It is famous for the number of rivers Murmansk region. There are more than 100, large and small. All of them belong to three basins: the Baltic, White and Barents Sea.
physical characteristics
It was established that the Murmansk region was previously completely covered by a glacier, which, in the process of melting, “cut” the ground and left deep scratches, which later became rivers. The region has about 110 thousand lakes, which occupy more than 10 hectares. There are 18,209 rivers in the Murmansk region , there are more than 100 kilometers in length, and there are those that barely reach 100 meters. But the region’s water supply doesn’t end there, there is a lot of water in underground strata. All these factors provide almost unlimited opportunities for generating electrical energy.
Barents Sea Basin
This is the marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean, washing the shores of the Russian Federation and Norway. The total occupied area of 1424 square meters. km, with a depth of up to 600 meters.
Rivers flowing into the Barents Sea and flowing through the territory of the Murmansk region:
Title | Length, km | a brief description of |
Lotta | 235 | The water supply is mainly snowy, the village of Svetly. |
East Faces | 220 | There is a waterfall on the river, salmon comes here. |
Yokanga | 203 | The third longest in the region, the lower reaches canyon-like, with waterfalls. It is planned to build hydroelectric power stations on these waters. |
Crow | 155 | Forms a bay that flows into the mainland for 7 km. There are 2 reservoirs on this river in the Murmansk region. The banks of the reservoir are rich in jasper. |
Teriberka | 127 | A cascade of 2 hydroelectric power stations has been created on the reservoir. |
Note | 120 | Partially flows in the north-east of Finland. Mostly flat river with steep rapids. |
Pecheneg | 101 | As a result of the mining of heavy metals, the reservoir is heavily polluted. |
Western Faces | 101 | There is a bridge across the river (rail and road) on the Kola highway. On the banks of the many graves of the Great Patriotic War, due to the fact that the front line passed here. |
Tuloma | 64 | On the Tuloma River of the Murmansk Region, timber is alloyed, from April to June there are 2 hydroelectric power stations: Verkhnetulomskaya and Nizhnetulomskaya. |
White Sea Basin
This is the inland sea of the Russian Federation, in Scandinavian mythology appears as “Gandvik”. Until the XVII century, it had other names - the North, White Bay, Studenoe and Tranquil.
The main rivers of this basin are:
Title | Length, km | a brief description of |
Ponoy | 426 | It has another name - "dog river", the ice drift begins in May. As early as the 18th century, the Finns had smelting plants on the banks. It was here, for the first time that archaeological excavations on the Kola Peninsula were carried out. |
Varzuga | 254 | The reservoir has rapids, the largest - Padun, with 3 waterfalls. Salmon come here for spawning, and on the shore there is a Varzug reserve, protected at the level of legislation. |
Kovda | 233 | There are 3 hydroelectric power stations on the river. |
Strelnaya | 213 | The direction of the channel is predominantly southern, and the beginning of the source is in a swampy area. |
Umba | 123 | The source is located at the exit of Umbozer, hence the name of the river. The banks of the reservoir are rocky and wooded. |
Chapoma | 113 | Only 1 settlement with the same name is located on the shores. Fish tourism is developed on the river. |
White | 24 | The Belaya River of the Murmansk Region is heavily exposed to human impact. On the banks there are multiple mining and processing plants and other industrial facilities. During the construction of nepheline sedimentation tanks, the riverbed was changed, as a result of which the river receives the polluted waters of the Zhemchuzhnaya and Takhtaryok rivers. The characteristic color of the river is light gray and cloudy. |
Baltic Sea Basin
The Baltic or Varyazhskoe Sea is an inland sea , partially washing the shores of Eastern and Western Europe.
There are only 12 rivers in the Murmansk region of the Baltic basin, some of them:
Title | Length, km | a brief description of |
Nurmiyoki | 34 | The river originates at an altitude of 357 meters above sea level. |
Kuolayki | 58 | It flows through the territory of Russia and Finland. |
Tennieoki | 73 | The source is in a swampy area, on the border between the Russian Federation and Finland. |
Lakes
Rivers and lakes of the Murmansk region are actually the property of the region. There are more than 100 thousand lakes of natural origin, there are also 20 artificial ones - reservoirs.
The largest natural lake is Imandra. Its area is 876 square meters. km The average depth is 16 meters, located at an altitude of 127 meters above sea level. There are about 140 islands, the largest Yerm, with an area of 26 square meters. km
The reservoir has more than 20 tributaries. The lake flows into the Neva River. There are many settlements on the shores and fishing is developed here. In April, a traditional super marathon race under winter sails is held on an ice lake in April. The length of the waterway is 100 kilometers.
The deepest lake of the administrative unit, Umbozero - 115 meters. The total water surface area is 422 square meters. km This body of water on the Kola Peninsula, with several islands (Sarvan, Moroshkin, Spruce and Bolshoi). The lake flows into the Umbra River.
Toponyms of the region
In any area, place names reflect the history of the settlement of the territory. In the Murmansk region, Sami, Komi-Izhemtsy, and Nenets had previously lived. Under their influence, the names of the rivers of the Murmansk region were formed. Naturally, over time, Sami names began to be replaced by Slavic and Pomeranian, when the Russians came here in the XII-XIX centuries.
As a rule, the names of reservoirs and settlements in the Murmansk region consist of a combination of Pomeranian and Sami words. The first part of the word is the so-called pure name, which was selected according to the name of the animal or fish living in the vicinity, and the second part is the specification, whether it is a river, a stream or a mountain. For example, “varench” is Sami, and “varaka” is Pomeranian. To the names of the rivers the prefix "-yok" was added - which means a river or "-uy" - a stream. For example, the Poachyok River literally translates as Deer River.