The rivers of the Urals: description, characteristics, features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

The Urals are simply dotted with numerous and beautiful rivers with clear cold water and picturesque rocky shores, and the most interesting rapids and rifts make them extremely attractive for outdoor activities. Mysterious rocks, keeping many traditions and legends, are surrounded by endless taiga. Bones of unseen animals, precious stones, gold, unknown rock paintings have been found here more than once… The waterways of the Urals are mysterious and attractive, we will talk about several of them.

Ural Mountains

First of all, we should talk about these mysterious mountains. The Ural Range stretches for two and a half thousand kilometers, from the icy shores of the northernmost ocean to the hot semi-deserts of the Republic of Kazakhstan, being the watershed of many rivers of the eastern and western slopes, the real border of the worlds of Asia and Europe. The ridge also separates the Russian and West Siberian plains. Rivers and lakes of the Uralsvery numerous and have their own interesting features. There are more than five thousand rivers here, belonging to the basins: the Kara Sea, the Barents Sea, the Caspian Sea.

An interesting feature of this region is a large number of artificial reservoirs - reservoirs, as well as ponds (more than three hundred with a total area of about 4.2 thousand square kilometers). Together with numerous hydroelectric power stations, the bulk of artificial reservoirs are part of the hydrotechnical plant network of the Urals.

Natural and climatic features

The huge length of the mountain range creates extremely diverse natural and climatic conditions for the rivers and lakes of the Urals, which inevitably affects their characteristics.

The climate of the region is continental, with cold snowy winters and warm summers. The northern part of the Urals experiences a strong climatic influence of the northern seas and the Arctic Ocean, while the middle part of the mountain range is in the zone of influence of the Atlantic (especially the western part, where the greatest amount of precipitation is recorded). The steppe and forest-steppe zones of the Ural Mountains are characterized by insufficient moisture, which directly affects the water abundance of the rivers flowing here, while the taiga and tundra zones, on the contrary, are characterized by excessive moisture.

Features of rivers in different parts of the Urals

A small number of high-water rivers, such as the Khara-Matalou, Sob, Yelets and others, begin their run in the Polar Urals.

In the Northern and Subpolar partsRapids, fast and large rivers of the Urals flow through the mountains, such as the Pechora and its numerous tributaries (Shugor, Ilych, Kosyu, Podcherem, etc.). They replenish the Barents Sea with their waters. On the eastern slopes, the mountain rivers of the Northern Urals and the Arctic Circle are rocky, shallow, fast. They are rich in rapids and rifts. These rivers flow into the Malaya Ob, Northern Sosva and then carry their waters to the Kara Sea. The rivers in the north of the mountains are navigable for 5-6 months.

Middle Urals, Western Cis-Urals, Eastern Trans-Urals - numerous rivers originate here. Here the streams that make up the water system of the Kama begin their run. This is the most powerful and full-flowing river in the region.

The rivers of the Southern Urals, like the Northern ones, have a very high flow rate. Their channels are characterized by a large number of rapids, rifts, waterfalls. The course of the rivers of the Middle Urals is much calmer and slower.

Features of rivers on different slopes of the ridge

Rivers of different slopes of the Ural Range also differ from each other. On the western slope, more precipitation falls due to the influence of the Atlantic, due to the western transport of air masses. Therefore, the rivers here are more full-flowing than on the eastern slope, where there is less moisture. Among the rivers of the western slopes, such large rivers of the Urals as Vishera, Belaya, Kama, Ufa, Sylva stand out. And on the eastern slopes, the largest are Sosva, Tavda, Iset, Lozva, Tura, Pyshma. The valleys of these rivers extend, as a rule, in the latitudinal direction. The Chusovaya River is unique, which, with its channel (the only one of all!) Captures andwestern and eastern slopes of the mountain range.

Description of river. Ural

The Ural River flows through Eastern Europe on the territory of the countries - Russia and Kazakhstan. This river carries its waters from Bashkiria to the Caspian Sea. Refers to the rivers of the Southern Urals. Length - 2428 kilometers. It is in third place in terms of length in Europe after such waterways as the Volga and Danube. Even the Dnieper is ahead in length. The Ural River originates at an altitude of 637 meters on the slopes of Kruglyaya Sopka (Ur altau Ridge) in Bashkortostan.

Then it flows along the edge of the Chelyabinsk region from north to south. It passes the cities of Verkhneuralsk and Magnitogorsk. At the same time, it receives the tributaries of the Gumbeika and B. Kizil. Encountering the plateau of the Kazakh steppe on its way, the Ural River abruptly changes its direction to the northwest. Further deviating to the west, then to the east, it reaches the Caspian Sea. The Ural River flows into the sea, breaking up into many branches.

