What was the former name and where does the Volga River originate? Where does the Nile originate and where does it flow?

Having a natural origin and characterized by a constant directional flow. It can start from a spring, a small pond, a lake, a swamp or a melting glacier. It usually ends by flowing into another larger body of water.

The source and mouth of a river are its essential components. The place where it ends its path is usually easy to see, and the beginning is often determined only conditionally. Depending on the terrain and the type of reservoirs into which rivers flow, their mouths may have differences and characteristic features.

Terminology

From source to mouth, the river flows in a channel - a depression in the earth's surface. It is washed away by a stream of water. The mouth of a river is its end, and the source is its beginning. The land surface along the flow has a downward slope. This area is defined as a river valley or basin. They are separated from each other by watersheds - hills. During floods, water spreads into depressions - floodplains.

All rivers are divided into lowland and mountain. The former are characterized by a wide channel with slow flow, for the second - narrower with fast water flow. In addition to the original source, rivers are fed precipitation, groundwater and melt water and other smaller streams. They form tributaries. They are divided into right and left, determined along the flow. All streams that collect water in a valley from source to mouth form a river system.

In line they distinguish deep places(reaches), holes in them (pools) and shallows (rifts). The banks (right and left) limit water flow. If during floods the river finds a shorter path, then in the same place an oxbow lake or a secondary channel (branch) ending in a dead end is formed, which connects downstream with the main stream.

Mountain rivers often form waterfalls. These are ledges with a sharp difference in height of the earth's surface. In valleys near rivers with wide channels, islands can form - parts of land with or without vegetation.

Source

Finding the beginning of a river can sometimes be difficult. Especially if it flows in a swampy area and takes water from many of the same type of fickle streams or springs. In this case, the beginning should be taken as the area where the current forms a permanent channel.

It is easier to determine the origin of a river if it starts from a pond, lake or glacier. Sometimes two independent large water streams, which have their own names, join together and then have one channel throughout. The neoplasm has its own name, but the point of confluence cannot be considered the source.

The Katun River, for example, connects with the Biya, which is similar in size. For both, the point of confluence will be their mouths. From this place the river already bears a new name - Ob. However, its source will be considered to be the place where the longer of these two tributaries originates. The confluence of the Argun and Shilka rivers seems to give rise to the Amur, but to say that this is its source is incorrect. At this point, two rivers merge to form a new name (toponym).

Estuary

All rivers flow into a larger body of water. The places where they merge are easily determined. This could be a larger river, lake, reservoir, sea or ocean. For each case, the mouth will have its own characteristics.

In rare cases, the mouth of a river is where it ends, spreading over the surface without any new formation. Often earth's surface in such areas it has a minimal or reverse slope. In this case, the water slows down, seeps into the soil or evaporates (dry mouth). It also happens that its demand in certain regions is excessively high. Water is withdrawn for irrigation, drinking or other needs.

Given this, the mouth is the section of the river where it flows into another larger water body, ends up drying out naturally, or is spent on consumer needs.

In addition to the usual confluence of rivers, deltas and estuaries are distinguished separately. They differ in the degree of manifestation of sedimentary rocks at the junction of the riverbed and the reservoir. Deltas are characteristic of rivers flowing into lakes, reservoirs and closed seas of continental type. They are formed by several branches and ducts.

On the coasts of oceans and open seas, the river is affected by ebbs and flows. Streams of salt water prevent silt deposits from being deposited, the depth remains constant, and wide estuaries are formed.

At the mouths of rivers there is often a long bay - a lip. It is a continuation of the channel, stretches to the very point of confluence and has greater width. The estuary, unlike the bay, is also a bay, but shallower due to the deposited silt deposits. It is often separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. Formed due to flooding of low-lying coastal areas.

Delta

The name comes from the time of the historian Herodotus. Seeing the branched mouth of the Nile River, he called it a delta, since the outline of the area resembled the letter of the same name. This type of river mouth is triangular shape formation consisting of several branches branching from the main channel.

