We can say with great confidence 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). All of them belong to the three oceans. Let's talk with you about what are the most important rivers of Russia. The names of most of them have developed historically, so we will touch on the past a little. On the territory of the Russian Federation there are a lot of amazing rivers and lakes.
Some general information
About 70% of the rivers that are in Russia belong to the Arctic Ocean. The longest and deepest rivers flow into the basin, such as the Yenisei, Oba, Lena, etc. Amur and Anadyr are referred to the Pacific basin. Features of the last two are relatively short length and rapid current. The basin of the Atlantic Ocean includes the Don. Do not miss one important point, which is that many rivers are located in several border states at once, for example, in Mongolia, Ukraine or Belarus.
As already noted a little higher, in Russia there are more than 2.5 million rivers. This fact indicates a huge supply of fresh water. For agriculture and industry this is also very important. For example, there is no such problem as drought on farmland, which is caused by sufficient water resources. One cannot fail to say that the total length of all the rivers of Russia is approximately 10 million km. You probably think that our country takes first place in the world in water resources? No, unfortunately, the second. The first is Brazil, where the volume of fresh river water is somewhat larger.
The average long-term runoff is 4290 cubic meters per year. This is quite a lot, but given the uneven location of the rivers in the country and the various difficulties in organizing the rational use of the water resource, the stable annual flow is only 1,400 cubic meters. As for the amount of water per person, in the Russian Federation it is about 18 thousand m 3 per year, while in the USA it is 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 different - invented by both other peoples and indigenous people. Let's start with the most interesting.
The main river of Russia - Volga
Surface waters occupy 12.4% of the total territory of the country. Moreover, 84% is concentrated in the east of the Urals. On the territory of Russia is one of the largest rivers of the whole 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 we list the rivers of Russia, whose names are most often mentioned in history, the Volga will be in first place. Its length is more than 3,500 kilometers. This is the distance between Berlin and Moscow, multiplied by two.
Of course, the Volga is simply of great economic importance, and for hundreds of years it has been used as a transportation highway, as well as one of the main sources of hydropower.
If we talk about the industrial production of Russia as a whole, then about 45% of enterprises use the resource of the river in question. All this suggests that the Volga is of great importance. If not for this reservoir, then it would be much more difficult for us to live with you.
The name of large rivers in Russia, such as the Volga and others, must be remembered, if only because we get more than 80% of all fish from them.
The Volga originates on the Valdai Upland. Every year people come there to take a sip of the Volga water. In the indicated place, this river is a small fontanel, which becomes wider and deeper with each meter. Here lotuses grow - beautiful flowers that we all associate with the East. This great and ancient river is devoted to many songs, as well as plays. You can talk endlessly about the beauty and grandeur of this river, but all this is not very impressive, if you do not see the reservoir with your own eyes. You already know how many rivers there are in Russia, so let's talk about those that are of great importance for the development of the country.
Cupid, or "Black Dragon"
This giant is located in Transbaikalia. Crossing mountain ranges and plains, the Amur flows into the Sea of Okhotsk. The river spread to three states: Russia, Mongolia and China. About three thousand kilometers of the border between Russia and China runs along the Amur. In China, it is the Black Dragon River. According to legend, a very, very long time ago, two dragons lived here: white - evil, and black - good. When the black dragon defeated evil, he stayed to live at the bottom. The Chinese have stuck with this name.
It is noteworthy that on the border of the Amur basin one can observe an amazing sight - a change of four physical-geographical zones. There are steppe and semi-desert zones, as well as forest and forest-steppe. Over the entire period of the Amur’s existence, more than thirty peoples of the world and various ethnic groups settled in these places. If you recall the name of the major rivers of Russia, then Cupid immediately comes to mind.
It is safe to say 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 also the river is of great importance for the migration of hundreds of thousands of birds. It is on the Amur River that almost 95% of Far Eastern white storks nest , as well as 50% of Daurian and Japanese cranes. There are more than 5,000 species of various plants and approximately 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 significantly escalated. This is due to active human intervention in the ecosystem of the river. The fact is that more than one hundred million people live in the Amur basin, and this is if we talk only about China. If we still know for sure how many rivers there are in Russia, then in a few years there may be no Amur, and people will be to blame.
