In total, there are about 2.5 million rivers on the map of Russia. The vast majority of them are small rivers. However, some are truly gigantic. One of these water arteries is the Ob.
General characteristics of the river
The direction of the Ob River is its main feature. Unlike other Russian rivers, it flows from south to north. The Ob is the longest river in Russia. Its length even exceeds the length of such rivers as the Yenisei and the Lena. The total area of its basin is about 3 million square meters. km, which is five times more than the territory of France.
The Ob, as already mentioned, is the longest river in all of Russia. Its pool is partially located in other countries - for example, Mongolia and China. The river has several types of food: snow, rain and glacial. On its banks are many cities. It falls into the Gulf of Ob. The average speed of the Ob River is 5 km / h.
Upper Ob
The basin of the named river is geographically located in various physiographic and climatic conditions. On the south side of the river, which has just begun, there are sultry deserts and semi-deserts. In the north is the cold territory of the tundra. The entire water artery is conventionally divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower. At the point where two majestic rivers merge , Biya and Katun, and the Ob river originates. The nature of the flow in this section depends on the features of the relief.
Up to the mouth of Tom, the Ob valley is wide. This section is called the top. Here the current has a rather high speed, but the more the river expands, the slower and calmer its waters flow. The riverbed often clings to the high left bank, and below the city of Novosibirsk it expands to 20 km. Even lower, two tributaries flow into the Ob - these are Chumysh on the right side and Alei on the left. How fast or slow the course of the Ob River depends on its site. For example, the rocky bottom at the confluence of Katun and Biya is responsible for the high speed of the river in this place.
By the way, in autumn and summer in this place you can observe a curious phenomenon. From the side, the surface of the river here seems striped. This is due to the fact that the waters of the two primary rivers are colored in different colors and do not mix immediately. The greenish waters of Katun and the whitish Biya form such an effect.
Middle Ob
On its long journey, the Ob collects the waters of many Siberian mountain rivers. Its channel runs along the entire West Siberian Plain, it is divided into sleeves, ducts. When spring comes, the illusion of an endless body of water with small islands of land is created in this area.
Middle Ob is the next section into which the river is conditionally divided. It starts from the mouth of the Tom River and ends where the Irtysh flows into the Ob. In its middle part, the river is pressed against the so-called Belogorsky continent - a small hill.
In some places, the Ob River becomes very wide (over 50 km). The nature of its course is full-flowing. There are also many ducts. After flowing into its channel of the Irtysh, the water artery changes direction, turning north. The width of the floodplain of the Middle Ob ranges from 20 to 30 km, and the valleys - 30-50 km.
Lower Ob
The section to the Gulf of Ob is called Lower Ob. Here its width is from 3 to 7 km. The river valley is asymmetric: its right bank has a steep shape and is covered with forest, and the left, on the contrary, is gentle. Each year, the nature of the river bed changes. The channel, washing off the steep right bank and introducing silt on the left, changes its shape.
High water in spring is a hallmark of the Ob River. The nature of the course in its lower reaches is determined by the presence of powerful tributaries - Tom and Irtysh. For the Lower Ob, spring floods and summer floods merge into one powerful wave.
Ice formation
The Upper and Middle Ob are usually covered by a thickness of ice in the cold season. The upper part of the river is freed from ice cover around the middle of April, the middle one is at the end of April, and the lower one is at the beginning of May. In some places, the Ob is free from ice for a long time. For example, in the Barnaul region, this period is 200 days a year. In Salekhard, the Ob is not covered in ice for 180 days. When spring comes, the water of the river can rise up to 4 m. Here in the summer, water can warm up to 28 degrees.
Studying Ob in History
In those days, when the European conquerors were already moving deep into America, the eastern part of Siberia was still poorly understood. The first records relating to the Ob River date back to the 16th century. In those days, it was believed that it could have access to China and even India.
The atlas of the European explorer Mercator, compiled in 1595, was the best example of maps of Siberia at that time. But even in it the river is presented absolutely incorrectly. And in its headwaters a nonexistent Chinese lake was designated.
The Russians began to populate Siberia from about the 16th-17th centuries, although by that time the river basin had been found by them already occupied by the Khanty, Mansi and Selkup tribes. It is very difficult at the moment to establish the origin of the name of the river. Some researchers believe that it originates from the Russian word "both", since the river originates from two other rivers.
Other scholars believe this name comes from the Iranian word “ab,” which means “water.” But for the first time, the Novgorodians, who settled in the Lower Ob, met Ob. They called the river "Obdor". But basically for geographers the Ob River is not a mystery. The nature of the course, its location and wealth were studied during many expeditions and using special equipment.