See Also

Yenisei River

The Yenisei is the greatest river River

A river is a large natural waterway [i]. ... 

 system flowing to the Arctic Ocean Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located mostly in the Arctic [i] north polar [i] region, is the smallest ... 

, and the fifth longest river in the world. It is slightly shorter but with 1.5 times the flow of the Mississippi Mississippi River

The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe [i] word misi-ziibi meaning 'grea ... 

-Missouri Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River [i] in the United States [i]. ... 

. Rising in Mongolia Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked [i] country [i] located in East Asia [i]. ... 

, it follows a northerly course to the Kara Sea Kara Sea

The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean [i] north of Siberia [i]. ... 

, draining a large part of central Siberia Siberia

Siberia is a vast region of Russia [i] constituting almost all of Northern Asia [i]. ... 

, the longest stream following the Yenisei-Angara-Selenga-Ider being about 5500 km. Its watershed Drainage basin

A drainage basin is a region of land where water [i] from rain [i] or snow [i]melt drains downhill into ... 

, which includes the world's largest lake, Lake Baikal Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake [i] in the world. ... 

, holds more water than any other river system. The upper reaches, subject to rapids and flooding, pass through sparsely populated areas.

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Encyclopedia

The Yenisei is the greatest river River

A river is a large natural waterway [i]. ... 

 system flowing to the Arctic Ocean Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located mostly in the Arctic [i] north polar [i] region, is the smallest ... 

, and the fifth longest river in the world. It is slightly shorter but with 1.5 times the flow of the Mississippi Mississippi River

The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe [i] word misi-ziibi meaning 'grea ... 

-Missouri Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River [i] in the United States [i]. ... 

. Rising in Mongolia Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked [i] country [i] located in East Asia [i]. ... 

, it follows a northerly course to the Kara Sea Kara Sea

The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean [i] north of Siberia [i]. ... 

, draining a large part of central Siberia Siberia

Siberia is a vast region of Russia [i] constituting almost all of Northern Asia [i]. ... 

, the longest stream following the Yenisei-Angara-Selenga-Ider being about 5500 km. Its watershed Drainage basin

A drainage basin is a region of land where water [i] from rain [i] or snow [i]melt drains downhill into... 

, which includes the world's largest lake, Lake Baikal Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake [i] in the world. ... 

, holds more water than any other river system.

The upper reaches, subject to rapids and flooding, pass through sparsely populated areas. The middle section is controlled by a series of massive hydroelectric dams fuelling significant Russian primary industry. Partly built by gulag Gulag

Gulag is an acronym for ??????? ?????????? ????????????????????? ??????? ? ???????... 

 labor in Soviet times, industrial contamination remains a serious problem in an area hard to police. Moving on through sparsely-populated taiga Taiga

Taiga is a biome [i] characterized by conifer [i]ous forests. ... 

, the Yenisei swells with numerous tributaries and finally reaches the Kara Sea in desolate tundra Tundra

In physical geography [i], tundra is an area where the tree [i] growth is hindered by low temperatures a ... 

 where it is icebound for more than half the year. As with other Siberian rivers, the flow has increased recently, believed to be related to global warming Global warming

Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature [i] of ... 

. A concern is that altered salinity in the Arctic may have a global impact on ocean currents.

Upper Yenisei


The Yenisei rises in two major headstreams: the Bolshoi Yenisei also known as the Bii-Khem rises in the Tuva Tuva

The Tuva Republic is a federal subject [i] of Russia [i]. ... 

 region on the S flank of the Eastern Sayan Mountains and north of the Tannu-Ola Mountains at ; the Malyy Yenisei also known as the Kaa-Khem rises in the Darhat valley in Mongolia Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked [i] country [i] located in East Asia [i]. ... 

. Recent research has shown that the narrow exit to the Darhat Valley has regularly been blocked by ice producing a lake as large as neighbouring Lake Khuvsgul Lake Khuvsgul

Lake Khuvsgul is a freshwater lake [i] in the north of Mongolia [i] near the border with Russia [i]. ... 

. When the glaciers retreated as much as 500 km³ of water would have escaped, possibly catastrophically.

These two headstreams flow west converging at Kyzyl Kyzyl

Kyzyl is a city in Russia [i], capital of the Tuva Republic [i]. ... 

, and on meeting the east-flowing Khemchik River head north through a canyon in the Western Sayan mountains. The Yenisei emerges from the mountains onto an area of steppe where its first control is the 30m dam at Mayna. This section is around 700 km.

Lake Baikal Headwaters


The 320 km Upper Angara feeds into the northern end of Lake Baikal Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake [i] in the world. ... 

 from the Buryat Republic Buryatia

The Buryat Republic is a federal subject [i] of the Russian Federation [i]. ... 

 but the largest inflow is from the Selenga Selenga

The Selenga or Selenge is a river in Mongolia [i] and Russia [i]. ... 

 which forms a delta on the south-eastern side. The longest tributaries rise on the eastern slopes of central Mongolia's Khangay mountains. Another tributary, the Tuul passes through the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar

Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar in Mongolian [i], is the capital [i] of the republi ... 

 while the Egiin drains Lake Khuvsgul Lake Khuvsgul

Lake Khuvsgul is a freshwater lake [i] in the north of Mongolia [i] near the border with Russia [i]. ... 

.



Just downstream from Mayna, the 242m Sayano-Shushenskaya dam at Sayansk powers Russia's largest hydroelectric plant completed in 1989 and producing 6400 MW for aluminium Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Al ... 

 production. This is the same height and five times the power of the Hoover Dam Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam , also known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete [i] gravity-arch [i] dam [i] in t ... 

