Smolensk region is located in the European part of Russia within the Vyazemsky and Smolensk-Moscow heights. The unique nature in this area is beautiful: hilly terrain, lowlands, moraine ridges and rivers of the Smolensk region attract tourists.
River valleys
With an area of almost 50,000 square meters, there are the Baltic, Black Sea and Caspian basins, between which there is a watershed. All water bodies belong to large rivers: Volga, Dnieper and Western Dvina.
The river network is 1,149 small and large rivers, the total length of which is more than 16,500 km. Maintaining the water level occurs due to rains and snow, respectively, they are characterized by spring floods, low water, typical for autumn and summer, floods. River cover freezing in the Smolensk region is typical for November-December, and ice melting occurs in March-April.
The region has the following major rivers:
- Dnieper and its tributaries Sozh and Desna;
- Iput - the influx of Sozh;
- Ugra and Moscow are the tributaries of the Oka (Volga basin);
- Vazua and tributary Gzhat.
Water resources
The region is under the responsibility of the Moscow-Oka Water Authority. Now the state program "Environmental Protection" is being carried out on the territory, which provides for the rational use of existing natural resources. It is designed until 2020. Over the 6 years of the work of the planned plan, the following tasks related to water resources of the Smolensk region should be solved:
- Reconstruction of protective structures.
- Construction of new facilities.
- Ensuring the stability of hydraulic structures.
- Restoration of the ecological balance.
Geographical location and minerals
Zonally, the region is the intersection of the borders of the Moscow Basin, the Kursk-Voronezh Massif and the Dnieper-Donetsk Depression. The complex geological history is a wavy relief, a picturesque network of rivers and numerous lakes. The Dnieper is famous for its unique appearance: high banks in the region of Kolodni and Sokolya Gora, near Borka and in the Red Bor. Each river has not only a unique look, but also is the location of minerals.
Large river valleys of the Smolensk region hide deposits:
- Sozh: chalk, glassy sands, phosphorites.
- Vazuza: marls, limestones, clay, dolomites.
- Dnieper: gravel, limestone, chalk, clay, building sands.
- Ugra: limestones, refractory clay, brown coal.
Historical monuments
River valleys conceal not only useful resources, but also archaeological sites: villages, burial mounds, ancient settlements. Such findings suggest that the Slavs settled along the banks of the rivers, thus developing a river network. Over the centuries, the appearance of some rivers has been transformed into a network with pre-Quaternary valleys, others with Quaternary, when the expansion of the water resources of the Smolensk region was due to the melting of glacial waters.
Rivers with pre-Quaternary valleys:
- Whirlwind (tributary of the Sozh).
- Berezina (Rudnyanskaya).
- Voronitsa (tributary of Iputi).
- Demina (a tributary of the Ugra).
- Ugra (upper course).
The Quaternary is the time when the rivers of the southern direction "flowing out" and latitudinal "flowing" changed their course to the north, that is, they became "reoriented". Latitudinal rivers in their structure are prefabricated, formed due to several sections of other flowing water bodies.
To latitudinal include rivers of ice age:
- Oster.
- Dnipro (from Dorogobuzh to Orsha).
- Hmara.
When the Moscow glacier melted, the waters went along the valleys to the south, and after the retreat of the glacier they flowed north. "Reoriented" rivers of the Smolensk region in their direction, the course of which goes north:
- Vyazma;
- Uzha (left tributaries of the Dnieper);
- Ostrom;
- Kasper;
- Vazuza
- To squeeze;
- Mereia.
The following rivers flow southward:
- Vorya;
- Howl;
- Frowning;
- Sozh;
- Liquefied;
- Gum;
- Dnipro (to Dorogobuzh).
Slavutich or Borisfen
The fourth longest river in Europe - the Dnieper in the Smolensk region - is the main one and has tributaries: Vyazma, Sozh, Vop, Desna. The Greeks called her Borisfen, and the Slavic people settled along its banks, magnifying Slavutich. It flows through three states: Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. It originates in the north of the Valdai Upland (the village of Dudkino, Smolensk region) and extends for 2 201 km, flowing into the Dnieper estuary.
Flora is represented by numerous algae (diatoms, golden, cryptophyte, etc.), which vary depending on environmental features, depth, season, time of day and time of day. The total number of algae reaches 1,192 species.
Each section of the Dnieper is characterized by its list of representatives of flora and fauna, the number of which varies from year to year: the size of macrophytes (aquatic plants) increased to 69 species, some species could not withstand changing conditions due to the construction of reservoirs, others, on the contrary, developed and multiplied. The estuarine region is 72 species of higher aquatic plants. In wetlands, air-water reeds, cattail, reeds predominate, and rdest, urut, wallisneria, mollusk, white water lily and yellow capsule are also found.
The fauna is represented by 70 species of fish, divided into classes:
- Walkthroughs.