Formed in areas where river flow carries downstream a large number of sedimentary rocks. At the confluence, the flow slows down and particles of silt, sand, small gravel and other debris settle to the bottom of the riverbed. Gradually its level rises and islands form.

The water flow is looking for new passage ways. The river level rises, it overflows its banks, flooding and developing adjacent areas with the formation of new branches, channels and islands. The process of settling of transported particles continues in a new place - the mouth continues to expand.

There are active deltas characterized by abundant sedimentary processes. They are formed under the influence of counter flows of fresh and sea ​​water. Internal deltas, in fact, are not such and can be located far from the mouth upstream of the river. They also have branching branches and ducts, but they then merge into a single channel.

Estuary

If a river carries an insufficient amount of sediment into the sea or ocean, a delta does not form at its mouth. The influence of ebb and flow of tides also does not contribute to this. IN open seas and oceans where rivers flow, salty water, entering their mouths, forms powerful flow and a wave, which in some cases can go several kilometers deep, changing the direction of the main current. During low tides, the backflow of heavy seawater removes all sediment particles.

An estuary is a greatly expanded mouth of a river. Unlike the delta, it has an ever-increasing depth and a pronounced wedge-shaped shape. The stronger the impact of the tidal wave on the banks of the river, the more distinct the outlines of the estuary.

Where does the Ob River originate and where does it flow?

The Ob River originates in Altai and is formed by the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers.

The Ob River flows into the Kara Sea in the north, forming a bay (about 800 km long) called the Gulf of Ob.

According to the nature of the river network, feeding conditions and formation water regime The Ob is divided into 3 sections: upper (to the mouth of the Tom), middle (to the mouth of the Irtysh) and lower (to Gulf of Ob).
Ob - river in Western Siberia, the longest river in Russia and the second longest in Asia. The length of the Ob from its confluence is 3650 km (from the source of the Irtysh 5410 km).

The upper section of the basin is located in the mountains, where the sources of the Biya and Katun rivers and many tributaries originate: Peschanaya, Anuy, Charysh, Alei (left), Chumysh, Inya (right). In the upper reaches of the Ob there is a well-developed valley with developed floodplain terraces.

To the mouth of the Charysh it flows on low banks, the riverbed is replete with channels, islands, and rifts. Further, towards Barnaul, the valley and floodplain expand. From Barnaul to the town of Kamenya-on-Obi the valley is wide (5 - 10 km) and asymmetrical with a steep left slope; The wide floodplain is cut by oxbow lakes, channels and lakes. Near the town of Kamenya-on-Obi, the valley and floodplain narrow (to 3 - 5 km and 1.5 - 2 km, respectively), and there are areas with rocky ledges in the riverbed.

In the southern part of Novosibirsk, the river is blocked by a dam, which formed the Novosibirsk reservoir ("Ob Sea").

Below Novosibirsk the valley widens significantly and reaches 20 km towards the mouth of the Tom. The depths of the Ob (at low water) in the upper reaches range from 2 to 6 m, in places on the rifts they drop to 0.6 m.

Below the mouth of the Tom (the beginning of the middle Ob), and especially the Chulym, the Ob River becomes a large full-flowing river and flows within the taiga zone before its confluence with the Irtysh. The Ob valley has a width of up to 30 - 50 km or more; The vast floodplain (20 - 30 km) is covered with a dense network of channels.

Depths (at low water) range from 4 to 8 m. Large tributaries: Tom, Chulym, Ket, Tym, Vakh, Tromyegan, Lyamin, Nazim (right), Shegarka, Chaya, Parabel, Vasyugan, B. Yugan, B. Salym, Irtysh (left).

After the confluence of the Irtysh, the Ob turns to the North. The valley is wide (more than 50 km in places), asymmetrical, with a gentle, mostly low, left bank and a steep, steep right bank; narrows to 4 - 8 km in the area of ​​Peregrebnoye and Salekhard.

The extensive, mostly left-bank floodplain is cut up by branches, channels, lakes, and is flooded to a width of 40 - 50 km during high water. From the mouth of the Irtysh to Peregrebnoye the Ob flows in one deep (at least 4 - 4.5 m) channel, below it is divided into the Bolshaya and Malaya Ob with depths (at low water) of up to 2.5 - 3 m. After their confluence, the Ob channel has depths more than 10 m. The main tributaries of the lower reaches: Kazym, Poluy (right), Northern Sosva, Shchuchya (left).

