The Yukon River, whose photo is located below, closes the five longest waterways of North America. Moreover, according to this indicator, it is located at 21 positions in the world. Translated from the language of local aborigines, its name means "Great River." The largest settlements erected on it are Marshall, Circle, Rylot Station, Fort Yukon and others.
general description
The Yukon River on the map of North America is located mainly in the northwestern part. It flows through the United States and Canada. The American state of Alaska is visually divided by this waterway into two approximately identical parts. It originates in the territory of the Canadian province, which is called British Columbia. The mouth is located opposite the island of St. Lawrence, near the Gulf of Norton. The total area of the basin, which is deep, narrow and long, exceeds the mark of 855 thousand square kilometers. The length of the Yukon is 3185 kilometers. It should be noted that this is the longest water artery that flows through Canada.
Opening
Humanity knew practically nothing about this river until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Her discoverer is considered to be Peter Korsakovsky from Russia. It is his detailed description of the estuary, dated 1819, is currently considered the oldest. In addition, a few years later, our compatriot founded a settlement here, called the Mikhailovsky Redoubt. After Alaska became the 49th US state, it was renamed St. Michael. Under this name, the village is known now. In 1843, the Russian naval officer L. Zagoskin described in detail the lower course of the water artery.
The Yukon River is now very popular with tourists. Many of them prefer to travel on it by boat or canoe. In 1897, the famous writer Jack London visited the area. He was so impressed with them that he spent more than six months here.
Leaking
The river source, as noted above, is located in the north of British Columbia. They considered Lake Atlin, which is located at an altitude of 731 meters above sea level. Together with several more lakes, a peculiar chain is created, the last link of which is Lake Marsh. A little north of it is the main administrative center of Northern Canada and the federal territory - the city of Whitehorse. Despite its importance, it is very small and has a population of 21 thousand inhabitants.
After the Yukon River bends around it, it rushes in a north-westerly direction and expands by five kilometers, thereby forming Lake Laberge. The length of its basin is about fifty kilometers. Further, a water stream crosses the US border, after which it is in Alaska. Here the channel is located in a mountainous area, so it is not surprising that the river is overflowing with rapids. Immediately after the small town of Eagle, she goes out on level ground.
Not far from the Mountain Village, the Yukon Delta begins. The local population does not even reach the mark of one thousand people. People here are very poor by American standards. Behind this village, the water stream is divided into many canals, after which it flows into the Bering Sea. It should be noted that the section between the Yukon and Kuskokvim rivers in Alaska is the greenest area.
Climate and water regime
Winter in the basin of the waterway lasts about nine months. At this time, there are periods when the air temperature drops to fifty degrees below zero. Due to such weather conditions, the region is characterized by a peculiar settlement. Most of the villages here are small, and their population is two times less than they were during the gold rush. Be that as it may, the Yukon River has great hydropower potential. An interesting feature of it is that only four bridges are thrown through it.
The water artery has mainly snow nutrition. From June to July there is a flood season. At this time, the water level here may rise by fifteen to twenty meters. The main left tributaries are Novita, Beaver and Birch, and the right ones are Thiislin, Stuart, Palley, Milozitna, Klondike, Nadvizik and others. From the second half of October until the beginning of May, the period of ice standing lasts. For the rest of the year, the river is navigable. Ships can enter it up to the Whitehorse thresholds at a distance of about 3200 kilometers from the delta.
River inhabitants
Due to the prevalence of low temperatures, the vegetation in the pool is not very diverse. From time immemorial, the most developed fishing among local residents was fishing. The situation has not changed in our time. The fact is that the Yukon River is a place where a huge amount of salmon swims for spawning. In addition to it, other valuable fish species are found in its waters, including whitefish, pike, grayling and nelma. As of today, fishing in the Yukon is officially permitted. The cost of an annual license for its implementation is 35 Canadian dollars. This does not apply to local Aboriginal people who have a lifelong right to free fishing in the local waters. As for the representatives of the fauna, beavers, black bears, snow sheep and foxes live on the banks of the river.
Golden fever
Since the end of the nineteenth century, the Yukon River in North America has gained worldwide fame. The fact is that in 1896 the first gold was discovered in the area of its flow by three prospectors. A year later, several tons of this mineral were brought from here to San Francisco. After that, mass hype began, and thousands of fortune hunters rushed to the Yukon and Klondike rivers in search of quick profit. It was these people who became the founders of most of the towns and villages that have survived to this day. Many of them enriched themselves very quickly. Along with this, there were those who forever disappeared in the snowy cold desert. At the end of the nineteenth century, the reserves of gold sand were exhausted, and the excitement ended. In addition, gold was found on Seward in 1899, so the vast majority of prospectors moved there. All that remains of the fever is just a memory and a shipping line in the Yukon.