Rivers of Russia: names. Large and small rivers of Russia

It is possible to say with great certainty that Russia is the country most provided with fresh water. On the territory of the Russian Federation there are more than 2.5 million rivers (both small and large). They all belong to the three oceans. Let's talk with you about what are the most important rivers in Russia. The names of most of them have developed historically, so we will touch on the past a little. There are a lot of amazing rivers and lakes on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Some general information

Approximately 70% of the rivers that are in Russia belong to the Arctic Ocean. The longest and deepest rivers, such as the Yenisei, Oba, Lena, etc., flow into the basin. To the basin of the Pacific Ocean is the Amur and Anadyr. The features of the last two consist in a relatively short length and rapid flow. To the basin of the Atlantic Ocean is Don. Do not overlook one important point, which is that many rivers are located in several border states, for example, in Mongolia, Ukraine or Belarus.

As already noted a little higher, there are more than 2.5 million rivers on the territory of Russia. This fact indicates a huge reserve of fresh water. This is also very important for agriculture and industry. For example, there is no such problem as drought of farmland, which is caused by sufficient water resources. One can not help saying that the total length of all rivers in Russia is about 10 million km. You, probably, will think, what our country takes the first place in the world on a water resource? No, unfortunately, the second. On the first is Brazil, where the volume of fresh river water is somewhat larger.

The average long-term runoff is 4,290 cubic meters per year. This is quite a lot, but, given the uneven distribution of rivers in the country and various difficulties in organizing the rational use of water resources, a stable annual run-off is only 1,400 cubic meters. As for the amount of water per person, in Russia it is approximately 18 thousand m ³ per year, at that time as in the USA - 8 thousand m ³ , in Finland - 23,9 thousand m ³ for the same period.

Let's take a closer look at the main rivers of Russia. The names are very diverse - invented both by other peoples and by indigenous people. Let's start with the most interesting.

The main river of Russia is the Volga

Surface waters occupy 12.4% of the total territory of the country. And 84% is concentrated in the east of the Urals. On the territory of Russia is one of the largest rivers in the world, and this is the Volga. Its basin occupies more than 30% of the European part of the Russian Federation. It flows through four regions and eleven republics.

If you list the rivers of Russia, whose names are most often mentioned in history, then the Volga will come first. Its length is more than 3,500 kilometers. This is the distance between Berlin and Moscow, multiplied by two.

Undoubtedly, the Volga is of great economic importance, and has been used for hundreds of years as a transport main, as well as one of the main sources of hydroelectric power.

Speaking about industrial production in Russia as a whole, approximately 45% of enterprises use the resource of the river in question. All this shows that the Volga is of great importance. If it were not for this pond, it would be much more difficult for us to live with you.

The name of the major rivers of Russia, such as the Volga, etc., should be remembered, if only because of them we get more than 80% of the whole fish.

The Volga takes its origin in the Valdai Upland. Every year people come there to take a sip of Volga water. In this place, this river is a small fontanel, which with each meter becomes wider and deeper. Here, lotuses grow - beautiful flowers that we all associate with the East. This great and ancient river is dedicated to many songs, as well as plays. You can talk endlessly about the beauty and greatness of this river, but all this is not very impressive if you do not see the pond with your own eyes. You already know how many rivers in Russia, so let's talk about those that are of great importance for the development of the country.

Amur, or "Black Dragon"

This giant is located in Transbaikalia. Crossing the mountain ranges and plains, the Amur flows into the Sea of Okhotsk. The river spread to three states: Russia, Mongolia and China. Approximately three thousand kilometers of the border between Russia and China runs along the Amur. In China, it is the river of the Black Dragon. According to legend, for a very long time there lived two dragons: white - evil, and black - good. When the black dragon defeated the evil, he stayed at the bottom. The Chinese have adopted this name.

It is noteworthy that on the border of the Amur basin one can observe an astonishing spectacle - the change of four physico-geographical zones. Here there are a steppe and semi-desert zone, as well as forest and forest-steppe zones. For all time of existence of the Amur in these places more than thirty nations of the world and various ethnic groups have settled. If you remember the name of the major rivers of Russia, then the Amur comes to mind at once.

It can be said with certainty that the wetlands of the Far Eastern giant are considered a very valuable natural complex. The fact is that fish resources are reproduced here, and the river is of great importance for the migration of hundreds of thousands of birds. It is on the Amur nests almost 95% of Far Eastern white storks, as well as 50% of Dahurian and Japanese cranes. There are more than 5,000 species of various plants and about 400 species of birds, as well as 70 species of mammals. One of the rarest is the Amur tiger.

In recent years, the situation on the Amur has worsened considerably. This is due to active human intervention in the ecosystem of the river. The fact is that there are more than 100 million people living in the Amur basin, and this is only about China. If for now we know for sure how many rivers in Russia, in a few years the Cupid may not exist, and the whole fault will be man.

