the river is considered to be a swamp in the east of the West Siberian Plain. Food - mixed, snow type prevails. The river is navigable from the mouth for 300 km.
Left tributary of the Yenisei. Its length is 639 km. It begins its journey along the West Siberian Plain, flows through the territory of the Turukhansk District (Krasnoyarsk Territory). Flowing into the Yenisei, it forms a picturesque delta.
In the lower reaches, the river is navigable, but in summer it becomes shallow and becomes unsuitable for the passage of ships. Turukhan is meandering, with a wide channel and a slow current.
Bolshaya Kheta is a left tributary of the Yenisei with a length of 646 km. The source of the reservoir is Lake Elovoe of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. In some sources, another name for the river is sometimes found - Elovaya.
The movement of the watercourse is fast, the coastline consists of steep slopes. The channel is meandering. There are about 6,000 lakes in the Kheta basin. Fishermen come to these places for their catch. There are pike, perch and taimen.
- Flowing almost along the line of the meridian, the Yenisei seems to divide the territory of Russia in half. And near the city of Kyzyl, at the confluence of Biy-Khem and Kaa-Khem, i.e. at the beginning of the Yenisei, there is an obelisk with the inscription "Center of Asia".
- The length of the Yenisei is estimated as follows - from the confluence of Biy-Khem and Kaa-Khem 3487 km, from the sources of Biy-Khem 4123 km, and if you count from the sources of Kaa-Khem - 4287 km.
- The Yenisei is the deepest river in Russia. The depth of the reservoir allows even sea vessels to climb it. The depths measured on the Yenisei reach 70 m. And at the mouth, in the area of the Brekhov Islands archipelago, the depth of the Yenisei reaches 75 m. From the side of a ship sailing along the Yenisei in these places, no shores are visible.
Everyone knows that Siberia is a part of the territory of the Russian Federation (and most of it). And they heard about her untold riches, and about the beauty, and about the importance for the country - most likely, too. But where Siberia is located, many find it difficult to answer. Even Russians will not always be able to show it on a map, let alone foreigners. And the more difficult will be the question of where Western Siberia is, and where is its eastern part.
Geographic location of Siberia
Siberia is called a region that unites many administrative-territorial units of Russia - regions, republics, autonomous districts and territories. Its total area is approximately 13 million square kilometers, which is 77 percent of the entire territory of the country. A small part of Siberia belongs to Kazakhstan.
To understand where Siberia is, you need to take a map, find it on it and "walk" from them to the east to the Pacific Ocean itself (the path will be approximately 7 thousand km). And then to find the Arctic Ocean and descend "from its shores" to the north of Kazakhstan and to the borders with Mongolia and China (3.5 thousand km).
It is within these limits that Siberia is located, which occupies the northeastern part of the Eurasian continent. In the west, it ends at the foot of the Ural Mountains, in the east it is limited by the Oceanic Ridges. The north of Mother Siberia "flows" into the Arctic Ocean, and the south rests on the rivers: Lena, Yenisei and Ob.
And all this space, rich in natural resources and untrodden paths, is usually divided into Western Siberia and Eastern Siberia.
Where is the geographic location
The western part of Siberia stretches from the Ural Mountains to the Yenisei River for 1500-1900 kilometers. Its length from is a little more - 2500 km. And the total area is almost 2.5 million square kilometers (15% of the territory of the Russian Federation).
Most of it lies on the West Siberian Plain. It covers such regions of the Russian Federation as Kurgan, Tyumen, Omsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk (partially). It also includes the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Altai Territory, the Altai Republic, Khakassia and the western part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Where is Eastern Siberia located? Features of the territorial location
Most of Siberia is called Eastern. Its territory covers about seven million square kilometers. It stretches eastward from the Yenisei River to the mountain formations dividing the Arctic and Pacific oceans.
The northernmost point of Eastern Siberia is considered and the southern limit is the borders with China and Mongolia.
This part is mainly located on and covers the Taimyr Territory, Yakutia, Tungus, Irkutsk Region, Buryatia, and also Transbaikalia.
Thus, the answer to the question of where Siberia is located has been received, and it will not be a problem to find it on the map. It remains to supplement theoretical knowledge with practical and find out what Siberia is from the traveler's personal experience.
2. Give an assessment of the geographical position of Siberia.
The physical map of Russia clearly shows that the region (about 10 million km2) stretches from the Ural Mountains in the west to the mountain ranges of the Pacific Ocean divide in the east and from the cold northern seas to the southern border of Russia. All of Siberia is located in the Asian part of Russia. Siberia is located in the arctic, subarctic and temperate climatic zones. Moreover, most of its territory lies in the area of continental and sharply continental climate. Between the Ural Mountains and the Yenisei lies one of the greatest plains in the world - West Siberian. A characteristic feature of its nature is swampiness. More than 60% of Russian peat is concentrated in the swamps of Western Siberia. The largest rivers of Russia flow through the territory of Siberia - the Ob with the Irtysh, the Yenisei, belonging to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. They are practically clear-cut natural boundaries separating the regions of the Asian part of Russia from one another.