Before flowing into the Ob Bay, the river forms a delta with an area of ​​more than 4 thousand km2. The main branches are Khamanelskaya (left) and the more powerful Nadymskaya (right), immediately behind their mouths there are shallow bars - Yamsalsky and Nadymsky. The average slope of the Ob from Biysk to the Yamsal bar is 0.054 m/km.

The food is predominantly snowy. During the spring-summer flood period, the river carries the bulk of its annual flow. In the upper reaches, the flood starts from the beginning of April, on average - from the 2nd half of April, and in the lower reaches - from the end of April - beginning of May. The rise in levels begins even during freeze-up; when the river opens up as a result of congestion, intense short-term rises in levels occur.

In the middle and lower reaches, the decline of the flood with overlapping rain floods continues until freeze-up. The range of level fluctuations in the upper reaches is on average 5 m, downstream it increases to Aleksandrovsky - 9 m, before the confluence with the Irtysh it decreases to 7 m, below the confluence of the Irtysh it reaches 10 m, and towards the mouth it decreases to 5 m.

Average flow rates increase from 1470 m3/sec near Barnaul to 12300 m3/sec near Salekhard, maximum flow rates respectively from 9690 m3/sec to 42800 m3/sec. Freeze-up on the Ob lasts 150 days in the upper reaches and 220 days in the lower reaches of the river.

The water temperature in July is up to 28 °C in the Barnaul - Belogorye section and up to 23 °C in the lower reaches.

Water mineralization is less than 200 mg/l and only in the area between Novosibirsk and the mouth of the Tom is more than 200 mg/l. The Ob waters are characterized by a high content organic matter and low oxygen levels, which leads to death in winter.

The average turbidity decreases downstream from 160 to 40 g/m. The annual runoff of suspended sediment is 16 million tons, and the entire solid runoff is about 50 million tons.

The Ob basin contains a variety of Natural resources. In terms of forecast reserves of oil, gas and coal, Western Siberia occupies a prominent place in the CIS; 1/2 of the all-Union peat reserves are concentrated here. The basin is also rich in water, forest and other types of resources. About 50 species and subspecies of fish live in the waters of the Ob and Ob Bay, 1/2 of which are commercial.

The most valuable species: sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, whitefish, whitefish, peled. Fishing objects are mainly small fish - pike, ide, burbot, dace, roach, crucian carp, perch.

The total potential hydropower resources of the Ob basin are estimated at up to 250 billion kWh. There are 3 hydroelectric power stations in operation - Novosibirsk on the Ob, Bukhtarma and Ust-Kamenogorsk on the Irtysh. The Ob River is the main transport route of Western Siberia. It is navigable along its entire length from source to mouth.

The navigation period ranges from 190 days in the upper reaches to 150 days in the lower reaches. The transport role of the Ob and its tributaries has grown since the early 60s. in connection with the development of gas and oil fields. Main ports and marinas of the basin: Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Surgut, Labytnangi, Pavlodar, Omsk, Tobolsk, Tyumen

Flow

In fact, the Ob is a continuation of the Katun River, but it is called the Ob only after the merger of the Katun with the Biya, that is, after the city of Biysk.

At the beginning, the Ob noticeably meanders, and its flow periodically changes in different directions - either to the north or to the west.

Flows in the Altai Territory through Barnaul, then divides for some time Altai region and Novosibirsk region.

It flows through the Novosibirsk region, in particular through Novosibirsk. To the north, in the Tomsk region it merges with Tom, and then with Chulym, after which it turns slightly to the west and near the city of Kolpashevo merges with the Ket River.

In the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, the Ob flows through Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut, Nefteyugansk, and some other cities.

After Khanty-Mansiysk, the Ob turns north, and a delta begins from this section; then, in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Ob flows through Salekhard and Labytnangi. After this point, it noticeably expands and flows into the Ob Bay of the Kara Sea.

