Lena location length km. Brief description of the Lena River: location, hydrological regime and economic use
The Lena River is the largest in Eastern Siberia and one of the largest in Russian Federation, in terms of depth it is in 8th place in the world, and in terms of length – in 10th place. It passes through the territory of Yakutia and the Irkutsk region, some of its tributaries belong to the Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Transbaikal territories and Buryatia, the river flows into. Lena in the Laptev Sea.
Popular in Russia female name is in no way connected with the name of the river, it comes from the word “Elu-Ene”, which translated from Evenki means “ big river" This name was given to her by the explorer Pyanda (1619 - 1623), but in the Russian language it became stronger as “Lena”.
R. Lena is the most large river in the Russian Federation, whose basin (2,490 thousand km²) is entirely within the country, its length is 4,400 km. According to the nature of the flow, the river is divided into 3 zones: the first begins from the source and stretches to the mouth of the river. Vitima, the second - is located in the interval between the mouths of the Vitima and Aldana rivers, the third - starts from the mouth of the river. Aldana and ends at the confluence with the Laptev Sea. The source of the river is considered small lake, which is located 7 km west of the island. Baikal. In August 1997, at the source of the river. Lena, a chapel was built with a memorial plaque installed on it.
Lena is one of the cleanest rivers in the world. Its course has not been changed by people: there are no dams, hydroelectric power stations or other structures on it. And in uninhabited parts the water is so pure that you can drink straight from the river.
As for the economic use of the river. Lena, it’s not very intense. This is due to the fact that its shores are not densely populated. But thanks to this, the pristine nature of its nature is preserved. Despite the fact that there are no dams on the river, it is the main transport artery of Yakutia. The largest ports located on it are Yakutsk, Lensk, Osetrovo and Kirensk.
On the right bank of the river. Lena settled down national park“Lena Pillars” are a collection of vertically located elongated rocks. Since ancient times this unusual place Evenks and Yakuts considered it sacred. They believed that these rocks were frozen human figures, which were created by otherworldly forces. Therefore, except for shamans and elders, no one dared to approach the mysterious formations. The park stretches along the river bank in Yakutia for several kilometers. It is considered national natural object and is a specially protected natural area.
Another unknown phenomenon is the desert located on the right bank of the river. It's hard to imagine this in the middle of Taiga, but the fact remains. If it were not for the pine trees framing the territory, the kilometer-long sand hills would create the complete illusion of a sultry and arid area. Until today, scientists have not found an explanation for this miracle of nature.
Brief information about the Lena River.
The territory of Russia has about two and a half million rivers. Most of them are relatively small sizes and reach no more than a hundred kilometers in length. The rest is made up of large rivers. And they reach truly enormous sizes. One of the longest rivers in Russia is the Lena.
River of Russia - Lena: description, geographical location, pool, nutrition and regime
Lena is the largest water artery V North-Eastern Siberia. Lena river flows into the Laptev Sea. Lena ranks tenth in the world in terms of length and eighth in terms of depth. It flows in Yakutia and the Irkutsk region. Some of its tributaries are located in Transbaikalia, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk territories, as well as in Buryatia. It is noteworthy that the reservoir basin is entirely located on Russian territory. The Lena freezes from the lower reaches to the upper reaches, that is, in the reverse order to the opening.
The name of the river comes from the Even word Elyu-Ene, which means “Big River”. It was discovered by the explorer Pyanda in 1619–1623 and recorded exactly this name. In Russian, the name Lena is assigned to the river.
Geographical location of Lena
The Lena River, whose length is 4.4 thousand km, covers an area of 2,490 thousand square kilometers. It is divided into three sections, distinguished by the nature of the flow. The first section is located from the source to the confluence of the Vitim, the second - from the confluence of the Vitim to the mouth of the Aldan, and the third - from the mouth of the Aldan to the confluence of the Lena into the Laptev Sea.
Lena originates from a small lake located 12 km from Lake Baikal at an altitude of 1470 meters. A chapel with a memorial plaque was built at its source in 1997. All top part currents to the mouth of the Vitim is located in the mountainous Pre-Baikal region.
The middle part of the current is located between the confluence of the Vitim and Aldan rivers and has a length of 1,415 kilometers. This site is located on the territory of Yakutia. After the annexation of Vitim, Lena turns into a huge river. Its depth here reaches 12 meters in places, and the channel widens significantly. Many islands appear in it. The river valley is also increasing. In these places it reaches sizes of 20–30 kilometers. The valley itself has an asymmetrical shape, in other words, its left slope is gentle, and its right slope is high and steep. The latter is the edge of the Primorsky Highlands. Both slopes are covered with coniferous forests, which occasionally give way to meadows.