3. Choose the correct answer. The area of the Siberian region is about: a) 5 million km2; b) 7 million km2; c) 10 million km2; d) 20 million km2.
4. Choose the correct answer. Western and Eastern Siberia is divided by the river: a) Ob; b) Yenisei; c) Lena.
5. Choose the correct answer. In Siberia, the largest area is occupied by a natural zone: a) taiga; b) tundra; c) steppes.
6. On the map (see p. 185), trace which railway Siberia is connected with the European part of Russia and the Far East. What is the name of this highway? How long is it?
The Trans-Siberian Railway (Transsib), the Great Siberian Way (historical name) is a railway across Eurasia connecting Moscow with the largest East Siberian and Far Eastern industrial cities of Russia. The length of the highway is 9288.2 km, it is the longest railway in the world.
7. Give an assessment of the natural conditions of Siberia for life, everyday life and economic activity of people.
The natural conditions of Siberia are diverse - from arctic tundras to dry steppes and semi-deserts. In most of the territory, they are harsh and unfavorable for human life and economic activity due to the sharp continentality of the climate and its inherent large amplitude of annual and daily temperatures, openness to the influence of cold air masses of the Arctic Ocean, and widespread permafrost. The relief of the region is diverse: the southern part of the West Siberian Plain, the Altai Mountains, the Kuznetsk Alatau, the Salair Ridge are located here, a huge territory is occupied by the Central Siberian Plateau, which in the north is replaced by the North Siberian Lowland, and to the south - by the system of mountain ranges of the Western and Eastern Sayan , the mountains of Transbaikalia. The basis of the economic complex of the region is its unique natural resource potential, and, first of all, reserves of hard and brown coal, oil and gas, hydropower, coniferous wood. A significant part of ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores and large reserves of chemical raw materials are also concentrated here.
Siberia, which seems so distant, harsh and cold, of course, is actually quite inhabited region. To live here, you have to adapt to many things. Snow in Siberian cities lies from the beginning of November (sometimes October), becoming a familiar and integral part of the landscape right up to April. Summer seems successful if there were at least a dozen hot days, which usually fall in July, and in September people are already putting on hats.
8. Write down at least five sentences that, in your opinion, characterize Siberia most vividly.
1. Siberia is a vast geographic region in the northeastern part of Eurasia
2. Siberia makes up about 73.56% of the territory of Russia, its area, even without the Far East, is larger than the territory of the second largest state in the world after Russia - Canada.
3. The average population density of Siberia and the Far East is 2 people per 1 km².
4. Siberia has a huge variety of zonal and intrazonal landscapes, which could not but affect the number and species diversity of the fauna of these places.
5. Siberia is rich in resources, and its territory is concentrated: 85% of all-Russian reserves of lead and platinum, 80% of coal and molybdenum, 71% of nickel, 89% of oil, 95% of gas, 69% of copper, 44% of silver and 40% of gold.
6. Natural conditions of Siberia are diverse - from arctic tundras to dry steppes and semi-deserts.
9. Using knowledge of geography and biology, additional literature, find out how the West Siberian taiga differs from the East Siberian. Why do you think, despite the fact that the Siberian taiga occupies vast areas, does it need protection? Give at least 6-7 arguments.
The West Siberian taiga consists almost exclusively of Siberian fir and Siberian cedar. The undergrowth in it is formed by mountain ash, bird cherry, yellow acacia (caragana) and wild rose. In Western Siberia, especially on the Ob-Irtysh and Ob-Yenisei watershed, the taiga is interrupted by colossal swamps occupying tens of thousands of square kilometers. The variety of bogs is great - here there are sedge bogs, peat bogs with bog pine - “ryamas” and “gali”, and swampy forests.
The taiga of East Siberia is characterized by a sharply continental climate and insignificant swampiness. Central Siberian taiga is predominantly light coniferous taiga, consisting mainly of Naurian larch and pine with an insignificant admixture of dark coniferous species - cedar, spruce and fir. The main reasons for the paucity of the species composition of the eastern taiga are permafrost and a sharp continental climate.
Arguments in favor of protecting the taiga:
1. The massifs of the Siberian taiga are called the green "lungs" of the planet (by analogy with the South American gilea), since the oxygen and carbon balance of the surface layer of the atmosphere depends on the state of these forests.
2. The reserves of industrial wood are concentrated in the taiga
3. Unique natural landscapes
4. Unique flora
5. Unique fauna
6. Forest litter absorbs rainfall, melt water, replenishes groundwater reserves.
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