Pool

The area of ​​the Ob basin is 2990 thousand km². According to this indicator, the river ranks first in Russia. The Ob is also the third most water-bearing river in Russia (after the Yenisei and Lena).

In the southern part of the Ob there is the Novosibirsk reservoir, formed by the dam of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station. The dam was constructed from 1950 to 1961; During the creation of the reservoir, many villages and the main part of the city of Berdsk were flooded. The Sea of ​​Ob (as the locals call it) serves as a vacation spot for many Novosibirsk residents; numerous recreation centers and sanatoriums are located on its shores. Tourists also come here from neighboring regions.

IN late XIX century, the Ob-Yenisei Canal was built, connecting the Ob with the Yenisei. It is currently unused and abandoned.

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Ob: Charysh, Agan, Vakh, Aley, Chumysh, Tom, Chulym, Ket, Berd, Inya, Irtysh, Northern Sosva, Tromyegan. The following also flow into the Ob: Bolshoy Yugan (flows into the Yuganskaya channel), Shchuchya, Konda.

Water mode

The river is fed predominantly by snow. During the spring-summer flood period, the river carries the bulk of its annual flow.

In the upper reaches, the flood starts from the beginning of April, on average - from the second half of April, and in the lower reaches - from the end of April - beginning of May.

The rise in levels begins even during freeze-up; when the river opens up as a result of congestion, intense short-term rises in levels occur. Because of this, some tributaries may experience a reversal of flow direction.

In the upper reaches, the flood ends in July, the summer low water is unstable, and in September - October there is a rain flood.

In the middle and lower reaches, the decline of the flood with overlapping rain floods continues until freeze-up.

Animal world

About 50 species and subspecies of fish live in the waters of the Ob and Ob Bay, half of which are of industrial value. The most valuable species: sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, broad whitefish, tugun, whitefish, peled. Fishing objects are mainly small ones - pike perch, pike, ide, burbot, bream, dace, roach, crucian carp, perch.

Origin of the word "Ob"

The Nenets living in the lower reaches of the river called it “Sala-yam”, which means “Cape River”. The Khanty and Mansi gave it the name “As” - “big river”, the Selkups called the river “Kvay”, “Eme”, “Kuay”. These names meant “large river”.

The Russians first saw the river in its lower reaches, when hunters and merchants, together with Zyryan guides, went for Ural Mountains. And before Ermak’s conquest of Siberia, the region around the Ob was called Obdorsky.

There is a version that the name of the river comes from the Komi language, which meant “snow”, “snowdrift”, “place near the snow”.

There is also an assumption that the name is related to the Iranian word “ob” - “water”. And this name could well have been given to the deep river by the peoples of the Iranian-speaking group who lived in the south of Western Siberia during the period from the Early Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.

There is also a version that the word “Ob” comes from the Russian “both”, that is, “both rivers” - “Ob”, meaning two rivers - Katun and Biya, which merged into the Ob. See also the legend about the Katun and Biya rivers.

Cities on the Ob:

• Barnaul
• Novoaltaysk
• Stone-on-Obi
• Novosibirsk
• Kolpashevo
• Nizhnevartovsk
• Surgut
• Nefteyugansk
• Megion
• Salekhard
• Labytnangi
• Langepas (on the Kayukovskaya channel)

Main ports and marinas of the Ob basin: Barnaul river port, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut, Labytnangi, Pavlodar, Omsk, Tobolsk, Tyumen, Khanty-Mansiysk.

Bridges in the direction from the mouth to the source:

• Surgutsky Bridge (Surgut, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug);
• railway bridge Surgut;
• Shegarsky Bridge (near the village of Melnikovo, Tomsk region);
• Northern Bypass Bridge in Novosibirsk (2014);
• Dimitrovsky Bridge in Novosibirsk;
• Trans-Siberian railway bridge (Novosibirsk);
• Communal Bridge (Novosibirsk) (Oktyabrsky);
• Metrobridge in Novosibirsk;
• Komsomolsky Bridge (railway) in Novosibirsk;
• Bridge over the gateway of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station;
• railway bridge in Kamen-na-Obi, Altai Territory;
• communal bridge (road, railway) in Barnaul;
• new bridge in Barnaul.

