The Nizhnyaya Tunguska (Russian: Ни́жняя Тунгу́ска , IPA: [ˈnʲiʐnʲɪjə tʊnˈɡuskə] , meaning "Lower Tunguska") is a river in Siberia , Russia , that flows through the Irkutsk Oblast and the Krasnoyarsk Krai . The river is a right tributary of the Yenisey joining it at Turukhansk (see Siberian River Routes ). The ice-free period on the Nizhnyaya Tunguska starts in mid-June and ends in the first half of October. The river forms the western limit of the Lena Plateau .
48-455: The Nizhnyaya Tunguska is the second largest right tributary of the Yenisey , and joins it near the town of Turukhansk . It is 2,989 kilometres (1,857 mi) long, and has a drainage basin of 473,000 square kilometres (183,000 sq mi). According to the character of the stream, constitution of the river's valley and its shores, it can be divided into two parts: the first one starts at
96-531: A Samoyed derivation has been proposed, its precise origins remain unclear. Today, the word survives only in Sayan Turkic languages : in Tuvan as xem хем, meaning "river", and in its sister language, Tofa , as hem hем, also meaning "river". These languages are considered to have had close contact with those mentioned above in ancient times. Additionally, there are just over 50 river names containing
144-458: A remote area and has no permanent settlements along its banks. It is known for having the geographical center of Russia lying on its southeast shore at 66°25′N 94°15′E / 66.417°N 94.250°E / 66.417; 94.250 . The spot is marked by a 7-metre monument erected in August 1992. Nearby is an even higher cross dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh . Lake Vivi
192-497: Is a compound word of unconfirmed Old Kyrgyz (or inspired by Tuvan language?) ene (эне), meaning "great-grandmother; nanny" + say (сай), meaning "gravel; ford". However, the above considerations, except Vasmer's, remain speculative false etymologies , as they do not refer to the dictionaries of the respective languages. Researchers are encouraged to conduct more detailed studies based on proper contemporary linguistic sources and historical documents . Studies have shown that
240-845: Is formed between the Gyda Peninsula and the Taymyr Peninsula . It is the central one of three large Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two being the Ob and the Lena ). The maximum depth of the Yenisey is 61 metres (200 ft) and the average depth is 14 metres (45 ft). The Yenisey proper, from the confluence of its source rivers the Great Yenisey and Little Yenisey at Kyzyl to its mouth in
288-568: Is found in the 14th-century History of Yuan , vol. 63. These contacts were made by the Chinese as they approached the upper Yenisei River from the south. The characters jian "劔" (or jian "劍") and qian "謙" have been compared to Käm in Orkhon inscriptions from the 8th century. The term Kem كيم is also found in the 13th‒14th-century Oirat Biography in Jami' al-Tawarikh . Furthermore, even in
336-709: Is located on the southern limit of the Putorana Massif , in the zone where it overlaps with the Syverma Plateau . It is a typical river lake, with the Vivi River , a tributary of the Lower Tunguska , flowing out of it from its southern end. Lake Vivi is roughly stretching from north to south and while its length is ca. 86 kilometres (53 mi), its width does not exceed 5 kilometres (3.1 mi). This Krasnoyarsk Krai location article
384-686: Is nearby on the Arctic Ocean's Taymyr Peninsula . The largest tributaries of the Yenisey are, from source to mouth: A significant feature of the Upper Yenisei is Lake Baikal , the deepest and oldest lake in the world. The Brekhovskie Islands (Russian-language article: Бреховские острова ) lie in the Yenisey estuary and have an area of some 1,400,000 hectares. They provide a wetland habitat for rare and endangered birds and are an internationally important nesting and breeding area for several types of waterfowl . The most north-easterly of
432-401: Is still a significant part of the local economy. Navigation on the river is difficult because of a number of rifts, rapids and whirlpools. The passage of large ships and barges is possible during the spring inundation, and rainy weather during particular years allows short periods of navigation at the end of summer or the start of autumn. The most problematic for the safe navigation of ships are
