The Lena River (on the map of Russia, this geographical object stands out from the others) is the largest in Eastern Siberia. In addition, she is the tenth in the list of the longest rivers in the world. Where on the map is the Lena River? Which territories flows through? What settlements are located along it? Which of them are the largest? This and much more will be discussed later in the article.
General information
The zone where the Lena River is located on the map includes several constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In particular, it flows through the Irkutsk, Amur regions, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk and Transbaikal regions, as well as through Buryatia and Yakutia. The Lena River, the photo of which can be viewed above, is the largest in the Russian Federation. Her pool lies within this state. Where did the name of the river come from? It is believed that its roots go back to the Evenki language, which is part of the Tungus-Manchu group. Pioneer became the discoverer. The mouth of the Lena River, he called "Eluene". Subsequently, the name was transformed and took on a modern form.
Geography
The Lena River on a map of Russia looks large-scale in comparison with other objects. Its length is about 4400 km. The pool has an area of 2490 thousand square meters. m. Depending on the nature of the current, three sections are distinguished. The first includes the source of the Lena River (it is clearly visible on the map) before the start of Vitim. From its end to the place of accession of Aldan - the second section. The lower part, the third, is from Aldan to the place where the Lena River flows (this is the Laptev Sea).
Upstream
The area where the Lena River is located on the map includes various geographical features that are directly related to the water area. In particular, the flow begins from a lake located near Lake Baikal (seven kilometers). It is located at an altitude of 1470 m. In 1997, on August 19, where the Lena River originates, a chapel was erected. The entire upper section, that is, in fact a third of the length of the stream, lies in the mountainous Prebaikalia. In the area of Kirensk, water consumption averages 1100 cubic meters. m / s
Middle course
The segment between Vitim and Aldan is attributed to this part of the river . Its length is about 1415 kilometers. Not far from the confluence of Vitim Lena goes to the territory of Yakutia. She runs in this area until its graduation. Having absorbed Vitim, the Lena River (this section is clearly visible on the map of Russia) becomes a powerful high-water stream. The depths in this section increase to 10-12 meters, the channel becomes wider, there are numerous islands. The river valley expands to 20-30 kilometers. It is asymmetric here: the right slope is slightly higher and steeper. It is represented by the northern border of the Patom Highlands. Left - more gentle. A dense coniferous forest grows on both slopes, replaced in some places by a meadow. In the section from Olekma to Aldan, the Lena River has no significant tributaries. For five hundred kilometers, cutting through the Prilenskoe plateau, the stream passes through a narrow and deep valley, which is cut into limestone. A little lower the city of Pokrovsk, the river overlooks a flat area. As a result, the valley expands sharply, and the flow velocity slows down significantly. It does not exceed 1.3 meters per second (in the majority - 0.5-0.7 m / s.). In the floodplain, however, the width reaches 5-7, and in some sections - 15 kilometers, and the whole valley as a whole - 20 km and wider.
Downstream
Just below Yakutsk, two main tributaries flow into the river - Vilyui and Aldan. From this place the stream becomes simply gigantic. Even in the area where there is only one channel, the width reaches ten kilometers, and the depth is more than 16-20 meters. On the island part of the Lena is bottled up to 20-30 km. There are very few settlements - the coast is almost deserted. The lower reaches are characterized by a narrow basin. From the eastern part, branches of the Verkhoyansk ridge — the watershed of Yana and Lena — are advancing. On the western side there are minor elevations from the Central Siberian Plateau. They share Deer and Lena. A little lower with. The Bulun stream is compressed by ridges coming very close to it: from the east - Kharaulakh, from the west - Chekanovsky. About 150 kilometers from the Laptev Sea, the vast Lena River Delta extends.
Hydrology
Data on water consumption at the mouth of the Lena are quite contradictory according to various sources. Often even in them you can meet inaccuracies. Uncertainty is exacerbated by the fact that the river has a vast delta and many channels. This territory accounts for a section of the basin, the area of which is 60 thousand square meters. km According to various estimates, the flow of water per year is in the range from 489 to 542 square meters. km This corresponds to the average annual flow rate at the end of the stream, equal to 15 500-17 175 m3 / second.
