The capital of the region of springs, and that is how people say about Udmurtia, is Izhevsk. The city got its name from the river on which it was founded. What is it called? What other rivers flow through the territory of Izhevsk? First things first.
General information about the city
In the 18th century, the Russian state pursued an active foreign policy and needed a strong, combat-ready army. In this regard, the regions of the Middle Urals began to be actively developed, where deposits of magnetic iron ore were discovered. The construction of new plants has begun under the leadership of mining engineer Alexei Moskvin.
It was Moskvin who determined the place in the upper reaches of the Izh River, where later a factory settlement arose, and then the city of Izhevsk. The Kama River is 40 km from this place. The proximity of these waterways played a key role in choosing a site for the construction of the future city. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1760
In different historical periods the city was called differently. Initially, from 1760 to 1918, it was simply called "Izhevsk Plant". From 1918 to 1984 was listed as Izhevsk. In the era of "perestroika", for a short time, from 1984 to 1987, thiswas Ustinov. From 1987 to the present day, the city bears its former name again.
Now we know which river in Izhevsk gave the city its name. Let's get acquainted with the Izh River in more detail.
The biggest river of Izhevsk
The name of the river Izh came from the Tatar language. In Udmurt it is called Oӵ (Oshch). The origin of these two names - Izh and Oӵ, as well as how they are interconnected, has not yet been clarified.
Izh is a right tributary of the Kama and flows through the territory of two republics at once - Udmurtia and Tatarstan.
It owes its birth to the confluence of Big and Small Izh. The sources of these rivers are located near one of the Udmurt villages Small Oshvortsy on the border of two districts - Igrinsky and Yakshur-Bodyinsky. In 1978, the river received the title of natural monument of the regional scale of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Flowing from north to south, the Izh flows into the Kama about 120 km from its mouth, which is located in the flood zone of the Kama reservoir. Its catchment area is 8510 sq. km.
The impact of the developed river system on the topography of the city
The need to create certain hydraulic structures on the Izh River influenced the geographical features of the city under construction. A powerful dam was erected. Together with the embankment, its length was about 600 meters, width - 47 meters, height - 8.5 meters. Above the dam, a huge pond was formed (its length is 11.4 km, its width is about 2.5 km), which is often mistaken for a lake.
It all determinedurban landscape. Izhevsk spread out, as the people say, on seven hills. The elevation changes are from 98 to 210 meters above sea level.
The first production buildings were built on the right low bank of the Izh, right behind the dam. On the left high bank was the dwelling of the factory manager. So there were two directions in the development of the future city.
In addition, many other small rivers flow through the city, and there are up to 50 springs that come to the surface. The elevated part of the city was not swamped, unlike the low-lying Zareka, which was flooded by the Izhevsk rivers during the flood. The city from the moment of its foundation was cut in two by a water barrier. Today, these parts are connected by three bridges.
Water resources of Izhevsk
As already mentioned, the numerous rivers of Izhevsk form the basis of its water resources. They run right through the city. Not every city can boast such an extensive river network.
How many rivers are there in Izhevsk? The answer to this question is of interest to many. 22 Izhevsk rivers have their own names. The largest of them is the Izh River. Its total length is 259 km, and in Izhevsk - 35 km. This is followed by rivers (in order of decreasing length):
- Pozim (in Udmurt Poӟym) is the left tributary of the Izh River, 52 km long, flowing through the Pervomaisky district of Izhevsk.
- Luk (39 km) - the right tributary of the Izh, the source of which is the swamps located west of Izhevsk.
- Muzhvayka or Pirogovka (length 38 km).
- Pazelinka.
- Karlutka.
- Igrian.
- Starkovka.
- Lyulinka.
- Lamshurka.
- Robin.
- Chemoshurka.
- Orlovka.
- Tonkovka.
- Pionersky Stream.
- Sepych.
- Chumoyka, as well as numerous rivers and streams without names.
Fishing is one of the favorite activities of the residents of Izhevsk
The rivers of Izhevsk enable citizens to spend their leisure time fishing. This is one of the favorite activities of the locals. More than 29 species of fish live in the rivers and reservoirs of the city and its environs. Among them are sturgeon, sterlet, whitefish, carp, silver bream, asp, ide, bleak, chub and others. Of the valuable, extremely rare are salmon - white salmon, taimen, listed in the Red Book of Udmurtia. These types of fish are considered one of the most expensive not only in the region, but also in Russia as a whole.
In recent years, new invasive species have appeared among the local ichthyofauna, such as rotan, pipefish, Charkhal sprat and round goby. Thus, the diversity of fish resources is increased.
