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 and have a relatively short length, their total length is 6.5 million km.
By the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea, the territory of Russia is divided into European and Asian parts. The rivers of the European part belong to the basins of such seas as the Black and Caspian, Baltic and to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The rivers of the Asian part - the basins of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.
Major rivers of Russia
The largest rivers of the European part are the Volga, Don, Oka, Kama, Northern Dvina, some originate in Russia, but flow into the seas on the territory of other countries (for example, the source of the Western Dvina River is the Valdai Upland, the Tver Region of the Russian Federation, the mouth is the Gulf of Riga, Latvia). Such large rivers as the Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma flow through the Asian part.
The Lena River, 4400 km long, is one of the most long rivers on our planet (7th place in the world), its sources are located near the deep-sea fresh 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 km 2), 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, Olekma rivers...
The Ob River passes through the territory 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 starts in the Altai Mountains, at the headwaters of the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers, in the southern part of Novosibirsk, the constructed dam forms a reservoir, the so-called "Ob Sea", then the river flows through the Gulf of Ob (area of more than 4 thousand km²) into the Kara Sea, basin of the Arctic Ocean. The water in the river is characterized by a high content of organic matter and a low content of oxygen. It is used for commercial fish production (valuable species - sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, broad whitefish, whitefish, peled, as well as partial species - pike, ide, burbot, dace, roach, crucian carp, perch), power generation (Novosibirskaya HPP 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 the Western and Eastern parts. The Yenisei is one of the largest rivers in the world, together with its tributaries the Angara, the Selenga and the Ider, 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), flows into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean basin. The river itself is called the Yenisei near the city of Kyzyl ( Krasnoyarsk region, Republic of Tuva), where the rivers Big and Small Yenisei meet. It has a large number of tributaries (up to 500), about 30 thousand km long, the largest: Angara, Abakan, Lower Tunguska. Kureika. Dudinka and others. The river is navigable, it is one of the most important waterways in the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia, such large hydroelectric power stations as Sayano-Shushenskaya, Mainskaya, Krasnoyarskaya are located downstream, timber is rafted on rafts ...
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 origins are in the mountains of western Manchuria (China), at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. The current has an easterly direction and passes through the territory Far East, starting at the Russian-Chinese border, its mouth is located in the Tatar Bay (its northern part is called the Amur Estuary) of the Sea of Okhotsk, which belongs to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. Large tributaries: Zeya, Bureya, Ussuri, Anyui, Sungari, Amgun.
The river is characterized by sharp fluctuations in the water level, which is caused by summer and autumn monsoon precipitation, with heavy showers, 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 (Zeyskaya, Bureyskaya) have been built here, commercial fisheries have been developed (the Amur has the most developed ichthyofauna among all the rivers of Russia, about 140 species of fish live here, 39 species of them are commercial) ...
One of the most famous rivers flowing in the European part of Russia, for which the words from the song are composed "Tofolk race, like a full-flowing sea» - Volga. Its length is 3530 km, the basin area is 1360 thousand km² (1/3 of the entire European part of Russia), most of it passes through the territory of Russia (99.8%), the smaller part - Kazakhstan (0.2%).
This is one of the largest rivers in Russia and throughout Europe. Its origins are 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 riverbed (15 subjects are located here Russian Federation) is called the Volga region, there are four large millionaire cities: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd, 8 hydroelectric power stations of the Volga-Kama cascade ...
The Ural River, 2428 km long (third place in Europe after the Volga and Danube) and with a basin area of 2310 thousand km², is unique in that it divides the mainland of Eurasia into two parts of the world, Asia and Europe, therefore one of its banks lies in Europe, the other - in Asia.
The river flows through the territory of Russia and Kazakhstan, begins on the slopes of Uraltau (Bashkortostan), flows from north to south, then changes direction several times to the west, then to the south, then to the east, forms an estuary with branches and flows into the Caspian. For navigation, the Urals are used to a small extent, in the Orenburg region, the Iriklinskoe reservoir and hydroelectric power station were built on the river, commercial fishing is carried out (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, the basin area is 422 thousand km², it is the fourth in Europe after the Volga, Dnieper and Danube in terms of water throughput.
This river is one of the most ancient, its age is 23 million years, the sources are 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, Medveditsa. The river is rapids and shallow, has a typical flat character, such large million-plus cities as Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don are located here. The Don is navigable from the mouth to the city of Voronezh, there are several reservoirs, the Tsimlyansk hydroelectric station ...
