The Republic of Chuvashia is one of the smallest regions of the Russian Federation, located in the European part of the country. In this article you will find detailed information about the largest rivers of Chuvashia with photos, names and basic statistics about these watercourses.
Geography of Chuvashia: a brief overview
Chuvashia is part of the Volga Federal District. It borders with Tatarstan, Mordovia, the Republic of Mari El, the Ulyanovsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions. The total area of the region is 18,343 square meters. km, the population is 1.23 million people. The capital of the republic is the city of Cheboksary.
Chuvashia is located in the eastern part of the Russian Plain. The terrain is characterized by a poorly divided relief. The highest point above sea level is 287 meters. The republic is located within the forest (in the north and in the center) and forest-steppe (in the south) natural zones. The average annual rainfall is 550 millimeters. The region is characterized by a fairly dense and well-developed hydrographic network. All rivers of Chuvashia belong to the Volga basin.
Administratively, the territory of the republic is divided into 21 districts. It consists of 9 cities, 5 villages and about 1,700 villages.
The main rivers of Chuvashia: names and list
The density of the republic's river network averages 0.48 km / sq. Km. It is most developed in the northwestern regions of Chuvashia, which differ in a rather complex geological and tectonic structure of the earth's surface. In the central and southern parts of the region, the density of natural watercourses is noticeably reduced.
The total number of rivers in Chuvashia is 2356. Their total length is approximately 8500 kilometers. Below is a list of the rivers of Chuvashia, the length of which exceeds 50 km (within the republic):
- Sura (250 km).
- Greater Civil (172 km).
- Small Civil (134 km).
- Volga (120 km).
- Kubnya (109 km).
- Bula (92 km).
- Kirya (91 km).
- Abyss (86 km).
- Unga (65 km).
- Anish (61 km).
- Vyla (55 km).
- Sorma (52 km).
The location of the largest rivers of Chuvashia is marked on the map below.
For most of the river systems of this region, characteristic are well-developed valleys with pronounced asymmetric slopes (the right bank is steep and the left bank is gentle). River nutrition is mixed, but with a clear predominance of snow. Spring flood occurs in the second half of April, low-water peak - in early September. In summer, on the rivers of Chuvashia, there are often sharp rises in water level, which is associated with short-term and heavy rainfall.
Sura
Sura - the largest river in Chuvashia, flowing along the western borders of the republic. This is a rather large tributary of the Volga with a length of 841 kilometers, which crosses the territories of six constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Within Chuvashia, the length of the river is 230 km.
Sura flows into the Cheboksary reservoir already on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region. In Chuvashia, the river has a wide flood plain with numerous old women and small lakes. The channel of the Surah is very sinuous. In the Mari language there is the word "shur", which translates as "horn." Most likely, the hydronym "sura" came precisely from this word.
Volga
The largest river in Europe has the most important sacred significance for the Russian people. The Volga originates on the slopes of the Valdai Upland and flows through the territory of fifteen subjects of Russia, in particular, along the northeastern administrative border of Chuvashia. Within the republic is the dam of the Cheboksary hydroelectric station, as well as the reservoir of the same name (pictured below).
Civil
Civil is the largest river system of Chuvashia, which lies wholly within one republic. It is formed as a result of the merger of two rivers - the Big and Small Civil (near the city of Tsivilsk). The total length of the river is 172 kilometers. The catchment area is 4690 square meters. km, which is almost 25% of the entire territory of Chuvashia. The Civil River is known for its rich ichthyofauna. In its waters there are all types of fish that are characteristic of the watercourses of Central Russia.
Kubnya
Kubnya is a river partially flowing through the territory of Chuvashia, a tributary of the Volga of the second order. Its length within the republic is 109 km. The source of Kubni is located in the Ibresinsky district at an altitude of 200 meters above sea level. The river flows along the northern edge of the Volga Upland. In the upper reaches, the Kubni valley is weakly expressed in relief, however, closer to the mouth, its width reaches four kilometers. The riverbanks are often steep and steep, covered with meadow, shrubby and woody vegetation. Kubnya feeds mainly on melt snow waters, floods occur in late March - early April.
Bula
The name of this river does not come from the Ukrainian verb “was”, but from the Chuvash “fall”. Bula (accent on the last syllable) flows in the southern part of Chuvashia, crossing the expanses of its three administrative regions at once. The source of the river is in the Ibresinsky district near the village of Lipovka. Within the republic, its length is 92 kilometers. Bula receives the waters of several dozen tributaries, the largest of which is the Malaya Bula River.
Abyss
The river with the curious name "Abyss" also flows in the south of Chuvashia and flows into the Sura near the city of Alatyr. A solid stretch of its channel passes through the territory of the beautiful Chavash Varmane National Park.
The source of the river is near the village of Chuvashskaya Abyss in the territory of neighboring Tatarstan. The channel of the Abyss is very winding and highly subject to meandering along its entire length. The river has a pronounced spring flood. It feeds on melt snow waters, freezes in the second half of December, opens in early April. On the shores of the Abyss a large number of rare plant species grows (especially in the upper reaches).