Additional material:

Rivers are picturesque arteries through which the blood of the earth flows. From the very beginning of human history, people have tried to set up settlements and build houses in the coastal zone. Water gave them life. Here they watered the cattle, bathed and cultivated the land. IN Ancient Rus' the rivers were called "God's roads."

Both in winter and in summer they had their own, strategically important. In the warm season, merchant ships glided along large waterways, and in winter, when the surface of the reservoir was covered with an icy surface, merchants transported their goods on sleighs directly across the ice.

Just as blood is important for the human body, so is blood necessary for the life of nature. fresh water. Rivers are the main element of the blue planet Earth. As you know, each of them has its own beginning - a source.

Where do they come from?

Almost all rivers have a different source: somewhere a seething stream begins with a small spring, somewhere with a huge waterfall, some rivers are born as a result of snow caps. Such waters are called mountain streams. They are distinguished by their high speed and low temperature; their current can easily carry away even huge blocks of stone. Such rivers are dangerous and unpredictable.

In fact, each one begins with its own drainage basin, which in turn is fed by many sources. In the spring, when snow and ice melt, rivers are regularly replenished with new water and become fuller, as a result of which they sometimes even overflow. This can be a big problem for residents coastal zone. As a result of such spills, farmers may lose their crops, and houses built next to the river will become wet and destroyed.

Rivers and their beds

Blue Highways form a giant network of water on the surface of the earth. There are more than 2 million rivers in Russia, 200 of which are quite large. Even huge ships can sail along them. The more modest ones barely cover their muddy bottom. It is known to form a valley and form wide bends in it. Each channel is unique, it has its own slope, individual width and flow. Each “blue ribbon” has its own beginning, its own character and life activity. The flora and fauna of rivers are often similar due to the presence of fresh water.

Where do rivers flow and where do they end?

In the summer, when the temperature rises and the evaporation of moisture increases significantly, the river sources become shallow, and the water flows themselves narrow somewhat. After the spring melting of the ice, the river returns to its original channel to flow further to its end. Wherever the river flows go! They flow into oceans, lakes, seas, and also into other rivers. It is generally accepted that they flow from a hill, heading down.

If we take into account the water flows of Russia, then most of them carry their waters to the Northern Arctic Ocean, and only a few - to the Atlantic. In the place where the river flows into the sea, the water is desalinated, thanks to which some species of living beings have been able to adapt to life in fresh water bodies.

Volga is the largest water artery

This is one of the most picturesque and big rivers not only countries, but also Europe. It stretches for almost 4,000 kilometers. So, where does it flow? Having originated in the Tver region, it travels along a winding route, divides into many branches and flows into the Caspian Sea. This amazing river has about 200 tributaries, the largest of which are the Oka and Kama. It is worth mentioning that some rivers flow into closed lakes, where their vigorous activity ends.

Current direction

How can you determine where the river flows in your area? In fact, everything is extremely simple. You don't need to be a geologist to understand where rivers flow. First of all, you need to pick up a map and find the desired water flow on it. If a reservoir is shown on the drawing, then the direction of its bed will be clearly indicated by a blue arrow. It happens that you need to determine this while being in nature without a map. What to do in this case? By looking carefully, you can see in which direction the current is moving.

Where in the North and Southern Hemisphere? In both the first and second cases, they flow to their mouths. Curious to know what's the difference between them? Their currents are directed towards opposite sides. This is regulated not only by the position of the equator, but also by the terrain. For example, we can say with confidence that the source is invariably located significantly higher than the mouth, therefore the water mass, obeying the physical law of universal gravitation, flows from top to bottom.

Unique water flows

People asked the question of where rivers come from and where they flow even at the dawn of human history. Since then, amazing and unusual things have been revealed to their eyes more than once. natural phenomena. A striking example of this is rivers, which can change Previously people They explained this by the intervention of the gods and interpreted it in their own way, perceiving such changes as signs from above. With the advent of new technologies, it became obvious that there really are bodies of water where the mouth and source sometimes change places, but modern scientists have found a more logical explanation for this.