Don - witness of Russian history
According to studies, scientists were able to name the approximate time of occurrence 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 such a name as Tanais. A long time ago, the legendary Amazons lived here - warriors, whose equals were almost nonexistent. These women warriors are mentioned in Russian stories, according to which, they often clashed 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 for some time lived in the places of the Northern Black Sea Coast, then these tribes gave the name to the river, which is used today. Don translated into Russian means "river".
In many respects, the economy of the south depends on river transport. Most of them are carried out precisely according to the Don. It is safe to say that approximately 85% of the main industry is located on the banks of the river. There are engineering plants, food and chemical, as well as tobacco industry. Not without energy. On the Don is the Rostov NPP, Tsimlyanskaya HPP, as well as Novovoronezh NPP.
It is worth paying your attention to the fact that all over the world there are three Don. The most important is located in Russia, it is also the largest. A junior namesake flows in the Scottish county of Aberdeen. Another Don is located in the county of York, in England.
As you can see, the rivers located on the territory of Russia are very popular, and some are known even in foreign countries. We continue our story further, because there is still a lot of interesting things.
What is the longest river in Russia?
The answer to this question probably interests a lot of people. The Lena River is the longest in the territory of the Russian Federation. In the world, it ranks tenth in length and eighth in fullness. It originates in the mountains in the south of Siberia and flows into the Laptev Sea. The river is 4,400 kilometers long.
On the slopes of the Baikal ridge Lena originates. In those places, this is a very small lake, which does not even have a 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 is almost completely dry.
Having accepted the first tributaries, the river becomes deeper and wider. Mountain currents are very fast and winding. If you ask how long the river in Russia is of great importance for the country, then this is without a doubt Lena. The fact is that this reservoir is the main transport route of Yakutia. Almost everything that is brought here from the north enters the river. This is due to poor road conditions.
One cannot but consider the issue of population. Studies have shown that few people live on the banks of the Lena. Most of the settlements are located 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 "Yule-En", which means "Big River".
The Russians opened the pond in 1621. First, the explorer Pyanda did it, and then the centurion Peter Beketov.
Borisfen, or 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, the Dnieper is of great importance for all of these countries. It is difficult to say exactly when this source of food and water for the ancient peoples appeared. However, Herodotus in his treatises mentioned the 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. She was transparent and tasted good. A large number of fish living in the Dnieper contributed to the development of fishing villages.
Today, the length of the river is approximately 2 201 kilometers, it ranks third in length in Europe. The Dnieper is characterized by a slow and calm course. In fact, this is a typical flat river.
The Dnieper takes its beginning on the Valdai Upland, in the Smolensk region. It falls into the Black Sea, and more precisely, into the Dnieper-Bug estuary.
If we list all the rivers flowing through the territory of Russia, then the Dnieper is one of the most fertile, as it has more than 400 tributaries and a lot of fish. Here live catfish, pike perch, common carp, perch, as well as about a hundred species of various birds, including a snake, herbalist, swan, duck and many others.
You can talk endlessly about how beautiful the Dnieper is during 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
Entire legends go about the origin of this river. But all stories are not confirmed by facts. It is not known where the name came from. Someone says that from the Tunguska peoples, from the word “Enesi”, which means “big water”. Another part of researchers and scientists is prone to Kyrgyz origin from the word “enee-say” - “mother river”. But one thing is certain: it is a unique river. The fact is that in the upper Yenisei there are camels, and if you go downstream, then with a high probability you can meet whole families of polar bears hunting on the banks. It is noteworthy that on the left bank of the river are the Siberian plains, and on the right bank of the taiga. The Yenisei also has a certain influence on the Arctic Ocean. The fact is that Siberian rivers carry a huge amount of heat, making the climate of the North less severe.