Downstream from Pokrovsk, the Lena Valley widens significantly as the river enters the plain. The speed of its flow here is significantly reduced and does not exceed 1.3 m/s, and in most cases is no more than 0.7 m/s.
In the lower reaches, two of its main tributaries flow into the Lena: Vilyui and Aldan. In this section the river is a huge water flow. Even in those places where the Lena flows into one channel, its width increases to 10 kilometers, while its depth goes beyond 20 meters. In areas with a large number of islands, the width of the river becomes 20–30 kilometers. The Lena Delta is very vast and begins approximately 150 kilometers from the mouth.
Lena on the map of Russia
Lena River Basin
The Lena, whose sources are on the Baikal ridge, flows to the Laptev Sea, where it has a delta whose area is about 30,000 square kilometers, which is almost twice the area of the Volga delta. The delta includes 800 channels and a huge number of islands of different sizes and shapes.
Due to the low development of the road network along the Lena basin, the river is an actively used shipping route along almost its entire length. However, this leads to a significant deterioration in water quality, as well as in the condition of fish stocks and ichthyofauna. The river is also polluted by diamond and gold mining enterprises, and along with this, wastewater from settlements and cities.
The Lena River basin represents the border of two different landscapes. On the western side lies the Central Siberian Plateau, and on the eastern side there are the Verkhoyansk and Chersky ridges, as well as the Suntar-Hayat ridge.
The main tributaries of the Lena are the Olekma, Vitim, Vilyuy and Aldan rivers. Vitim has a length of 1820 km and a water regime characteristic of all Far Eastern rivers, that is, a mountain stream passing through a narrow valley, and its bed contains a large number of rocky rapids. Olekma has a length almost equal to the length of Vitim, namely 1810 km. The river valley is compressed by mountains, and at the mouth there are many rapids. The longest tributary of the Lena is the Aldan. Its length is 2240 km. IN upper reaches There is a plateau on both banks of Aldana, and an intermountain plain on the lower bank.
The river basin has 12 reservoirs with a total volume of 36,200 million cubic meters. m.
Nutrition and regime of the Lena River
The Lena is the only river flowing in an area where unique natural complexes are formed, including ice, which are caused by sharp continental climate and permafrost. A peculiarity of the hydrological regime of the river is the occurrence of catastrophic spring floods.
The main nutrition of the river and its tributaries is rain and melt water. River feeding groundwater difficult due to absolute spread permafrost. In addition to spring floods, the Lena is characterized by several summer floods, as well as autumn-winter low water.
By the end of April, the spring flood begins in the Kirensk area, on the upper reaches of the Lena. It gradually moves north and reaches the lower reaches around mid-June. During the spill process, the water rises on average 6–8 meters above the low-water level. In the lower reaches, water can rise up to 10 meters.
The Lena, whose flood begins from source to mouth, freezes, on the contrary, from mouth to source. At the end of October, the huge river is usually frozen.
Economic use of the Lena River
The Lena is one of the few large rivers on the continent on which not a single hydroelectric dam or other hydraulic structure has been built. Its basin still preserves untouched or virtually undisturbed landscapes.
The river is the main transport route of Yakutia and connects the regions of the region with the federal transport network. The starting point for navigation is the Kachug pier. The navigation period lasts up to 170 days.
The Lena coastline is sparsely populated. The villages are separated by hundreds of kilometers of taiga. Only in the vicinity of Yakutsk are the populated areas denser.
Fishing on the Lena River
Since ancient times, its tributaries have been famous for their fish resources. Due to the absence of dams and the presence of rich food base excellent living conditions are created for many species of fish.
The largest and most valuable fish found in Lena is the Siberian sturgeon. There were times when it reached a length of two meters and a mass of about two hundred kilograms. However, nowadays it is rarely possible to catch an individual weighing more than twenty kilograms. In the river, sturgeon feed mainly on insect larvae, small crustaceans and mollusks.
In addition, in Lena you can easily catch fish such as taimen and lenok. Some individuals can reach a size of 70 centimeters and a weight of up to eight kilograms. You can also fish very effectively with regular whitefish, muksun, broad whitefish, peled, as well as Siberian vendace. Grayling can be a common catch. In winter, it is better to look for it in deep, flat areas of the Lena, and in summer, the fish moves to mountainous areas. It is best to catch grayling using worms, mollusks, crustaceans and larvae. For those who love fishing predatory fish There is also plenty to do on this huge river. Plenty of pike, pike perch and burbot live here. Predators are caught on small fish such as dace, minnow or Siberian spined loach.