It turned out that the main factor provoking a change in the flow was underground groundwater. When the water level in them begins to fluctuate, this affects the surface flow. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the world around us: where do rivers flow, why do certain phenomena occur? However, it is worth remembering that there is nothing meaningless in nature, everything is created for a specific purpose and functions properly, supporting the life of every living creature.

Practice shows that despite the fact that we live in an age of technology and general technical progress, the purpose water arteries the earth has not changed, although the reservoirs themselves have become the subject of careful study and scientific experiments. In recent decades, scientists have been absorbed in studying the structure and molecules of water. Their research proves that this unique liquid is incomparable to any other, it is truly alive! Where do the rivers flow? The world and nature have provided comprehensive answers to this and many other questions.

Russia is the largest country in the world by area. The largest rivers on Earth flow over a vast territory: the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur. Among them is the most long river Europe - Volga. Its length is 3530 km, and the basin area is 1360 thousand m2.

The Volga River flows in the European part of Russia: from the Valdai Hills in the west, along the eastern side to the Urals, in the south of the country it flows into the Caspian Sea. A small part of the delta extends into the territory of Kazakhstan.

The source of the river is on the Valdai Hills, in the village of Volgoverkhovye, Tver Region. A small stream, receiving about 150,000 tributaries, including 200 small and large rivers, gains power and strength and turns into a mighty river. A special monument to the river was erected at the source site.

The fall of the river along its length does not exceed 250 m. The mouth of the river lies 28 m below sea level. The territory of Russia adjacent to the Volga is called the Volga region. Along the banks of the river there are four million-plus cities: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd. First major locality on the Volga from the source is the city of Rzhev, and the last one in the delta is Astrakhan. The Volga is the world's largest river of internal flow, i.e. does not flow into the world's oceans.

The main part of the Volga area, from the source to Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, located in the forest zone, the middle part of the basin to Samara and Saratov is in the forest steppe zone, the lower part - to Volgograd in the steppe zone, and to the south in the semi-desert zone.

The Volga is usually divided into three parts: the upper Volga - from the source to the mouth of the Oka, middle Volga- from the confluence of the Oka to the mouth of the Kama, and the lower Volga - from the confluence of the Kama to the confluence with the Caspian Sea.

History of the river

For the first time, a Greek scientist spoke about the river. Then information about the Volga is found in the notes of the Persian king Darius, who described his campaigns against the Scythian tribes. Roman sources speak of the Volga as a “generous river”, hence the name “Ra”. In Rus', the river is spoken of in the famous “Tale of Bygone Years”.

Since the times of Rus', the Volga has been an important trade link - an artery where the Volga trade route was established. Through this route, Russian merchants traded in oriental fabrics, metal, honey, and wax.

After the conquest of the Volga basin, trade flourished, the peak of which occurred in the 17th century. Over time, a river fleet arose on the Volga.

In the 19th century, an army of barge haulers worked on the Volga, which is the subject of a painting by a Russian artist. At that time, huge reserves of salt, fish, and bread were transported along the Volga. Then cotton was added to these goods, and later oil.

During Civil War The Volga was the main strategic point, which provided the army with bread and food, and also made it possible to quickly transfer forces with the help of the fleet.

When Soviet power was established in Russia, the river began to be used as a source of electricity. In the 20th century, 8 hydroelectric power stations were built on the Volga.

During World War II, the Volga was the most important river for the USSR, as armies and food supplies were transferred across it. In addition, the largest battle took place on the Volga, in Stalingrad (now Volgograd).

Currently, oil reserves are being extracted in the Volga basin and natural gas that support Russian economy. In some areas, potassium and table salt are mined.

Flora and fauna of the river

The Volga is predominantly snow-fed (60%), partly rain-fed (10%), and groundwater feeds the Volga by 30%. The water in the river is advantageously warm, summer time the temperature does not drop below +20-25 degrees. The river freezes at the end of November in the upper reaches, and in the lower reaches - in December. The river is frozen 100-160 days a year.