480-892: Is the fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean . Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through Lake Baikal and the Krasnoyarsk Dam before draining into the Yenisey Gulf in the Kara Sea . The Yenisey divides the Western Siberian Plain in the west from the Central Siberian Plateau to the east; it drains a large part of central Siberia . Its delta
528-536: The Kara Sea , is 3,487 km (2,167 mi) long. From the source of its tributary the Selenga , it is 5,075 km (3,153 mi) long. It has a drainage basin of 2,580,000 km (1,000,000 sq mi). The Yenisey flows through the Russian federal subjects Tuva , Khakassia and Krasnoyarsk Krai . The city of Krasnoyarsk is situated far upstream on the Yenisey, and the industrial city of Norilsk
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#1732783977081576-619: The Nganasan word "Jentajea", the Enets "Jeddosi", and the Selkup "N'andesi", all meaning "Yenisei River", might correspond to unidentified Samoyed languages, probably quoted Matthias Castrén 's vocabulary. V. K. Nikonov has proposed that the word could derive from "iondessi" (иондесси), meaning "big river" in Selkup, Khanty , or even Evenki . More recently, some have speculated that "Yenisei"
624-550: The Siberian sturgeon ( Acipenser baerii ). The Yenisey valley is habitat for numerous flora and fauna, with Siberian pine and Siberian larch being notable tree species. In prehistoric times Scots pine , Pinus sylvestris , was abundant in the Yenisey valley c. 6000 BC . There are also numerous bird species present in the watershed, including, for example, the hooded crow , Corvus cornix . The Taimyr herd of tundra reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus sibiricus ),
672-797: The Soviet Union . The first written mention of the Yenisei River dates back to the 7th century in Tang Dynasty China, at the time of contact with Yenisei Kyrgyz of this region. The word Jian shui (劔水, "Jian River") appears in Book of Zhou , vol. 50, and History of the Northern Dynasties , vol. 99, while Jian he (劍河, "Jian River") appears in New Book of Tang , vol. 217. In addition, Qian he (謙河, "Qian River")
720-528: The Sym . In 1862 Paul Theodor von Krusenstern attempted to navigate with two ships from Murmansk through the Kara Sea to the delta of the river Yenissei, but unfortunately was shipwrecked before obtaining success. During World War II , Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire agreed to divide Asia along a line that followed the Yenisey to the border of China and then along the border of China and
768-591: The Taz River . It is believed that the name of the Yenisei River was transmitted, either directly or indirectly, from Samoyed-speaking peoples in the region with whom the Russians had contact. This contact eventually led to the adoption of the name "Yenisei", with a Russian accent. Additionally, by the end of the 16th century, the Yenisei River was already known to Dutch navigators, who referred to it as "Gilissi", "Gelissi", or "Geniscea", among other names. Although
816-501: The Tunguska Plateau of the Central Siberian Plateau in a narrow and deep valley with high, often rocky shores. The entire landscape here has volcanic origins , the relief alters the flow of Lower Tunguska into a westerly direction. The river channel frequently has lake-like widenings with lengths up to 20 kilometres (12 mi) and longer. The locations with close approaches of crystalline layers create numerous rapids on
864-565: The Yugh people have lived along the banks of the Yenisey since ancient times, and this region is the location of the Yeniseian language family . The Ket, numbering about 1000, are the only survivors today of those who originally lived throughout central southern Siberia near the river banks. Their extinct relatives included the Kotts, Assans, Arins, Baikots and Pumpokols who lived further upriver to
912-668: The 18th century, Chinese maps show ᡴᡝ᠊ᠮ᠊ᠠ ᠪᡳ᠊ᡵᠠ Kem bira “Kem River” ( the Kangxi Imperial Atlas of China (康煕皇輿全覧図) in 1717), ᡴᡝ᠊ᠮ᠊ᠠ ᡳ ᠪᠣ᠊ᠮ Kem-i bom “Cliffs of the Kem River” ( the Yongzheng Atlas (雍正十排図) in 1727 or 1728), 伊克穆必拉 ( yeke Kem bira ) “Great Kem River” ( the Ch'ien-lung Atlas (乾隆内府輿図) in 1769). The etymology of Käm is not believed to be of Turkic origin, and although