The Northern Dvina River, with a length of 744 km and 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 under Veliky Ustyug (Vologda region), it has a northern direction of flow to Arkhangelsk, then north-western and again northern, near Novodvinsk (a city in the Arkhangelsk region) forms a delta consisting of several branches, its area is about 900 km², and flows into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea, the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The main tributaries are Vychegda, Vaga, Pinega, Yumizh. The river is navigable along its entire length; the oldest paddle steamer, built in 1911, “N.V. Gogol "...
The Neva River, flowing through the territory of the Leningrad Region, connecting Lake Ladoga with the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, is one of the most picturesque and full-flowing rivers in Russia. The length is 74 km, the basin area of 48 thousand rivers and 26 thousand lakes is 5 thousand km². 26 rivers and rivulets flow into the Neva, the main tributaries are the Mga, Izhora, Okhta, Chernaya Rechka.
The Neva is the only river flowing from the Shlisselburg Bay in Lake Ladoga, its channel flows through the territory of the Neva Lowland, the 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 such cities 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 (Caucasian 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 largest reservoir in the Caucasus is located on the river - Krasnodar, the Kuban cascade of hydroelectric power stations, the cities of Karachaevsk, Cherkessk, Armavir, Novokubansk, Krasnodar, Temryuk ...
RIVER REST
Volga - the largest river in Europe, 3888 km long with a basin area of \u200b\u200b1360 thousand km 2. It originates in the Valdai Upland, flows into the Caspian Sea, forming a delta with an area of 19 thousand km 2. It has about 200 tributaries, the largest being Kama and Oka. The flow is strongly regulated by a cascade of hydroelectric power stations with reservoirs. The largest hydroelectric power stations are Volzhskaya (Kuibyshevskaya), Volzhskaya (Volgogradskaya), Cheboksarskaya. The Volga is connected to the Baltic Sea by the Volga-Baltic Waterway, to the White Sea by the North Dvina Water System and the White Sea-Baltic Canal, to the Azov and Black Seas by the Volga-Don Shipping Canal, and to the Moscow River by the Moscow Canal. The Volga-Kama, Zhigulevsky and Astrakhan reserves are located in the Volga basin, natural national park Samarskaya Luka.
Kama - the fifth longest river in Europe (2030 km): only the Volga, Danube, Ural and Dnieper are longer than it, Kama is one of the most important river routes, it has more than 200 large tributaries, such as Vishera, Chusovaya, Belaya, Vyatka, etc. The Kama River is regulated for a considerable length by the dams of the Kamskaya, Botkinskaya and Nizhnekamskaya hydroelectric power stations, above which reservoirs have been created. At the confluence of the Kama and the Volga, there is the Volzh-1-sko-Kama Reserve.
The nature of the Kama basin It is diverse and includes the slopes of the Ural Range, ancient plateaus, and low-lying plains. In the upper reaches coniferous forests, in the lower reaches - 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 route, it is divided into upper, middle and lower sections. Upper Oka - from the city of Aleksin to the village. Shchurovo. Average - from s. Shchurovo (the 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 (R. Shchurovo - Kuzminsk) there is a sluice 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. On the banks of the Oka, on the one hand, there are cliffs, on the other, flood meadows. Closer to the confluence of the Volga, the Oka becomes full of water, 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 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 area of the basin exceeds 440 thousand km2. It flows into the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov, forming a delta with an area of 340 km2. Small slopes in the lower reaches provide a very slow current. Main tributaries: Khoper, Medveditsa, Sal, Seversky Donets. On the Don are the Tsimlyanskaya hydroelectric power station and a reservoir, the Nikolaevsky, Konstantinovsky and Kochetkovsky hydroelectric facilities. Navigation from the mouth of the river. Sosny (1604 km), regular navigation - from the city of Liski. In the Don basin - Galichya Gora nature reserve. The largest cities: Liski, Kalach-on-Don, Rostov-on-Don, Azov, Volgodonsk.
Half of European cities were built on rivers, which is not surprising, because rivers have always been of great transport and economic importance for the development of cities. In the end, people just love to relax on the banks of the rivers, enjoying the scenery and clear water, and many people also fish in it. The size of the rivers on which cities stand can vary greatly, and this does not mean that the largest cities should stand on the largest rivers. About what is the longest river in Europe, and will be discussed below.