The river is home to large populations of fish: crucian carp, pike perch, perch, ide, pike. Also in the waters of the Volga live catfish, burbot, ruffe, sturgeon, bream and sterlet. In total there are about 70 species of fish.

Birds live in the Volga delta: ducks, swans, herons. Flamingos and pelicans live on the Volga. And the famous flowers also grow - lotuses. Although the Volga is very polluted industrial enterprises, it still retains aquatic vegetation (lotus, water lily, reed, water chestnut).

Tributaries of the Volga

Approximately 200 tributaries flow into the Volga, and most of them are on the left side. The left tributaries are much richer in water than the right ones. The most major influx The Volga is the Kama River. Its length reaches 2000 km. The influx begins on the Verkhnekamsk Upland. The Kama has more than 74 thousand tributaries, 95% are rivers up to 10 km long.

Hydrotechnical studies also indicate that the Kama is older than the Volga. And here's the last one glacial period and the construction of reservoirs on the Kama seriously reduced its length.

In addition to the Kama, tributaries of the Volga stand out:

• Sura;
• Tvertsa;
• Sviyaga;
• Vetluga;
• Unzha;
• Mologa et al.

Tourism on the Volga

Volga - picturesque river, so tourism flourishes there. Volga gives the opportunity to short term visit a large number of Volga region cities. Cruises along the Volga are a common type of recreation on the river.

The journey lasts from 3-5 days to a month. It includes a visit to the most beautiful cities in the country located along the Volga. Favorable period for traveling along the Volga - from the beginning of May to the end of September.

• The Kama, a tributary of the Volga, hosts an annual sailing competition - the largest in Europe.
• The Volga appears in literary and works of art Russian classics: Repin.
• Feature films have been made about the Volga, including “Volga, Volga” in 1938, “A Bridge is Being Built” in 1965.

• The Volga is considered to be the “homeland of barge haulers.” Sometimes 600 thousand barge haulers could work hard on it at the same time.
• Controversial point: it is generally accepted that the Kama is a tributary of the Volga River. But geographers and hydrologists are still arguing which river is the main one. The fact is that at the confluence of the Volga rivers it carries 3,100 cubic meters of water per second, but the “productivity” of the Kama is 4,300 cubic meters per second. It turns out that the Volga ends just below Kazan, and then the Kama River flows further, and it is the Kama that flows into the Caspian Sea.

• The Arabs, impressed by the scale of the Volga, named it “Itil”, which means “river” in Arabic.
• Every day the Volga pours 250 cubic kilometers of water into the Caspian Sea. However, the level of this sea continues to decline steadily.
• On May 20, Russia celebrates Volga Day.

