Anadyr River
Encyclopedia
Anadyr is a river in the far northeast Siberia which flows into Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea
and drains much of the interior of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
. Its basin corresponds to the Anadyrsky District
of Chukotka.
It is 1146 kilometres (712.1 mi) long and has a basin of 191000 square kilometre. It is frozen from October to late May and has a maximum flow in June with the snowmelt. It is navigable in small boats for about 570 kilometres (354.2 mi) to near Markovo
. West of Markovo it is in the Anadyr Highlands (moderate mountains and valleys with a few trees) and east of Markovo it moves into the Anadyr lowlands (very flat treeless tundra with lakes and bogs). The drop from Markovo to the sea is less than 100 feet (30.5 m).
It rises at about 67°N latitude and 173°E longitude near the headwaters of the Maly Anyuy River
, flows southwest receiving the waters of the Yablon and Eropol Rivers, turns east and passes Markvovo
and the old site of Anadyrsk
, turns north and east and receives the Mayn River from the south, thereby encircling the Lebediny Zakaznik
, turns northeast to receive the Belaya River (Chukotka)
from the north, turns southeast past the Ust-Tanyurer Zakaznik
and receives the Tanyurer River
from the north. At Lake Krasnoye
, it turns east and flows into the Onemen Bay of the Anadyr Estuary. If the Onemen Bay is considered part of the river, it also receives the Velikaya River (Chukotka)
from the south and the Kanchalan River
from the north.
Its basin is surrounded by (north) Amguyema River
and Palyavaam River
, (northwest) Bolshoy Anyuy River
and the Oloy branch of the Omolon River
and (southwest) Penzhina River.
. For the next 100 years the Anadyr was the main route from the Arctic to the Pacific and Kamchatka. In the 18th century, the Anadyr was described by the polar explorer Dmitry Laptev
.
, with a rich variety of plant life. Much of the region has beautiful landscapes, dominated by often spectacular, rugged mountains. For nine months of the year the ground is covered with snow, and the frozen rivers become navigable roads. George Kennan, an American working on the Western Union Telegraph Expedition in the late 1860s, found that dog sled travel on the lower Anadyr was limited by lack of firewood.
Reindeer
, upon which the local inhabitants subsisted, were once found in considerable numbers, but the domestic reindeer population has collapsed dramatically since the reorganization and privatization of state-run collective farms beginning in 1992. As herds of domestic reindeer have declined, herds of wild caribou have increased.
There are ten species of salmon
inhabiting the Anadyr river basin. Every year, on the last Sunday in April, there is an ice fishing competition in the frozen estuarine waters of the Anadyr River's mouth. This festival is locally known as Korfest.
The area is a summering place for a number of migratory birds including Brent geese
, Eurasian Wigeons, and the pintails
of California
.
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
and drains much of the interior of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
. Its basin corresponds to the Anadyrsky District
Anadyrsky District
Anadyrsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the interior portion of the autonomous okrug and in terms of administrative divisions borders with Chaunsky District in the northwest, Iultinsky District in the...
of Chukotka.
It is 1146 kilometres (712.1 mi) long and has a basin of 191000 square kilometre. It is frozen from October to late May and has a maximum flow in June with the snowmelt. It is navigable in small boats for about 570 kilometres (354.2 mi) to near Markovo
Markovo, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Markovo is a village situated near the head of small-boat navigation of the Anadyr River, near the center of the Anadyrsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, part of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
. West of Markovo it is in the Anadyr Highlands (moderate mountains and valleys with a few trees) and east of Markovo it moves into the Anadyr lowlands (very flat treeless tundra with lakes and bogs). The drop from Markovo to the sea is less than 100 feet (30.5 m).
It rises at about 67°N latitude and 173°E longitude near the headwaters of the Maly Anyuy River
Maly Anyuy River
The Maly Anyuy River or Maly Anyui River is a right tributary of the Kolyma River in the Russian Far East. It flows roughly westwards, passing through western Chukotka Autonomous Okrug...
, flows southwest receiving the waters of the Yablon and Eropol Rivers, turns east and passes Markvovo
Markovo, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Markovo is a village situated near the head of small-boat navigation of the Anadyr River, near the center of the Anadyrsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, part of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
and the old site of Anadyrsk
Anadyrsk
thumb|Anadyrsk was on the east-west part of the Anadyr River at the point where it swings northAnadyrsk was an important Russian ostrog in far northeastern Siberia from 1649 to 1764...
, turns north and east and receives the Mayn River from the south, thereby encircling the Lebediny Zakaznik
Zakaznik
Zakaznik is a type of protected area in Russia and other former Soviet republics such as Ukraine that meets World Conservation Union's category III, or more frequently category VII criteria....