960-482: The Lena flows at an elevation of 245.3 metres (805 ft). In the beginning of 20th century the canal project was considered inexpedient due to its complexity and high cost. Plans to dam the river existed since the early Soviet period. These plans were the subject of criticism by various ecologists . Construction of the dams also became impossible after disintegration of Soviet Union due to economic reasons. In 2005–10
1008-556: The Nizhnyaya Tunguska are strongly seasonal. The value of average water discharge of Nizhnyaya Tunguska gives it eleventh place amongst largest rivers of Russia . The annual water discharge at the river's mouth is equal to 3,680 cubic metres per second (130,000 cu ft/s). The minimum value observed in 1967 was 2,861 cubic metres per second (101,000 cu ft/s); the maximum was 4,690 cubic metres per second (166,000 cu ft/s) in 1974 or, respectively, for
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#17327839770811056-670: The Turks and the Chinese and other legends. There are also examples of Uyghur poetry, though most have survived only in Chinese translation. Wheat from the Yenisey was sold by Muslims and Uighurs during inadequate harvests to Bukhara and Soghd during the Tahirid era. Russians first reached the upper Yenisey in 1605, travelling from the Ob, up the Ket , portaging and then down the Yenisey as far as
1104-432: The Yenisey basin are relatively widespread Euro- Siberian or Siberian species, such as northern pike ( Esox lucius ), common roach ( Rutilus rutilus ), common dace ( Leuciscus leuciscus ), Siberian sculpin ( Cottus poecilopus ), European perch ( Perca fluviatilis ) and Prussian carp ( Carassius gibelio ). The basin is also home to many salmonids (trout, whitefish , charr , graylings, taimen and relatives) and
1152-458: The Yenisey suffers from contamination caused by radioactive discharges from a factory that produced bomb-grade plutonium in the secret city of Krasnoyarsk-26, now known as Zheleznogorsk . Lake Vivi Lake Vivi ( Russian language : о́зеро Ви́ви ) is a lake in Evenkia , Siberia , Russia . The area of the lake is 229 square kilometres (88 sq mi). The lake is located in
1200-413: The entire annual water yield occurs during the spring–summer season. The amplitude of the water-level variations in the lower stream of Nizhnyaya Tunguska is the highest among all notable rivers of Russia. At narrow places in the river channel, ice jams during its seasonal drift, and this creates temporary dams that block normal water flow and raise water levels up to 30 to 35 metres (98 to 115 ft) above
1248-438: The estuary of the river it was about 3,093 cubic metres per second (109,200 cu ft/s) and about 5,070 cubic metres per second (179,000 cu ft/s). The water supply of the river is from melting snow and summer rains. During winter season Nizhnyaya Tunguska contains little water as its basin lies in the region of permafrost and it has no subterranean water sources. According hydrological observations during 52 years,
1296-454: The estuary. Timber rafting is possible throughout entire course of the river. It was suggested (and some research was done) in 1911 to build a canal joining the Lena and Nizhnyaya Tunguska rivers in the neighbourhood of Kirensk . Near this locality the rivers are separated by no more than 15 kilometres (9 mi), but here the Nizhnyaya Tunguska is not navigable and flows at an elevation of 329.7 metres (1,082 ft) above sea level, whereas
1344-636: The exact spelling varied, these are phonetically similar to "Yenisei". In particular, the modern Dutch pronunciation of "Geniscea" as [xɛnisə] is quite close to "Yenisei". The term "Yenisei" (Енисей) appeared in Russian literature slightly later, around 1600, in the form that is still used today. Unlike in Dutch, the Russian spelling has been relatively stable since the 17th century, with only minor variations such as "Yeniseya" (Енисея) or "Yenisya" (Енися). The etymology of "Yenisei" remains unclear. Renowned linguist Max Vasmer , for instance, has suggested that
1392-459: The following: The most significant tributaries of Nizhnyaya Tunguska are the rivers entering from the right: Yeyka , Kochechum , Yambukan , Vivi , Tutonchana , Erachimo , and Severnaya . Entering from the left are the Nepa , Bolshaya Yeryoma [ ru ] , Teteya , Ilimpeya , Nidym , Taymura , and Uchami . The most prominent tributary is Kochechum, which joins the main stem from