The ancient name of the river. Ural

This river also has an ancient name. Until 1775, the Ural River was called Yaik. This name is official in Kazakhstan. In the Bashkir language, the river also has this name. It was first mentioned in the annals of the Russian people in 1140. It was renamed to Ural on January 15, 1775 by order of Catherine II. At that time, many geographical objects were renamed in order to erase the Pugachev uprising that flared from 73 to 75 from the memory of people.

Pechora River

One of the rivers of the Northern Urals. Its name means - a cave, is popular with fishermen andrafters. Its length is 1,809 thousand kilometers, the Pechora flows through the territory of two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Komi Republic and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, has a total catchment area of 0.322 million square kilometers. It flows into the Barents Sea, the annual flow is approximately 0.13 million cubic kilometers of water. The Pechora has a huge number of tributaries, about 35 thousand. In the river basin Pechora has 60 thousand lakes! Its main food is snowy.

The largest tributary of the Pechora is the Usa River, 500 kilometers long. Other major tributaries of the Pechora include the Northern Mylva, Unya, Lemyu, Velyu, Kozhva, Izhma, Lyzha, Neritsa, Tsilma, Pizhma, Sula, Ilych, Borovaya, Podcherye, Mustache, Shugor, Laya, Sozva, Kuya, Ersa, Shapkina. The most interesting of them for tourism are Unya (great fishing) and Usa (excellent rafting).

The largest marinas are Ust-Tsilma, Naryan-Mar, Pechora.

Before the confluence of the river Unya Pechora has a typical mountain character. Its shores in this area are formed by pebbles, there are many rapids, rocky ledges, and rifts in the channel. And in its middle and lower parts, the nature of the river changes to a flat one. The shores are clayey or sandy. The waters of the Pechora spill in breadth, reaching a width of two kilometers. In this part you can see branches, channels, Pechora islands.

The area of the Pechora River is one of the hard-to-reach, there is an extremely poorly developed automobile network. For this reason, the region has preserved a lot of untouched natural corners, and betweenone of the largest biosphere reserves in Russia has been organized by the Ilych, a tributary of the Pechora, and the Pechora itself.

Kara

Another of the most interesting rivers of the Ural mountains is the Kara River, which flows in the Polar part of the ridge. Its length is 0.257 thousand kilometers with a basin area of 13.4 thousand square kilometers. The river flows through the regions of Russia: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Komi Republic.

Begins at the confluence of two rivers - Malaya and Bolshaya Kara. It flows parallel to the Pai-Khoi ridge. Throughout its length, the river flows mostly deserted and extremely picturesque places. Here you can observe several beautiful canyons, many rapids and waterfalls, the most famous of which, of course, is Buredan (9 kilometers below the confluence of the Nerusoveyyakha River).

The only one along the river. Kara settlement - pos. Ust-Kara is located near the mouth of the river. On its shores one can meet, perhaps, temporary dwellings of local peoples - plagues, and even then it is extremely rare.

It is interesting that the Kara Sea got its name from the Kara River, where in the eighteenth century one of the detachments of the so-called "Great Northern Expedition" led by S. Malygin and A. Skuratov stopped for the winter.

Rafting on the rivers of the Urals

This is a very popular type of outdoor activity in the Urals. Rafting is carried out along the rivers: Ufa, Belaya, Ai, Chusovaya, Serge, Sosva, Yuryuzan, Rezh, Usva, Neiva. They can last from 1 day to a week. Rafting on the rivers of the Urals allows you to visit manyattractions, not overcoming the distance on foot, but on a catamaran, trimaran or raft. Passing along the Serebryanka River, which then flows into the Chusovaya, water tourists repeat the path of Yermak. Also on Chusovaya its rocky shores are remarkable. The Belaya or Agidel river, which flows through the Republic of Bashkortostan, also attracts rafters. Combined hikes with visits to the caves are possible here. The Kapova Cave or Shulgan-Tash is widely known.

Raft down the Vishera, which is considered one of the most picturesque rivers in the Urals. It begins in the Vishera Reserve. It contains grayling, taimen, burbot, char, spike. The Pyshma River is notable for its rocks; the Kuri resort and the Prypyshmenskiye Bory National Park are located on the river. The Kara River in the Subpolar Urals also has its own interesting sights. This harsh northern river passes through several canyons and sometimes forms waterfalls, the largest is called Buredan. It is also very interesting for rafters. To the west of the river there is a meteorite crater with a diameter of 65 kilometers.