. About 100 km downstream the Yenisei is swollen by the Abakan river and passes Abakan Abakan

Abakan is the capital of the Republic of Khakassia [i] in Russia [i], in South Siberia [i]. ... 

, capital of the Khakassia Khakassia

Khakassia or Khakasiya is a federal subject [i] of Russia [i] located i ... 

 region, on the west bank and Minusinsk Minusinsk

Minusinsk is a historic town [i] in the Krasnoyarsk Krai [i], Sothern Siberia [i] ... 

 on the east bank. It passes within 10 km of the Chulym, a tributary of the Ob Ob River

Ob River , also Obi, is a river in West Siberia [i], Russia [i], the country's fourth longest.
... 

 before reaching Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk is the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai [i], Russia [i], and the third largest city ... 

 after 300 km. This halt on the Trans-Siberian railway Trans-Siberian Railway

The Trans-Siberian Railway or Trans-Siberian Railroad is a network of railway [i]s connecting Moscow [i]... 

 is the Yenisei's largest city. Krasnoyarsk is a major port. Not far away from Krasnoyarsk is Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric dam Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric dam

The 119m Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric dam, located on the Yenisey [i] river within 30 km upstream from Krasnoyarsk [i]... 

.

The closed city of Zheleznogorsk, 70km downstream, is a secret Soviet nuclear weapons and satellite facility missing from most maps. The exact state of the enormous nuclear waste dump is unclear, but some discharges continue to pollute the Yenisei. A further 200 km downstream comes the confluence with the Angara .

Angara River

The Angara river drains Lake Baikal Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake [i] in the world. ... 

 and runs 1840 km from the regional capital Irkutsk Irkutsk

Irkutsk is one of the largest cities in Siberia [i]. ... 

 to converge with the Yenisei at Strelka . It is dammed in four places to power local industry. The 44m dam at Irkutsk produces 650 MW. Bratsk lies 500 km downstream, where the 124 m dam built in the 1960s produces 4500 MW. The resultant reservoir is nicknamed Dragon Lake because of its outline. The tributary Oka and Iya rivers, which rise on the north slopes of the Eastern Sayan mountains, form the 'jaws' and 400 km of the Angara form the 'tail'. There are newer dams almost as large at Ust-Ilimsk 250 km downstream and Boguchany a further 400 km downstream . Further dams are planned but the environmental consequences of completely taming the Angara are leading to protests which may prevent funding.

Angarsk Angarsk

Angarsk is a city in Irkutsk Oblast [i], South-East Siberia [i], Russia [i]. ... 

, the center of the expanding Eastern Siberian oil industry and site of a huge Yukos YUKOS

company_name = Yukos Oil Company |
... 

-owned refinery, lies 50 km downstream of Irkutsk. A major pipeline takes oil west, and a new one is being built to carry oil east for supply to Japan from the Sea of Japan port of Nakhodka Nakhodka

Nakhodka is a port [i] city [i] in Primorsky Krai [i], Russia [i] ... 

. The exact potential of Eastern Siberia is unknown, but two new major fields are the Kovyktinskoye field near Zhigalovo 200 km north of Irkutsk and the extremely remote Verkhnechonskoye field 500 km north of Irkutsk on the Central Siberian Plateau.


Lower Yenisei

The Great Kaz joins the Yenisei 300 km downstream of the Strelka. It is noteworthy for its connection to the Ob Ob River

Ob River , also Obi, is a river in West Siberia [i], Russia [i], the country's fourth longest.
... 

 via Ob-Yenisei canal and Ket River. The river starts to widen, its bed being littered with islands as numerous rivers augment its flow, in particular 1800 km Stony Tunguska, and the 3000 km Lower Tunguska at Turukhansk Turukhansk

Turukhansk is a village [i] in Krasnoyarsk Krai [i], Russia [i]. ... 

  draining the desolate central Siberian Plateau from the east. The remote Tunguska region is most famous for the 1908 meteorite impact Tunguska event

The Tunguska event was an explosion [i] that occurred at , near the Podkamennaya Tunguska [i] ... 

, but is now being explored for oil. Beyond Turukhansk, the river enters tundra Tundra

In physical geography [i], tundra is an area where the tree [i] growth is hindered by low temperatures a ... 

.

The river is icebound for more than half the year, and if unchecked ice could dam the river causing major flooding. Explosives are used to keep the water flowing. The final town is Dudinka Dudinka

Dudinka is a town [i] in and the administrative center of Taymyr Autonomous Okrug [i] ... 

 which is connected to Krasnoyarsk by regular passenger boat. The river widens to a 50 km estuary for its final 250 km and the shipping lanes are kept open by icebreaker.

During the ice age Ice age

An ice age is a period of long-term downturn in the temperature [i] of Earth [i]'s climate [i], resultin ... 

, the route to the arctic was blocked by ice. Though the exact details are unclear, the Yenisei is believed to have flowed into a huge lake filling much of western Siberia, eventually flowing into the Black Sea Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea [i] between southeastern Europe [i] and Anatolia [i] that is actually a d ... 

.

Navigation

The first team to navigate the Yenisei's entire length, including its violent upper tributary in Mongolia, was an Australian-Canadian effort completed in September 2001. Ben Kozel, Tim Cope, Colin Angus and Remy Quinter were on this team. Both Kozel and Angus wrote books detailing this expedition, and a documenary was produced for National Geographic Television.

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