1440-646: The future Tsar Nicholas II on his voyage to Siberia, and later conveyed Vladimir Lenin to prison. Engineers attempted to place river steamers in regular service on the river during the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The boats were needed to bring in the rails, engines and supplies. Captain Joseph Wiggins sailed the Orestes with rail in 1893. However, the sea and river route proved very difficult with several ships lost at sea and on
1488-506: The interest to this project and the discussion of it revived to some extent. According news media the construction of the Turukhanskaya hydroelectric powerplant would begin as soon as in 2010. Since the precise date is unknown, a more likely start-up is between 2010 and 2020. After completion of this project Nizhnyaya Tunguska will be dammed, flooding about 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) of forest and tundra (roughly
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1536-473: The islands, Nosonovskij Ostrov ("Nose Island") was visited by Fridtjof Nansen in 1913. The Yenisey basin (excluding Lake Baikal and lakes of the Khantayka headwaters) is home to 55 native fish species, including two endemics : Gobio sibiricus (a gobionine cyprinid ) and Thymallus nigrescens (a grayling ). The grayling is restricted to Khövsgöl Nuur and its tributaries. Most fish found in
1584-538: The largest reindeer herd in the world, migrates to winter grazing ranges along the Yenisey. It had an estimated 800,000-850,000 individuals as of 2010, but has peaked at over one million. River steamers first came to the Yenisei River in 1864 and were brought in from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom across the icy Kara Sea. One was the steamer Nikolai . The steamship Thames attempted to explore
1632-411: The mean value. The summer break-up and drifting of ice passes very violently; it leaves traces in the form of torn-apart uprooted trees and polished rocks. During some days of spring freshets the river's discharge can peak at 74,000 to 112,000 cubic metres per second (2,600,000 to 4,000,000 cu ft/s), and it supplies 50 to 60 per cent of the water volume to the lower stream of the Yenisey in
1680-562: The minimum average monthly discharge was 27.8 cubic metres per second (980 cu ft/s) in March 1969—it was exceptionally dry winter—and the maximum value corresponds to June 1959 and was 31,500 cubic metres per second (1,110,000 cu ft/s) The diagram below contains mean values of monthly average discharges calculated on the base of a 52-year-long period of observations at hydrological station "Bolshoy Porog" (фактория Большой Порог, Bolshoy Porog factory ). Seventy-three per cent of
1728-508: The north near Tura . The average annual discharge of the Kochechum is 600 cubic metres per second (21,000 cu ft/s), and its basin covers nearly 100,000 square kilometres (39,000 sq mi). On the whole, the right tributaries of Nizhnyaya Tunguska dominate over the left and add more water. The river has no big lakes in its basin; the biggest is Vivi with a surface area of 229 square kilometres (88 sq mi). Inflows to
1776-427: The rapids "Bolshoy" , which are 128 to 130 kilometres (80 to 81 mi) from the river's mouth. In 1927 the first steamship passed this rapids and it is considered to be the start of modern navigation on the river from Turukhansk to Tura . As of 2010 the shipping routes of Yenisey River Steamship Lines ( Russian : Енисейское речное пароходство ) includes the village Kislokan , 1,155 kilometres (718 mi) from
1824-474: The river's channel stretches. This section of river has a meandering channel that closely approaches the Lena , another great Siberian river. The minimum distance between them is as short as 15 kilometres (9 mi) in the neighbourhood of Kirensk town. All of the upper course of Nizhnyaya Tunguska is within the Irkutsk Oblast . Downstream of Preobrazhenskoye village Nizhnyaya Tunguska flows across
1872-403: The river's lowest flow, downstream of join with its tributary river Severnaya , Nizhnyaya Tunguska runs between limestone rocks, which steeply rise from the water. The speeds of flow here grow to 1 to 1.5 metres per second (3 to 5 ft/s). The channel and water flow of the river's lower stream has its own distinguishing features, which can be seen in some places at Lower Tunguska, including