Don is a witness of Russian history

According to the conducted studies, scientists were able to name the approximate time of the origin of this river. According to most scientists, Don appeared about 23 million years ago. This is the largest river in the south of the Russian Plain. In Greek literature there is a name such as Tanais. Once upon a time there lived the legendary Amazons - warriors, who practically did not have any equal. About these warrior women there are mentions in Russian stories, according to which, they often came into conflict with the heroes of Russia.

If we list the rivers of Russia, the names of which were given by other peoples, then the Don is one of them. The Iranian peoples lived for some time in the places of the Northern Black Sea Coast, then these tribes gave the name to the river, which is still in use today. Don means "river" in Russian.

In many ways, the economy of the south depends on river transport. Most of them are carried out exactly on the Don. One can say with certainty that on the banks of the river there is about 85% of the main industry. Here, and machine-building plants, food and chemical, as well as the tobacco industry. Not without energy. Rostov NPP, Tsimlyanskaya HPP, and Novovoronezh NPP are located on the Don.

It is worth mentioning that there are three Donas all over the world. The most important is on the territory of Russia, it is the largest. The younger namesake runs in the Scottish county of Aberdeen. Another Don is located in the county of York, which is in England.

As you can see, the rivers on the territory of Russia are very popular, and some are known even in far-abroad countries. We continue our narration further, because there are many more interesting things.

What is the longest river in Russia?

The answer to this question is of interest to very many. The Lena River is the longest in the territory of the Russian Federation. In the world, it occupies the tenth place in length and the eighth in fullness. It starts in the mountains in the south of Siberia and flows into the Laptev Sea. The length of the river is 4,400 kilometers.

On the slopes of the Baikal ridge, Lena originates. In those places it's a very small lake, which does not even have its own name. It is located at an altitude of about 930 meters above sea level, ten kilometers from Lake Baikal. Among the mountains, Lena has no tributaries and flows along the bottom of a small valley. In winter it almost completely freezes, and in summer it almost completely dries up.

Having taken the first tributaries, the river becomes deeper and broader. The mountain currents are very fast and winding. If you ask what a long river in Russia is of great importance for the country, then it is without a doubt Lena. The matter is that this reservoir is the main transport highway of Yakutia. Virtually everything that is brought here from the north, comes along the river. This is due to poor road conditions.

It is impossible not to consider the question of population. Studies have shown that there are few people living on the shores of Lena. The main part of the settlements is in Yakutsk, the rest is only about abandoned villages.

Today it is almost impossible to establish where the name came from. Scientists make assumptions that the origin of the name refers to the Tungus-Manchurian "Elyu-Ene", which means "Great River".

The Russians opened the pond in 1621. First it was done by the explorer Pianda, and then by the centurion Petr Beketov.

"Borisfen", or the Dnieper

This river flows through the territory of three countries: Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Despite the fact that most of it is located in the Russian Federation, for all these countries, the Dnipro is of great importance. It is difficult to say when exactly this source of food and water appeared for the ancient peoples. However, Herodotus in his treaties mentioned a river called "Borisfen" and its great importance for the population. Then he said that this is one of the most profitable rivers in the whole world. Much has been said about the high quality of water. It was transparent and pleasant to the taste. A large number of fish inhabiting the Dnieper contributed to the development of fishing villages.

Today the length of the river is approximately 2,201 kilometers, it occupies the third largest in Europe. Characteristic of the Dnieper is a slow and calm current. In fact, this is a typical lowland river.

The Dnieper takes its origin in the Valdai Upland, in the Smolensk region. It flows into the Black Sea, or to be more precise, in the Dnieper-Bug estuary.

If you list all the rivers that flow through the territory of Russia, then the Dnieper is one of the most fertile, since it has more than 400 tributaries and a lot of fish. It is home to catfish, pike perch, carp, perch, as well as about a hundred species of various birds, including zuyek, herbalist, swan, duck and many others.

You can talk endlessly about how beautiful the Dnieper is at sunset or dawn, but it's better to see it once, and it's not so important where you are - in Russia, Ukraine or Belarus.

Yenisei - the real pride of the country

There are legends about the origin of this river. The facts are not confirmed by all facts. It is not known where the name came from. Someone says that from the Tungus people, from the word "Enesi", which in translation means "big water". Another part of researchers and scholars is inclined to the Kirghiz origin from the word "ene-say" - "mother river". But one thing is for sure: it is a unique river. The fact is that in the upper reaches of the Yenisei there are camels, and if you go downstream, you are likely to meet whole families of polar bears hunting on the banks. It is noteworthy that on the left bank of the river there are Siberian plains, and on the right bank of the taiga. A certain influence of the Yenisei also exerts on the Arctic Ocean. The fact is that the Siberian rivers endure a huge amount of heat, making the climate of the North less severe.