The main food supply for this section, as, in fact, for most tributaries, is rain and melt water. The inflow of soil resources is hampered by the widespread distribution of permafrost within the catchment area. The only exceptions are geothermal sources.
Seasonal changes in water level and flow rate
The river is characterized by several fairly high floods in the summer, spring floods, as well as low low water in the autumn-winter period (up to 366 m3 / s). All indicators of water consumption depend on the general mode of precipitation. During the spring flood during June, up to 40% of the drain, from June to October - 91%. At the mouth, the highest water discharge per month was recorded on average in 1989. Then in June it amounted to 104,000 m3 / second. During the flood at the end of the river, the maximum discharge may exceed 200,000 m3 / s.
Ice mode
The river is located mainly in an area with severe climatic conditions. The stream differs from the others in its powerful ice jams and the ice regime in general. Winter is extremely cold, light snowy and long. Ice under these conditions is thick and durable. In spring, the ice drift is characterized by high power. Congestion of frozen blocks and flooding of vast territories are quite common for Lena. Spring spill earlier (at the end of April) is noted in the area of Kirensk - in the upper reaches. Moving gradually to the north, the stream advances on the river still chained in ice. The spill reaches the lower reaches around the middle of June. During this period, water rises above the low-water level by 6-8 meters, and in the lower reaches the rise can reach 18 m.
Tributaries
The territory where the Lena River is located on the map includes many water flows. They fall into the channel. Among the tributaries, it is worth highlighting Tea, Big Patom, Kutu, Vitim, Vilyui, Olekma, Aldan, Molodo, Chuya, Kirengu, Lunghu, Biryuk. Among them there are also quite large ones. One of these is, for example, Aldan. The average discharge at its mouth is 5,060 m3 / s, and the basin area is 729,000 square meters. km The four main tributaries - Vitim, Aldan, Olekma and Vilyui - clearly stand out for their size among others.
Shipping
The Lena River on the map of Russia is surrounded in some places by fairly large objects. Among them are settlements of special binding significance. It should be said that the river to this day is the main navigable artery of Yakutsk. This transport line connects the regions of the subject with other territories of federal significance. The main part of the "northern supply" is carried out along the Lena. It is believed that the pier Kachug - the beginning of shipping. However, only small vessels go from the port of Osetrovo upstream. A little lower than the city of Ust-Kut and right up to the confluence of Vitim there are quite a lot of difficult places regarding shipping and relatively small sections. To improve the transport network, work is carried out annually in this place to deepen the bottom. Navigation is carried out from 125 to 170 days.
Settlements
It should be said that the territory through which the river flows is relatively poorly populated. There are six cities. The largest is, of course, Yakutsk, although its population is a little more than 300 thousand people. The city was founded in 1632.
The oldest city on the Lena is Kirensk. It was founded in 1630. The distance between the settlements as a whole (with the exception of the territory near Yakutsk, where a relatively high population density is noted) can reach several hundred kilometers. At the same time, deaf taiga is common in the area. Very often you can find abandoned villages, villages. Periodically, temporary shift camps appear. Among the historical sites should be noted the city of Zhigansk. It was founded in 1632, and from 1783 to 1805 it had the status of a county town.
Another historical place is Sottintsy. Here is the Lenin Museum-Reserve of History and Architecture "Friendship". Sottintsy - the place of the original foundation of Yakutsk.
Economic value
The Lena River is considered one of the cleanest in the world. The channel here was not changed by man. Today, there are no dams, hydroelectric power stations and other structures along the river. In places not inhabited by humans, you can drink water directly from the stream. Due to the fact that there are not many settlements along the course, economic activity is not very intensive. The largest ports are considered such cities as Yakutsk, Lensk, Kirensk, Osetrovo.
Ecology
According to research results from scientists from different countries (University of Alaska, French National Research Center, Institute of RAS), global warming can negatively affect the flow condition. The temperature in the region where the river flows, drops in winter to seventy degrees. In this case, permafrost lies in a layer of one and a half kilometers. As scientists have established, the temperature of the air over the past forty years has risen by an average of four degrees. And without this, sufficiently strong floods gain power from year to year. This has a devastating effect on the state of the coast. In addition, there is an active movement of the islands downstream. By 2009, the speed at which they descend reached twenty-seven meters per year.