Fish living in the Lena River
Today, 37 species of fish live in the river basin.
Most valuable representative is a river Siberian sturgeon. It lives in the area from Korshukov to Primorye. Sturgeon feeding small fish, insect larvae, crustaceans and molluscs.
Taimen is widespread in the Lena basin. It lives along the entire length of the river. This typical predator forms commercial aggregations only during spawning or during the period of migration from the spawning ground.
Lenok lives in the upper and middle reaches. This fish never appears in coastal areas. Lenok breeds at the very beginning of June.
In the river delta, on the shelf in desalinated areas of the sea, a population of nelma lives. Fish can rise high along the river, up to Aldan, Vitim and Olekma.
From the Iul River to the delta, tugun is often found. The fish also densely populate the area from Vitim to 40 islands, as well as from the tributaries Aldan, Oleknu, Chuyu, Vilyui.
One of the main commercial species The fish that inhabit the Lena is muksun. In the delta alone there are four species of this fish. IN summer time muksun migrates to shallow coastal marine areas, as well as to the delta front.
Peled are especially numerous in the lower reaches of the river and in the delta. It can also be found upstream to Olekminsk. The fish feeds on plankton and benthos.
Whitefish are widespread from the upper reaches to the delta front. Fish can also be found in coastal areas.
The lower reaches are inhabited by whitefish. Fish rarely rise to Yakutsk. Chir has a high growth rate and good taste.
From the upper reaches of the Lena to the coastal areas, grayling is widespread. This predator is most common in the middle reaches of the river and its right tributaries. Pike, Siberian roach, Siberian dace, perch and ruffe are also common everywhere.
The middle and lower reaches of the river are inhabited by ide. Largest number it reaches the Tung River.
Another fish common throughout the Lena basin is burbot. In summer, it tries to stick to the river bed, and in winter it goes out to spawn in the fairway on rocky ground. Burbot here grows to very large sizes. You can often find individuals weighing up to 12 kilograms. Sometimes you come across burbots about one and a half meters long and weighing at least 20 kilograms.
Environmental problems of the Lena River
The Lena basin is a complex ecosystem of planetary rank. Factors environmental risk in this space are divided into man-made and natural. The ecology of the river is significantly influenced by extreme climate conditions, as well as areas with high concentrations of heavy metals in soil and vegetation.
Technogenic factors also have a negative impact on the environment. Among them, logging, the development of gold deposits, the discharge of wastewater from settlements located on the banks of the river, and the movement of river transport stand out.
In addition, emergency oil spills from the ESPO oil pipeline pose a huge danger to the Lena basin. The route of this oil pipeline is located right in the basin and crosses more than a hundred watercourses. This may lead to water contamination, changes in quality composition fish and the decline in their stocks. This, in turn, will deprive the population of Yakutia of the main food product and drinking water.
The Lena River is the largest river in North-Eastern Siberia and flows into the Laptev Sea. The tenth longest river in the world and the eighth largest river in the world, it flows through the territory of the Irkutsk region and Yakutia, some of its tributaries belong to the Transbaikal, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk territories and the Republic of Buryatia. Lena is the largest of Russian rivers, whose basin lies entirely within the country. It freezes in the reverse order of opening - from the lower reaches to the upper reaches. Geographical position According to the nature of the river’s flow, three sections are distinguished: from the source to the mouth of Vitim; from the mouth of the Vitim to the confluence of the Aldan and the third lower section - from the confluence of the Aldan to the mouth.