1920-410: The river, overwintered in 1876, but was damaged in the ice and eventually wrecked in the river. Success came with the steamers Frazer , Express in 1878 and, the next year, Moscow hauling supplies in and wheat out. The Dalman reached Yeniseisk in 1881. Imperial Russia placed river steamers on the massive river in an attempt to free up communication with land-locked Siberia. One, St. Nicholas took
1968-522: The river. Both the Ob and Yenisey mouths feed into very long inlets, several hundred kilometres in length, which are shallow, ice bound and prone to high winds and thus treacherous for navigation. After the completion of the railway, river traffic reduced to only local service as the Arctic route and long river proved much too indirect a route. The first recreation team to navigate the Yenisey's entire length, including its violent upper tributary in Mongolia,
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2016-406: The river. The most significant of them have names such as: "Sakko" , "Vivinsky" , "Uchamsky" and "Bolshoy" ( Russian : Большой , Big ). The rapids on the river has relatively high speeds of water flux reaching 3 to 5 metres per second (10 to 16 ft/s). In some places downstream of the rapids the river channel becomes very deep with maximum depths of 60 to 100 metres (200 to 330 ft). In
2064-895: The size of Lebanon or the islands of Hawaii), some of which contains buried nuclear waste , and displacing the indigenous Evenk population. The cost of the plant is estimated at $ 13 billion dollars , which includes costs of electric power lines. The plant will be built and operated by RusHydro in the Krasnoyarsk region, and the electricity will be channeled to European Russia via a 3,500-kilometre (2,200 mi) system of power lines. 65°47′00″N 87°57′20″E / 65.78333°N 87.95556°E / 65.78333; 87.95556 Yenisey 18,050 m /s (637,000 cu ft/s) (Period of data: 1940–2017) 588 km /a (18,600 m /s) The Yenisey ( / ˌ j ɛ n ɪ ˈ s eɪ / YEN -iss- AY ; Russian : Енисе́й , pronounced [jɪnʲɪˈsʲej] )
2112-493: The source of the river and continues down to the village Preobrazhenka [ ru ] (formerly Preobrazhenskoye) and the second section of the river lies downstream of this village in a canyon-like relief. The upper part of Nizhnyaya Tunguska is 580 kilometres (360 mi) long and follows a wide valley with flat slopes that was formed by sand and clay deposits. The speed of flow at rafts reaches 0.4 to 0.6 metres per second (1.3 to 2.0 ft/s) and drops significantly as
2160-641: The south. The modern Ket lived in the eastern middle areas of the river before being assimilated politically into Russia during the 17th through 19th centuries. Some of the earliest known evidence of Turkic origins was found in the Yenisey Valley in the form of stelae , stone monoliths and memorial tablets dating from between the seventh and ninth centuries AD, along with some documents that were found in China's Xinjiang region . The written evidence gathered from these sources tells of battles fought between
2208-663: The suffix -kem -кем in the Altai Republic , and the term Kim (Ким) as in Kim suγ (Ким суғ), meaning "Yenisei River" barely exists in Khakas . All of these instances are confined to the region in and around the present-day Republic of Tuva . Meanwhile, in the 17th century, Russians reached the lower part of the Yenisei River from the northwest; along the way, by 1600, the Tobolsk Cossacks built Fort Mangazeya by
2256-406: The time of its seasonal inundation. From the mouth up. The channel of Nizhnyaya Tunguska with its tributaries constitutes dense network of rivers and creeks which creates convenient summer pathways through the wide rifted valley of Eastern Siberia . Historically, the river was used as a route for the fur trade , fishery , for transportation of goods and mineral resources. Hunting and fur trade
2304-509: Was an Australian-Canadian expedition completed in September 2001. Ben Kozel , Tim Cope, Colin Angus and Remy Quinter were on this team. Both Kozel and Angus wrote books detailing this expedition, and a documentary was produced for National Geographic Television. A canal inclined plane was built on the river in 1985 at the Krasnoyarsk Dam . Nomadic tribes such as the Ket people and
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