Kureika - river in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia

Yenisei is the most full-flowing river in Russia, one of the greatest rivers in the world, its length is about 3.5 thousand kilometers - from the Sayan Mountains in the south of Siberia to the Arctic Ocean. It is fed by almost 500 tributaries, the total length of which exceeds 300 thousand kilometers. One of the significant right tributaries of the Yenisei is Kureyka, a river belonging to the basin of the Kara Sea. Read more about it in the article.

Description

In the northwestern part of the Central Siberian plateau lies the Putorana Plateau, bordering the Taimyr Peninsula. This amazing corner of Siberia, which is called the country of rivers, lakes and waterfalls, is the largest protected area in the world and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is in the center of Putorana Plateau at an altitude of more than a thousand meters above the sea level that Kureyka (river) originates. It is one of the longest right tributaries of the mighty Yenisei.

The Krasnoyarsk region is famous for its water bodies. The mountain river Kureika is one of the longest and deepest among them. From the source to the point of confluence in the Yenisei, its length is exactly 888 kilometers. The area of the basin is 44.7 thousand square kilometers, at the mouth of the water consumption of about 700 cubic meters. per second.

Where is the Kureika River:

• The source on the Putorana Plateau (north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory) is 68 degrees 30 minutes north latitude and 96 degrees 01 minute east longitude;
• The mouth (the place of confluence in the Yenisei) - 66 degrees 29 minutes north latitude and 87 degrees and 14 minutes east longitude.

On a straight line, the distance between the coordinates is small, but the course of the Kureika is very meandering, due to this it has a long length. Throughout its length the reservoir has numerous gorges, rapids and rapids, at which the flow velocity reaches 7 meters per second. You can reach some areas only by helicopter. Approximately at the last 170 kilometers the current slows down, the channel expands to almost a kilometer. The most flooded river becomes in May-August, when in some sections the maximum depth reaches 70 meters. But even during this period, vessels climb it only 100 kilometers from the mouth to the pier "Graphite Rudnik".

Why did they name the river Kureika?

The Krasnoyarsk Territory is located in Eastern and Central Siberia, and in the north-eastern part of the region lies the Evenki District, whose indigenous population is Evenki. They called the river that flows through their territory, Kureyka. In the translation from Evenki, the name means "wild deer", as these animals often come to river valleys. Sometimes the river is called Luma or Numa. By the way, all the names on the Putorana Plateau are of Evenk origin.

Climate. Flora and fauna

Kureika is a northern river, most of its basin lies beyond the Arctic Circle. This determines the harsh climate of the region: the summer lasts only two months - June, July, in early autumn begins a short autumn, and in September most of the channel is covered with ice, only some rapids that do not freeze freeze all winter. Drops the frozen chains of Kureika (river) only in the middle of May.

Long winter lasts almost 9 months, the usual temperature for the season is minus 40 ° С. In the province where Kureika (river) flows, the main vegetation is mosses, lichens, low shrubs, grasses. A pleasant exception is the river valleys, where the climate is milder and humid, and coniferous taiga forests stretch and there are deciduous woodlands.

The fauna is quite diverse: it has the largest wild reindeer population in Eurasia and a little explored population of the snow sheep, often there are lynxes, elks, bears, wolverines, sables, flying squirrels, and also bird species such as the stone capercaillie, white-tailed eagle, and gyrfalcon.

The water in the river is very clean and tasty, there are a lot of fish, including valuable: omul, chir, char, muxun, taimen.

Interesting Facts

There are a lot of waterfalls on the river Kureyke, and 7 km from the right inflow of Yaktali there is the Great Kureyskiy Falls - the most powerful waterfall in Russia. In the high water the volume of water discharged per second reaches 1000 cubic meters!

100 kilometers from the mouth of the river there is Svetlogorsk settlement, which has a Kureyskoye reservoir and Kureyskaya HPP.

Kureika (river) has several flowing lakes - Dupkun, Anama, Beldunchan, Dag, which regulate its drainage.

In 120 kilometers from the mouth of Kureyka there are rich graphite mines.

On one of the winter huts of this northern river from 1913 to 1917. In the exile lived IV. Stalin.