If you describe the great rivers of Russia, which take out significant volumes of water from their channel, then the Yenisei is in the first place. Approximately 600 km ^{3 of} water a year goes to the Kara Sea. This is several times greater than the runoff of the Volga. The length of the reservoir is 3,487 km, so it rightfully occupies the fifth place in the length of the RF. The Yenisei is very beautiful, especially in summer and winter, when it is covered with greens or with snow. Of course, there are other long rivers of Russia, which we will now talk about.

Oka and the Urals

As you probably already noticed, the name of Russia's largest rivers is sometimes completely unrelated to the activities of Russian people in their native territory. Oka, for example, originates from the Finno-Ugric word "ioku", which means "river". Since ancient times, the Oka was an important trading artery. After that, it became a defensive border of the south of Russia. For our country, the river is very important, since all central Russia lies on the banks of the Oka. The area of its basin is a little more than 240 000 km ² . In fact, it's the same as the whole of the UK. The length of the river is 1,500 kilometers.

Despite the fact that it is not the largest in Russia, it is more important than the Nile for the Egyptians. On the Oka there are several important reserves. One of them is in the central current - Prioksko-terraced, the second - Oka State Biosphere Reserve - is located in the Ryazan region.

The Volga and the Danube are the longest rivers in Europe. The third place is the Urals, which stretches for 2 428 kilometers. In ancient times, the river was called "Yaik", which in Turkish means "flooding, spilling out". During the reign of Catherine II in 1775, the river was renamed the Urals, however, in spite of this, most people in Kazakhstan use the former name.

As you can see, the name of the large rivers of Russia quite often has a foreign origin. People living on the territory of the country gave their names to reservoirs.

The most surprising thing is that one bank of the Urals is in Europe, and the second - in Asia. Today, many tourists and fishermen can be seen along the river, but the shipping interest has practically disappeared, so it is difficult to call the Urals an important trade and transport artery of Russia.

Everyone should know

One can say with confidence that it is necessary to remember the great rivers of Russia, because this is our history. For example, the Volga - one of the largest rivers in the world - enchants with its greatness. Here you can meet amazing representatives of flora and fauna. If you love nature, then you will definitely go to the Urals. To be more precise, then visit its part, located a little below Orsk.

Beautiful views of the gorge Guberlinsky mountains, as well as the Orsk gate. There are many geological and landscape monuments that, although they are not of great importance for the infrastructure of Russia, are of interest to travelers. It is in the Urals that many fans of active fishing gather. Here you can see many tourists traveling along the current.

The largest river in all parameters is in Siberia, and this is the Ob. It is formed by the fusion of two currents, such as Katun and Biya. The length is often considered from the very source of the Irtysh, in this case the river stretches 5 410 kilometers. A large number of industrial bases are located on the Ob River. This is due to the fact that more than fifty species of different water inhabitants live in this water body. Approximately 25 species of fish are of industrial importance, therefore navigation is developed here very well.

However, not everything is as cloudless as it seems at first glance. An important problem is the ecology. The name of the rivers of Russia (the list we reviewed above) has long been something of a hometown for us, so it is important to consider that some water bodies are under threat of extinction.

Conclusion

So we looked at the name of the rivers of Russia. The list turned out to be impressive, but, in fact, it's only a few percent of the total water resource of the state.

A very important issue, which every year rises more often, is the ecological situation. A large number of dams and chemical plants on the banks of large rivers significantly worsen the living conditions of their inhabitants. As a result, fish production declines, water quality suffers.

I would like to note that for Russia small rivers are no less important than such giants as Lena, Volga, and others. The fact is that they form tributaries of many large rivers. But, as practice shows, uncontrolled intake of water from small sources leads to their narrowing, shallow water and even drying out. To date, irrevocable consumption is about 4% per year, and this is quite a lot. With such a rate, in about 12 years approximately 50% of small rivers will be lost.

The situation can be improved only in the following way: by reducing the amount of sewage. But it is unlikely that anyone is going to deal with this issue. All that ordinary citizens can do is not engage in illegal fishing and do not clog water.

Small businesses also cause great damage to the rivers of the Russian Federation, but this is incomparable with the harm that involves the activities of hydroelectric power plants and nuclear power plants. Do not forget that many rivers are located in the territory of several states. But if the population, for example, of Belarus is not so numerous, especially on the banks of rivers, then in China, hundreds of millions of people live in the coastal zone, depleting the natural resource.

In any case, take care of nature, do not throw garbage into the rivers, as this negatively affects the quality of the water we drink. In the end, all this affects our health.