If we describe the large rivers of Russia, which carry significant volumes of water from their channel, then the Yenisei is in first place. About 600 km 3 of water per year goes to the Kara Sea. This is several times larger than the Volga runoff. The length of the reservoir is 3,487 km, so it rightfully takes the fifth place along the length in the Russian Federation. Yenisei is very beautiful, especially in summer and winter, when it is covered with greenery or snow. Of course, there are other long rivers of Russia, which we will talk about now.
Oka and the Urals
As you probably already noticed, the name of the largest rivers in Russia 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 has been an important trading artery. After she became the defensive line of the south of Russia. For our country, the river is of great importance, since all of central Russia lies on the banks of the Oka. Its basin is a little over 240,000 km 2 . In fact, this is as much as the whole of Great Britain. The length of the river is 1,500 kilometers.
Despite being not the largest in Russia, it is more important than the Nile for the Egyptians. There are several important nature reserves on the Oka. One of them is located in the central stream - Prioksko-Terrasny, the second - Oksky State Biosphere Reserve - is located in the Ryazan region.
Volga and Danube are the longest rivers in Europe. In third place is the Urals, which stretches for 2,428 kilometers. In ancient times, the river was called "Yaik", which is translated from Turkic as "flooding, spilling." During the reign of Catherine II in 1775, the river was renamed the Urals, however, despite this, in Kazakhstan, most people use the same name.
As you can see, the name of the large rivers of Russia quite often has a foreign origin. The peoples who lived on the territory of the country gave their names to the reservoirs.
The most amazing thing is that one coast of the Urals is located in Europe, and the second - in Asia. Today, many tourists and fishermen can be seen along the river, but shipping interest has almost disappeared, so it is difficult to call the Urals an important trade and transport artery of Russia.
Everyone should know
We can say with confidence that it is necessary to remember the great rivers of Russia, because this is our story. For example, the Volga - one of the largest rivers in the world - enchants with its grandeur. Here you can meet amazing representatives of flora and fauna. If you love nature, then be sure to go to the Urals. To be more precise, then visit its part, located slightly below Orsk.
Beautiful views are the gorge of the Guberlin Mountains, as well as the Orskie Gate. There are many geological and landscape monuments, which, although not important for the infrastructure of Russia, are interesting for travelers. It is in the Urals that many lovers of active fishing gather. Here you can see many tourists traveling along the stream.
The largest river in all respects is located in Siberia, and this is the Ob. It is formed by the merger of two currents, such as Katun and Bii. The length is often considered from the very source of the Irtysh, in this case the river stretches 5,410 kilometers. On the Ob there are a large number of industrial bases. This is due to the fact that more than fifty species of various aquatic inhabitants live in this reservoir. About 25 species of fish are of industrial importance, so shipping is very well developed here.
However, not everything is as cloudless as it seems at first glance. A significant problem is ecology. The name of the rivers of Russia (we reviewed the list above) has long become something of a kind to us, so it is important to consider that some water bodies are threatened with extinction.
Conclusion
So we examined the name of the rivers of Russia. The list was impressive, but, in fact, it is only a few percent of the total water resource of the state.
A very important issue, which is being raised more and more every year, is the environmental 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 decreases, water quality suffers.
I would like to note that for Russia small rivers are no less important than such giants as the Lena, Volga and others. The fact is that tributaries of many large rivers form from them. But, as practice shows, uncontrolled intake of water from small sources leads to their narrowing, shallow water and even drying out. Today, irrevocable consumption is approximately 4% per year, and this is quite a lot. At such a pace, after about 12 years, approximately 50% of small rivers will be lost.
The situation can be improved a little only as follows: by reducing the amount of wastewater. But hardly anyone is going to deal with this issue. All that ordinary people can do is not to engage in illegal fishing and to litter water.
Small business also causes great damage to the rivers of the Russian Federation, but this is incomparable with the harm that the activities of hydropower plants and nuclear power plants entail. We must not forget that many rivers are located on the territory of several states at once. But if the population of, for example, Belarus is not so large, especially on the banks of rivers, then in China hundreds of millions of people live in the coastal zone, depleting their natural resources.
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.