Lena - a majestic and powerful river, one of the largest waterways of Asia, collects its waters from the vast expanses of Siberia. Its pool is completely within one state - Russia. In this article you will find a brief description of the Lena River, in particular its geographical location, water regime and the features of navigation on it.
Lena River Description Plan
It is customary to describe all rivers according to a certain algorithm, which includes several mandatory aspects. It provides a comprehensive description of the watercourse for individual components. So, the plan for describing the Lena River in our article will have the following form:
- The name of the river, as well as the history of its origin.
- The geography of the river (geographic location, source and mouth, area of the river basin, structure of the river system, listing of large tributaries, etc.).
- Hydrology of the river (average monthly water discharge, features of the water regime, freezing and opening of the watercourse, etc.).
- The specifics of the economic use of the river by man (coastal population, shipping, large ports and bridges on the river, water and shore protection , etc.).
Lena River: a brief description
Lena closes the top ten rivers in length in the world (4270 km). This is one of the largest waterways of Russia. This river has one amazing feature: it freezes in one direction (from the mouth to the upper reaches), and it opens in the opposite direction.
It would be logical to begin the description of the Lena River with an explanation of the history of the origin of its name. Oddly enough, but it is not at all connected with the female name. This hydrotoponim has Evenki roots and originally it sounded like “elyu-ene”, which means “big river”. Over time, this name was transformed in Russian pronunciation to the more familiar sounding word "Lena".
River geography
The description of Lena, the river flowing through the vast expanses of Siberia, will be incomplete without a detailed description of its geographical location. Where does it start, in what direction does it flow and where does it flow?
Lena and all its many tributaries collect their waters from the vast territories of Eastern Siberia. This is approximately 2500 thousand square kilometers. The river originates from a small lake, which, in turn, is practically a neighbor of Lake Baikal. In its upper reaches, Lena carries its waters through the dissected territories of the mountainous Baikal region. The middle course of the river is distinguished by one interesting feature. Here Lena has absolutely asymmetric shores: the left is low and gentle, and the right is represented by the steep and steep edge of the Patom Highlands.
Lena flows into the Laptev Sea. In the lower reaches, it is already a giant watercourse that reaches a width of 10 kilometers! At a distance of 150 kilometers from the mouth of the Lena formed a wide delta.
On its long path to the sea, the river receives a myriad of tributaries. However, the largest and most significant among them are four: these are Aldan, Vilyuy, Vitim and Olekma.
River hydrology
Features of the hydrological regime - this is one of the main aspects that is included in any physical and geographical description of the river. Lena feeds on snow and rainwater. It is characterized by a powerful spring flood, which accounts for about 40% of the total runoff, several summer floods and low autumn-winter low-water season.
The maximum average monthly water consumption was recorded in June, they reach 60,000 m 3 / s.
A very powerful sight is the spring ice drift on the Lena River, which, as a rule, is accompanied by violent congestion. The river begins to open in April in the upper reaches, and ends in June near the mouth.
Riverbank population and shipping
The economic use of the river is rather weak, since the Lena flows through an extremely low-populated area. Along its channel there are only 6 medium-sized cities. In the largest of them - Yakutsk - only 300 thousand people live. Sailing along the river, you can see nothing but deaf taiga for hundreds of kilometers.
On the entire length of the Lena there are only 4 bridges. In populated areas, Siberians cross the river with the help of ferries or winter roads.
Surprisingly, Yakutia is one of those regions of the Earth where the river acts as the main transport artery. It is Lena that is the most important highway in this region, through which people, raw materials and goods are transported. The navigation period lasts about 150 days a year. The main ports on the river are as follows:
- Sangar.
- Yakutsk
- Pokrovsk.
- Olekminsk.
- Lensk.
- Kirensk.
- Sturgeon.
Finally...
Lena is one of the largest river systems in Russia, which is completely located within its borders. In addition, it is also the most important transport route of Siberia, connecting its few cities and towns.
A brief description of the Lena River, proposed in this article, gives us a comprehensive and clear idea of its main geographical features, water regime and level of economic development.