1. Volga (3531 km)
It is the great Russian river that is the longest waterway in Europe. It must be admitted that the length of the European record holder is far behind the longest rivers in the world, such as the Amazon, the Nile, the Yangtze, but in a fairly compact Europe, this is already a good result. The Volga begins, like many other Eastern European rivers (Dnepr, Western Dvina, etc.) on the Valdai Upland, then flows along the Central Russian Upland to the southeast, at the foothills of the Urals it turns south and flows into the inner Caspian Sea. The source of the Volga is located at an altitude of 228 meters above sea level, but its delta goes 28 meters below this level. Usually the course of the Volga is divided into three sections: the upper, middle and lower Volga. In its basin, which occupies 8% of the territory of Russia, there are over 150 thousand large and small rivers.
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2. Danube (2860 km)
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It is the longest river in Western Europe. It begins in Germany, and then flows through the territories of 10 countries until it flows into the Black Sea. During such a long journey, the landscapes of the banks of the Danube change very much: high mountains, glaciers, mountain plateaus, karst plateaus, plains and fields overgrown with forests. The Danube water has a yellowish-brown tint due to the abundance of suspended particles of silt carried away from the banks, therefore the “blue” Danube, sung by Johann Strauss, is also considered the most muddy European river. For Western Europe, the Danube is not only the longest, but also the most full-flowing river.
3. Ural (2428 km)
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The origins of the Ural River are located in Bashkiria, on the top of Mount Kruglyaya Sopka. Almost all its way, the Urals flow through the territory of Russia, capturing a small piece of Kazakhstan, after which, like the Volga, it flows into the Caspian. The upper part of the Ural channel is the conditional border of the division of the Eurasian continent into 2 continents - Europe and Asia. The cities of Orenburg and Magnitogorsk were built on the Ural River. In terms of shipping, the Urals does not have much of great importance- There are few river boats here. But on the other hand, fish are actively caught here, since there are a lot of them in the Urals - catfish, stellate sturgeon, pike perch, sturgeon. The Ural basin covers an area of 231,000 sq. km.
4. Dnieper (2201 km)
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The Dnieper River, flowing through the territories of Russia, Belarus and then Ukraine, and for the latter it is the longest river. The Dnieper begins not far from the Volga - on the Valdai Hills, but at the end of the path it flows into the Black Sea. On the banks of the Dnieper there are such large cities as Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk. The Dnieper, like a typical flat river, has a calm, slow flow, and everyone has long forgotten about the Dnieper rapids, which have become the bottom of the reservoirs. More than 70 species of fish live in the Dnieper, including sturgeon, carp, ram and herring. Also, many types of algae grow in the Dnieper water: green ones are the most common, but there are also golden, diatoms, and cryptophytes.
5. Don (1870 km)
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The sources of the Don are on the Central Russian Upland, and it flows into the Sea of Azov. There is an erroneous opinion that the source of the Don is in the Shatsky reservoir, but in fact its beginning is the Urvanka stream, which flows in Novomoskovsk, Tula region (tap water flows in the place of the formal source). The Don is a navigable river, and its basin covers 422,000 sq. km. River ships rise from the mouth of the Don to the city of Liski. Many cities were built on this ancient Russian river, including such large ones as Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Azov. Unfortunately, the Don was heavily polluted, which led to a reduction in its fish stocks. But even now, almost 70 species of fish live in it. Most often, roach, bream, rudd, pike and perch are caught here.
6. Pechora (1809 km)
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This northern river flows through the Komi and Nenets autonomous region, and then flows into the Barents Sea. The sources of the Pechora are in the Northern Urals. Naryan-Mar stands on its banks. Pechora is navigable, but only as far as Troitsko-Pechorsk. Whitefish, salmon and vendace are actively caught here. The Pechora basin, which occupies 322,000 sq. km, rich in mineral deposits: coal, gas and oil.
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7. Kama (1805 km)
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This is the longest of the rivers in Europe, which is a tributary and the largest river in the Western Urals. The sources of the Kama are located on the Upper Kama Upland, near the village of Karpushata. In the area of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the Kama flows into the Volga, the longest European river. The area of the Kama basin is 507,000 sq. km, where there are almost 75 thousand rivers and streams. True, the vast majority of them are only about a dozen kilometers long. Interestingly, the Kama is much older than the Volga; before the last glaciation, it itself flowed into the Caspian Sea, while the Volga merged with the Don. After the passage of the glacier, which greatly changed the terrain, much has changed - the Kama has become the largest tributary of the Volga.