, turns northeast to receive the Belaya River (Chukotka)
Belaya River (Chukotka)
The Belaya River is a south-flowing tributary of the Anadyr River in far northeast Siberia. It is formed by the juncture of the Enmyvaam River, which drains Lake Elgygytgyn, from the northwest and the Yurukuveem River, whose major tributary is the Bolshaya Osinovaya, from the north. Its basin is...
from the north, turns southeast past the Ust-Tanyurer Zakaznik
Zakaznik
Zakaznik is a type of protected area in Russia and other former Soviet republics such as Ukraine that meets World Conservation Union's category III, or more frequently category VII criteria....
and receives the Tanyurer River
Tanyurer River
The Tanyurer River is a river in Chukotka in Russia, a left tributary of the Anadyr River. The length of the river is 482 km. The area of its drainage basin is 18,500 km². It flows roughly southwards from the Pekulney Mountains and passes through the sparsely populated areas of Chukotka...
from the north. At Lake Krasnoye
Lake Krasnoye
Lake Krasnoye is a 6.9 km by 2.8 km lake in the central part of the Karelian Isthmus, in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, near Korobitsyno. The lake belongs to the River Vuoksi drainage basin. Its area is about 9 km2....
, it turns east and flows into the Onemen Bay of the Anadyr Estuary. If the Onemen Bay is considered part of the river, it also receives the Velikaya River (Chukotka)
Velikaya River (Chukotka)
The Velikaya River, also known as Bolshaya and Onemen , is a 556 km long river in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in Russia. It flows North-Eastwards from the Koryak Range through the Anadyrskiy Liman into the Bering Sea at the Gulf of Anadyr. The area of its drainage basin is 31,000 km². Velikaya ...
from the south and the Kanchalan River
Kanchalan River
The Kanchalan River is a 426 km long stream in Far East Siberia. It passes through the sparsely populated areas of the Siberian tundra and flows southwards into the Bering Sea at the Gulf of Anadyr through the Anadyrskiy Liman...
from the north.
Its basin is surrounded by (north) Amguyema River
Amguyema River
The Amguyema River is a stream located in Far East Siberia. It into the Chukchi Sea between Cape Schmidt and Cape Vankarem.The Chantalveergyn River is a left-side tributary of the Amguyema....
and Palyavaam River
Palyavaam River
The Palyavaam River is a stream in Far East Siberia flowing in a roughly westward direction. It passes through the sparsely populated areas of the Siberian tundra and flows into the East Siberian Sea at the Chaunskaya Bay...
, (northwest) Bolshoy Anyuy River
Bolshoy Anyuy River
The Bolshoy Anyuy River or Bolshoy Anyui River is a river in the Kolyma River basin in Far East Siberia. It flows roughly westwards and passes through the sparsely populated areas of Chukotka...
and the Oloy branch of the Omolon River
Omolon River
thumb|The Omolon flows into the KolymaThe Omolon River is the principal tributary of the Kolyma River in northeast Siberia. The length of the river is . The area of its basin 118,600 km². The Omolon River freezes up in October and stays under ice until late May - early June...
and (southwest) Penzhina River.
History
In 1648 Semyon Dezhnev reached the mouth of the Anadyr after being shipwrecked on the coast. In 1649 he went upriver and built winter quarters at AnadyrskAnadyrsk
thumb|Anadyrsk was on the east-west part of the Anadyr River at the point where it swings northAnadyrsk was an important Russian ostrog in far northeastern Siberia from 1649 to 1764...
. For the next 100 years the Anadyr was the main route from the Arctic to the Pacific and Kamchatka. In the 18th century, the Anadyr was described by the polar explorer Dmitry Laptev
Dmitry Laptev
Dmitry Yakovlevich Laptev was a Russian Arctic explorer and Vice Admiral .Dmitry Laptev was born in the village of Bolotovo, near Velikie Luki, in 1701. Bolotovo was the estate of his father, Yakov Laptev...
.
Ecology
The country through which it passes is thinly populated, and is dominated by tundraTundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
, with a rich variety of plant life. Much of the region has beautiful landscapes, dominated by often spectacular, rugged mountains. For nine months of the year the ground is covered with snow, and the frozen rivers become navigable roads. George Kennan, an American working on the Western Union Telegraph Expedition in the late 1860s, found that dog sled travel on the lower Anadyr was limited by lack of firewood.
Reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
, upon which the local inhabitants subsisted, were once found in considerable numbers, but the domestic reindeer population has collapsed dramatically since the reorganization and privatization of state-run collective farms beginning in 1992. As herds of domestic reindeer have declined, herds of wild caribou have increased.
There are ten species of salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
inhabiting the Anadyr river basin. Every year, on the last Sunday in April, there is an ice fishing competition in the frozen estuarine waters of the Anadyr River's mouth. This festival is locally known as Korfest.
The area is a summering place for a number of migratory birds including Brent geese
Brent Goose
The Brant or Brent Goose, Branta bernicla, is a species of goose of the genus Branta. The Black Brant is an American subspecies. The specific descriptor bernicla is from the same source as "barnacle" in Barnacle Goose, which looks similar but is not a close relation.-Appearance:The Brant Goose is...
, Eurasian Wigeons, and the pintails
Northern Pintail
The Pintail or Northern Pintail is a widely occurring duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
External links
- "Tourist and environmental information" Chukotka Autonomous Okrug website, in English
- "Russia Far East: Anadyr River" Wild Salmon Center
- "Snezhnoye: a village on the Anadyr' River"