Kemerovo Region, whose unofficial name is Kuzbass, is part of the Siberian Federal District. This is the most densely populated region of the Asian part of Russia.
The hydrographic network of the region belongs to the upper Ob basin and is represented by a considerable number of rivers of various sizes, lakes, swamps and reservoirs.
The article provides a brief overview of the rivers of the Kemerovo region, which are truly picturesque water sources.
Geographic location of the region
To a greater extent, the territory of Kuzbass extends along the Altai-Sayan ecological region.
The region is located on the West Siberian Plain (southeast) and in the northern spurs of Altai. In the north it borders with the Tomsk region, in the southwest and south it borders with the Altai Territory, in the east with the Krasnoyarsk Territory and in the west with the Novosibirsk region. The western and northeastern part of the region (about half) lies on a plain, the western part is represented by an intermountain depression - the Kuznetsk basin,and the northern and northeastern parts extend on the plain representing the Mariinsky-Achinsk forest-steppe.
Hydrography
Total rivers in the Kemerovo region - 32109 with a total length of more than 76 thousand km. There are 850 lakes and river oxbow lakes in Kuzbass with a total water surface area of about 101 sq. km. They are divided by origin into 3 types: continental, floodplain, mountain.
Characteristic for the Kemerovo region and reservoirs (lakes) formed as a result of the development of coal and other minerals. These lakes are characterized by a significant depth (up to 120 meters) and, accordingly, large volumes of water with a relatively small area.
The swamps cover an area equal to 908 square meters. km. The largest are Novoivanovskoye, Antibesskoye, Shestakovskoye and Ust-Tyazhinskoye. The swampy areas of the Kuznetsk Alatau, teeming with midges, have become an obstacle to the settlement of people in these places.
More about rivers
Practically all the rivers of the Kemerovo region, which are picturesque water sources, belong to the Ob River basin. Most of the Kuznetskaya basin is occupied by the rivers: Tom, Kondoma, Ters, Usa, Mras-Su and Chumysh.
- The main water artery of the region is Tom, which has its source on the main ridge of the Kuznetsk Alatau (more detailed information about the river later in the article).
- Kondoma is a left tributary of the Tom, which is rather winding (the Shor word "kondoma" means "winding")
- When they say Ters, they mean several rivers that flow into the Tom. There is a lower Ters,middle and upper Ters. All of them are right tributaries of the river. Tom.
- Usa is the right tributary of the Tom River (length - 651 km).
- Mras-Su is the left winding and rapids tributary of the Tom.
- Chumysh, about 644 kilometers long, flows into the Ob River near Barnaul (about 88 km away).
List of rivers of the Kemerovo region (with length) that are of the greatest importance for the region:
- Tom (827 km);
- Inya (663 km);
- Kiya (more than 500 km);
- Yaya (380 km);
- Mrassu (338 km);
- Chumysh (644 km);
- Kondoma (392 km);
- Sary-Chumysh (98 km);
- Ur (102 km).
Tom River
The Kemerovo region is rich in rivers, among which the full-flowing Tom is the largest, suitable for timber rafting and mole rafting. Out of 827 kilometers on the territory of the Kemerovo region, it carries its own waters for 596 kilometers.
The main tributaries are typical mountain rivers: Mrassu, Usa, Kondoma, Taydon, all Tersi and other smaller ones. All of them, like Tom, flow down from the mountains of the Kuznetsk Alatau, where they make their way through solid rocks. The channels of these rivers are compressed into gorges, and therefore the speed of their flow is quite fast. Rapids and turbulent streams sometimes create waterfalls. When entering soft soils (in the lower reaches), they form wide valleys and become more calm and winding. The food near the rivers is mixed, but snow prevails. These places are characterized by spring floods (during the melting of snow in the mountains).
In the upper reaches of the river valley is narrow,the banks are high and steep. It expands below the confluence of two rivers: the Mrassu and the Usa. Although the mountain tributaries are small, they are quite high-water and have numerous rapids, in the area where tourists make rafting in the season. The Tom flows into the Ob, being its right tributary.
Kiya
Another one of the largest in the Kemerovo region is the Kiya River. This is the largest left tributary of the Chulym, also originating on one of the slopes of the Kuznetsk Alatau (eastern). Within the mountain range, the Kiya flows through a deep gorge, where there are multiple rifts. The banks of the river are very beautiful, rocky. It is in these places that the Kiya is considered one of the most beautiful rivers in Siberia.
The largest tributaries are the Kundat, Kozhukh, Talanova, Kiya-Sh altyr and others. It flows into the Chulym on the territory of the Tomsk region.
In conclusion
There are a lot of rivers in Kuzbass. There are more than 1600 of them in total. Most of them have sources in the mountains. They are the main sources of water supply for industry, agriculture and domestic needs. In ancient times, primitive settlements arose on the river banks, and civilizations arose and developed in the spacious river valleys.
Cities such as Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Yurga, Mezhdurechensk, Mariinsk and Leninsk-Kuznetsky stand along the rivers of the region.