8. Oka (1498 km)
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The largest right tributary of the Volga is the Oka River, which has a basin of 245,000 sq. km. It begins as an ordinary spring near the village of Alexandrovka in the Oryol region. Many ancient Russian cities were built on the Oka: Ryazan, Kaluga, Murom, Nizhny Novgorod, so it, like the Volga, is closely connected with the history of Russia. Divyagorsk was also built there - one of the oldest cities in Russia, which is now almost completely washed away by the fast waters of the river. Due to the gradual shallowing of the Oka, navigation on it is unstable, which has been suspended more than once (2007, 2014, 2015). For the same reason, the number of fish in the Oka is gradually decreasing.
9. Dniester (1352 km)
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The Dniester River begins in the Lviv region, in the village of Volchie, and at the end of the way to the south it flows into the Black Sea, crossing the territories of Ukraine and Moldova during this time. In many places, the border between these countries runs along the Dniester. Tiraspol, Rybnitsa, Bendery were built on the Dniester. The area of the Dniester basin is approximately 72,100 sq. km. With the collapse of the USSR, shipping on this river also decreased, and after Lately almost completely disappeared, so now you can occasionally meet there only sightseeing ships and small boats.
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10. Vyatka (1314 km)
The Vyatka River begins, like the Kama, on the Verkhnekamsk Upland, in Udmurtia. But at the end of its journey, it nevertheless flows into this largest tributary of the Volga. The area of the Vyatka basin is 129,000 sq. km. This meandering river has a typically flat character. Man uses it not only for navigation, but also for timber rafting. River routes end in Kirov, having a length of about 700 kilometers from the mouth. There are a lot of fish in Vyatka, locals perch, pike, zander, roach and other species are caught in it. On its banks such cities as Kirov, Orlov, Sosnovka were built.
Russia occupies a vast geographical area, and it is not surprising that numerous rivers spread over its expanses, which played an important historical role in the settlement and development of new lands. Almost all the largest cities of the country are located on the 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 transportation 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 in Russia, get them brief description and see the geographical location on the map of the country.
Rivers of the Russian Federation
Map of the largest rivers of Russia
The territory of the country is divided into European and Asian parts. The dividing line, as a rule, is considered 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: the Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma.
Of the five main drainage basins: the Arctic, Pacific, Baltic, Black Sea and Caspian, the first, located in Siberia and including the northern part of the Russian Plain, is the most extensive. To a greater extent, this basin is filled by the three largest rivers in Russia: the Ob (3650 km), which together with its main tributary, the Irtysh, forms a river system 5410 km long, the Yenisei (3487 km), and the Lena (4400 km). The sum of their catchment areas exceeds 8 million km², and the total water discharge is about 50,000 m³/s.
The large rivers of Siberia provide transport arteries from the inner side to the Arctic sea route although they are blocked by ice for an extended period each year. The slight slope of the Ob River makes it slowly wind through the vast floodplain. Due to the flow to the north, from the upper reaches to the lower limits of the thaw, extensive floods occur quite often, which leads to the development of huge swamps. 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 rivulets flow from the mountains, but most of southeastern Siberia is drained by the Amur River. For a larger segment 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 major drainage basins are located in the European part of Russia south of the Arctic Basin. The Dnieper, only the upper reaches of which are in Russia, as well as the Don and Volga, is the longest European river, originating in the north-west of the Valdai Upland and flowing into the Caspian Sea. Yielding 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 movement of the entire Russian inland waterway.
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 largest rivers in the country, both by length and by catchment area.
Lena
The Lena River is one of the longest rivers in the world. It originates near Lake Baikal in southern Russia and flows west, and then, above Yakutsk, smoothly turns north, where it flows into the Laptev Sea (Arctic Ocean basin). Near the mouth, the river forms a huge delta with an area of 32,000 km, which is the largest in the Arctic and the most extensive protected area. wildlife in Russia.
The Lena Delta, which floods each spring, is an important nesting and migratory area for birds and supports a rich fish population. The river is inhabited by 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, snipes, phalaropes, terns, skuas, birds of prey, 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 for a distance of 3650 kilometers in the West Siberian region of the Russian Federation. This river, which is of great economic importance for Russia, arises 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, at about 69° east longitude. It flows into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean, forming the Gulf of Ob. 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, wild rose and bird cherry also grow along the watercourse. The river basin abounds in 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 native mammal species. In the lower reaches of the Ob, the arctic tundra is characterized by snow-covered 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, 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 Upland, and flows south overcoming 3530 km, where it flows into the Caspian Sea. About 200 tributaries join the river along the entire route. Eleven major cities of the country, including Moscow, are based along the Volga basin, whose area is 1.36 million km².