- Semi-passage (sturgeon, herring, ram).
- Cyprinids.
A lot of river fish (beluga, salmon, eel) disappeared in the upper Dnieper, and the numbers of podust, ide, tench, sterlet, and chub decreased. They were replaced by bream, carp, catfish and pike.
The influx of the Dnieper
The town of Yelnya is located on the Desna coast, the history of which begins from the 12th century. Previously, these Smolensk lands were conquered by the Mongol-Tatars. Only from the XVII century Yelnya in the Smolensk region became a full-fledged Russian settlement, a little later - a city (1776). The popularity of the modern center is not only in its memorials and local history museums, not far from the Gorodianka rivulet that flows into the Desna, there is an ancient settlement of the 12th century.
The southeastern location of the city implies its location on the watershed plateau of the “Elninsky Knot”. The left tributary of the Dnieper - Uzha, originates in the northwest of the settlement and flows in a northerly direction. Desna flows south, as does Stryana. The waters of the Ugra go from the south-eastern part of Yelny of the Smolensk region to the north, sharply turning eastward at the village of Sledneva, leaving for the Vkhodsky district. Usiya flows into the Ugra, and the Khmara basin, which is a tributary of the Sozh, is located at the borders of the Pochinkovsky and Yelninsky districts.
Gum
A river with a length of 1,130 km flows through the European part of Russia. The name from Old Slavonic means “right” and was given due to location (right tributary). The source of the Desna River in the Smolensk Region is the peat bog Golubev Mokh, near Yelny, in an elevated area. Passing through several areas, it flows into the Dnieper. The upper course is characterized by marshland. In December there is a lot of thick bottom, and in the spring there is a large flood. An important water destination is the Desnogorsk Reservoir. The river has 13 right (Ubed, Mena, Sudost, etc.) and 20 left tributaries (Oster, Navlya, Veresoch and others).
Western Dvina
The river, passing through three states, flows in the north of Eastern Europe, has ancient unique names: Bubon, Sudon, Eridan and Hesin. Zhuchkevich believed that it has a Finnish-speaking origin and means "quiet."
The Zapadnaya Dvina route in the Smolensk region, which is 1,020 km long, starts from Lake Koryakino (Dvinets), flows southwest, then changes direction towards the northwest and flows into the Gulf of Riga. The largest tributaries: Luchosa, Mezha, Veles, Dubna, Usvyacha, Ulla, Disna, Toropa.
Yauza
The river of the northern part of the Gagarin region is a right tributary of Gzhati. The drainage basin occupies more than 687 km 2 , and the length of the Yauza river in the Smolensk region is 77 km. The inflow into the Vazuz reservoir flows into the water supply system.
Sozh
Until recently, the sources of the river were not reliably known. Opinions differed, contradicting each other. Some scientists claimed that the river originates in a swampy hollow near the village of Bosino, others - near the village of Paradise, a third opinion suggested the village of Petrovo as a reference point. This state of affairs has arisen due to the fact that streams run from the alleged areas, which close in the west of the Sozh River in the Smolensk region. As a result of a survey of local residents of the above villages, it was found that all three versions cannot be true. The beginning of the river began to be considered a lowland in the southeast of the village of Redkevschina, where two hollows join: one goes from Maksimov Mkh, the other goes around the village to the northeast.
The second largest tributary of the Dnieper runs 648 km, flowing near the Loev to the Dnieper. The area of the river basin is 42 100 km 2 , its tributaries are:
- Iput;
- Oster;
- Conversation;
- Pronya;
- Whirlwind.
Steep shores are characterized by very high borders, reaching 20 m. The depth in some places, on the border with the Besed tributary, reaches 6 m.
Smolensk region
The geography of the geographically defined zone is quite diverse, the river network belongs to the basins of the Volga, Western Dvina and Dnieper. Water flows into the Black, Caspian and Baltic Seas. When comparing with similar data on the river network of neighboring regions, Smolenskaya is the most dense, developing every year.
Most of the rivers are small in length, only 15 are more than 100 km long, the rest range from 20 to 50 km. The valleys amaze with their beauty, wide bends, lake-shaped extensions. It was the path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" that went along the rivers of the Smolensk region, starting from the Dnieper and ending with the Western Dvina.
We must not forget about the energy and transport significance of the river network. Before the advent of the railroads, especially in the spring, ships went along the Gzhat, Sozh, Kasplya rivers. In modern times, waterways are designed for towing rafts, transporting goods, rafting timber. 5 hydroelectric power stations worked until recently, but now only one is functioning - Knyazhinskaya. Near lying cities and villages, it is more profitable to receive electricity from the Dorogobuzh hydroelectric power station.
The national economy is another point where rivers play a big role. All water sources are located in river valleys. Hayfields, pastures, floodplain onions, pond farming - everything is fed thanks to the river network. Fish and waterfowl are raised in ponds.