The Irtysh is a river that flows through Asia, and most of it in Siberia, and at the same time it is the main tributary of the Ob, and the second longest tributary in the world, after the Missouri River. The length of this river, 4248 kilometers, including the Black Irtysh, is largest river Russia, and even surpasses such rivers as the Yenisei and Ob. The basin of this river is larger than the Volga and stretches over an area of ​​1,595,680 square kilometers. The Irtysh River flows through the territory of three countries - China (535 kilometers), Kazakhstan (its length is 1,835 kilometers), and Russia (its length is 2,010 kilometers). And the area of ​​the sprawling basin is 1,643,000 square kilometers. The Irtysh River originates in the mountain ranges Mongolian Altai, at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level, on the border of China and Mongolia. It begins with a small river, the Black Irtysh - that’s what it’s called in China, where it flows and gains strength. Passing through the territory of Kazakhstan, it ends up in the Zaisan Lowland, with subsequent entry into the flowing Lake Zaisan. When it flows into Lake Zaisan, the Black Irtysh forms a large delta.
Coming down from steep mountains, the river is gaining momentum, and in the upper reaches, it greatly erodes the banks, and this is reflected in its name. If translated from the Turkic language, the Irtysh River is translated as “digger”.
The length of the Irtysh River in China is 618 kilometers. On this moment Chinese authorities decided to build the Irtysh-Karamai irrigation canal, which will be 300 kilometers long and 22 meters wide. Such a canal will take 20% of the annual flow from the Black Irtysh, which will subsequently lead to a sharp shallowing of the river. Which subsequently threatens a major environmental disaster for all regions of Siberia that stand on the river.
In the Zaysan Lowland, which is located in Kazakhstan, many rivers flow in, both from the Tarbagatai and Saursky ridges, and from the Rudny Altai. Strengthened by many waters, the Irtysh flows from Lake Zaisan and heads northwest to the Bukhtarminskaya hydroelectric station and the next hydroelectric station, which stands on the route of the Irtysh River - Ust-Kamenogorskaya. This is where the expansion of the Irtysh River occurs, since numerous tributaries flow into it at this point. The high water supply of this river was created for the construction of a hydroelectric power station, and just downstream in the city of Semipalatinsk and the Shulbinskaya hydroelectric power station. Further, the waters of the Irtysh become increasingly powerful, and above Pavlodar this vital important water, takes the Irtysh - Karaganda Canal, which flows to the west. And already in the area of ​​​​the city of Khanty-Mansiysk it flows into the same mighty river as it - the Ob River.
The river is fed mixedly - in the upper reaches of the river it is fed by snow, somewhere by rain and glaciers. And in the lower reaches, the river’s feeding becomes groundwater, with varying success from rain and snow.
Coming out of the large mountains, the Irtysh smoothly passes through the very dry Kazakh steppes. The further length of the river, about 1174 kilometers, passes on the Omsk plains. The Irtysh, north of the Omsk region, flows in the taiga zone, and this continues until it flows into the Ob. Near Omsk itself, the Irtysh has a very good modern valley, the width is 15-20 kilometers, and only at the foot big city the river narrows to 2 kilometers. They say that there are two coastal valleys - the ancient one, which is 150 - 200 kilometers wide, and two terraces on the shore are clearly visible: the modern one, which is lower, and the one higher up is ancient. The right bank is very steep, with large ravines, and the left bank is not so high and steep, it is flatter and smoothly turns into a plain. Since loose rocks predominate in the composition of the banks, they are easily destroyed.
And what picturesque banks are on this river with numerous branches and channels. As a result of coastal erosion, rocks are often washed away and form sheer walls, the height is sometimes 30-40 meters, and the local population nicknamed them “Irtysh Mountains”.
In general, in these latitudes the Irtysh River is very calm and quiet river. But no one knows that the Irtysh is the cleanest and most poorly mineralized of all the rivers in the world. Very often the river meanders, as if meandering, while describing various arcs and turns. Here the river and its bed reach a width of 600 - 700 meters, and much further north, and a full 1000 meters. And the depth of the river reaches 6 – 15 meters. On the rifts it is much shallower than 2 - 3 meters. The Irtysh is especially interesting for lovers active rest. Fans of both winter and summer fishing spend a lot of time fishing on the banks of this river. Particularly pleasing is the presence of large snow-white beaches, and the presence of taiga in the surrounding area attracts vacationers here even more.
Those who like to relax with a fishing rod can catch a lot of fish, and there are a lot of them and different varieties. There are representatives here sturgeon fish(such as sterlet and sturgeon), salmon are represented here by the following species (vendice, nelma, muksun). Also represented here are cyprinids (bream, roach, dace, ide, and the crucian carp family), and you can also catch pike, burbot, and a large variety of perch, pike perch, and ruffe. There have been cases when fishermen caught sterlet weighing 1200 - 1500 kilograms and up to 6 meters long.
In the past century, there have been great debates about who flows where, and who is the tributary? It turns out that the Irtysh River is longer compared to the Ob River, and it merges with the Irtysh River from the side, like a tributary, and at the same time, without bending the straight direction. But the main argument, which turned out to be more convincing, is that the Ob River is deeper than the Irtysh. This is how the Ob became the main river.

Tributaries of the Irtysh: Narym, Kaldzhir, Bukhtarma, Kurchum, Uba, Kyzylsu, Ulba, Char, Tobol, Tara, Osha, Om, Uy, Shish, Ishim, Chagan, Konda.