The climate in the river basin varies along its course from north to south. The northern regions are dominated by a temperate climate with cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers. The southern regions are characterized by cool winters and hot dry summers. The Volga Delta is one of the richest habitats, 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 Small 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), having traveled 3,487 km. The Angara River, which flows out of Lake Baikal, is one of the main tributaries of the upper reaches of the Yenisei.
About 55 species of local fish live in the waters of the Yenisei, including Siberian sturgeon, flounder, roach, northern pike, Siberian minnow, tench and sterlet. Most The river basin surrounds, mainly consisting of the following rocks coniferous trees: fir, cedar, pine and larch. In some areas of the upper reaches of the 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 mammals living in the taiga forests along the river. Also, there are such birds as the Siberian blue robin, Siberian lentil, stone capercaillie and forest snipe. Ducks, geese and swans are found in the lower reaches during the summer.
Lower Tunguska
The Lower Tunguska is a right tributary of the Yenisei, flowing through Irkutsk region and the Krasnoyarsk Territory 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. The vast Tunguska coal basin lies in the river basin.
Amur
Amur is the tenth longest river in the world, located in East Asia and forms the border between the Far Eastern District of the Russian Federation and Northeast China. The river originates at the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers. The Amur flows for 2825 km to the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean and empties 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. Wetlands along the Amur Basin are among the most valuable ecosystems that are home to a huge variety of flora and fauna. These are important haunts for millions of migratory birds, including white storks and Japanese cranes. The river basin is home to over 5,000 species of vascular plants, 70 species of mammals, and 400 species of birds. 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. Lives in the waters of the Amur big variety fish species: about 100 species in the lower reaches and 60 in the upper. Chum salmon, burbot and whitefish are among the most commercially important northern fish species.
Vilyuy
Vilyuy is a river in Central and Eastern Siberia, flowing mainly through the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in eastern Russia. This is the largest tributary of the Lena, 2650 km long and with a basin area of about 454 thousand km².
Vilyui originates on the Central Siberian Plateau and first flows east, then south and southeast, and again east to the place where it flows into 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 643,000 km², the Kolyma is the largest river in Eastern Siberia that flows into the Arctic Ocean. The upper reaches of this river system began to develop as early as the Cretaceous, 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 marshy 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 on the territory of the Russian Federation), and with a basin area of about 231 thousand km². The river starts at Ural mountains on the slopes of the Round Sopka and flows in a southerly direction. In the city of Orsk, it turns sharply to the west through the southern outskirts of the Urals, past Orenburg, and again turns south, 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.
Wetlands in the Ural Delta are especially important for migratory birds as a major haunt along the Asian Flyway. The river is also important for many Caspian Sea fish species that visit its deltas and migrate upstream to spawn. In the lower reaches of the river, there are 47 species from 13 families. The cyprinid 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. Rare species include Caspian salmon, sterlet, nelma and kutum. About 48 species of animals live in the Ural delta and nearby areas, 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 basin of the Oka River (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 the 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
| river name | Length in Russia, km | Total length, km | Swimming pool, km² | Water consumption, m³/s | Place of confluence (Mouth) |
| R. Lena | 4400 | 4400 | 2.49 million | 16350 | Laptev sea |
| R. Ob | 3650 | 3650 | 2.99 million | 12492 | Kara Sea |
| R. Volga | 3530 | 3530 | 1.36 million | 8060 | Caspian Sea |
| R. Yenisei | 3487 | 3487 | 2.58 million | 19800 | Kara Sea |
| R. Lower Tunguska | 2989 | 2989 | 473 thousand | 3680 | R. Yenisei |
| R. Amur | 2824 | 2824 | 1.86 million | 12800 | Sea of Okhotsk |
| R. Vilyuy | 2650 | 2650 | 454 thousand | 1468 | R. Lena |
| R. Kolyma | 2129 | 2129 | 643 thousand | 3800 | East-Siberian Sea |
| R. Ural | 1550 | 2428 | 231 thousand | 400 | Caspian Sea |
| R. Don | 1870 | 1870 | 422 thousand | 900 | Sea of Azov |
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