The source of the Lena is considered to be a small lake 12 kilometers from Lake Baikal, located at an altitude of 1470 meters. At the source on August 19, 1997, a chapel with a memorial plaque was installed. The entire upper reaches of the Lena up to the confluence of the Vitim, that is, almost a third of its length, falls in the mountainous Cisbaikalia region. Water flow in the Kirensk area is 1100 m 3 /sec. The middle current includes its section between the mouths of the Vitima and Aldana rivers, 1415 km long. Near the confluence of the Vitim, the Lena enters Yakutia and flows along it to the very mouth. Having accepted Vitim, Lena turns into a very large, high-water river. Depths increase to 10-12 m, the channel expands, and numerous islands appear in it, the valley expands to 20-30 km. The valley is asymmetrical: the left slope is lower; the right one, represented by the northern edge of the Patom Highlands, is steeper and higher. On both slopes grow dense coniferous forests, only occasionally replaced by meadows. From Olekma to Aldan, the Lena does not have a single significant tributary. For more than 500 km, the Lena flows in a deep and narrow valley cut into limestone. Below the city of Pokrovsk there is a sharp expansion of the Lena Valley. The current speed slows down greatly, nowhere does it exceed 1.3 m/s, and for the most part drops to 0.5-0.7 m/s. The floodplain alone is five to seven kilometers wide, and in some places even 15 kilometers wide, while the entire valley is 20 kilometers or more wide. Below Yakutsk, the Lena receives its two main tributaries - Aldan and Vilyui. Now it is a gigantic stream of water; even where it runs in one channel, its width reaches 10 km, and its depth exceeds 16-20 m. Where there are many islands, the Lena overflows for 20-30 km. The banks of the river are harsh and deserted. Settlements very rare. In the lower reaches of the Lena, its basin is very narrow: from the east, the spurs of the Verkhoyansk Range, the watershed of the Lena and Yana rivers, advance; from the west, insignificant elevations of the Central Siberian Plateau separate the basins of the Lena and the Olenyok River. Below the village of Bulun, the river is compressed by the Kharaulakh ridges coming very close to it from the east and Chekanovsky from the west. About 150 km from the sea, the vast Lena delta begins.
The earliest, at the end of April, the spring flood begins in the Kirensk region - on the upper Lena - and, gradually moving north, advancing on the still ice-bound river, reaches the lower reaches in mid-June. During a flood, water rises 6-8 m above the low-water level. In the lower reaches, the water rise reaches 10 m. In the wide expanses of the Lena and in places where it narrows, the ice flow is menacing and beautiful. Large tributaries of the Lena significantly increase its water content, but, in general, the increase in flow rates occurs from top to bottom quite evenly. Economic use To this day, Lena remains the main transport artery of Yakutia, connecting its regions with the federal transport infrastructure. The main part of the “northern delivery” is carried out along the Lena River. The Kachug pier is considered the beginning of navigation, however, upstream from the port of Osetrova, only small ships pass through it. Below the city of Ust-Kut, right up to the confluence of the Vitim tributary on the Lena, there are still many difficult areas for navigation and relatively shallow places, forcing annual dredging work. The navigation period lasts from 125 to 170 days.
One of the greatest rivers in the world. Its length is 4400 km, the basin area is 490 thousand km2. Flows through the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Yakutia. It originates on the western slope, at an altitude of 930 m. It flows into. Most of The basin is located in the area of distribution and soils and is covered. The upper reaches of the Lena and a significant part of the basins of its right tributaries are located in the mountainous regions of the Baikal region, on the Aldan Highlands. The main part of the left bank basin is located on. The most depressed area of the Lena basin is located in its middle and lower reaches.
The source of the Lena is considered to be a small lake (it has no name) 10 kilometers from, located at an altitude of 1000 meters. The entire course of the Lena (up to Vitim), that is, almost a third of its length, falls on the mountainous Cisbaikalia region.
In the upper reaches, the River flows along the bottom of a deep and narrow valley. In winter, the river freezes almost to the very bottom, and in dry and hot summers it almost dries up. Its depth in this area does not reach even half a meter everywhere. However, after the confluence of the first tributaries, the Lena becomes a full-flowing river.
In its upper reaches, the Lena is quite fast, winding, and sometimes rapids. The banks of the river are made of strong crystalline rocks. For several thousand years, rains and others natural phenomena they carved fanciful towers and battlements into the rocks, reminiscent of a fortress wall. Particularly striking are the figures created by nature in places where red sandstones emerge. Some cliffs located off the banks of the Lena (the so-called Lena Pillars) reach a height of 200-300 meters.
After the confluence of a large right tributary (the Kirenga River), the Lena becomes richer in water. At the same time, its flow also slows down somewhat, and the depths increase to 10 meters. Below, another large right tributary, the Vitim, flows into the river. At this point its upper course ends. The Vitim itself is a fairly large river - its length is almost 2 kilometers.
The section of the Lena between the mouths of Vitim and Aldan, about 1.4 thousand km long, is classified as the middle flow. In this section, the river flows almost in a latitudinal direction, and before Yakutsk it turns sharply to the north. After the confluence of the Vitim, the Lena becomes even more water-rich. Depths increase to 12 meters, and islands appear in the widened channel. Some are covered with grass, while others are even. The river valley also expands to 20-30 km. In this area it is asymmetrical: the left slope is gentler, and the right slope is steep and high. Along the banks of the river, almost along its entire length, dense coniferous forests grow.
In the area between the Vitim and another large tributary, the Olekma, no other tributaries flow into the Lena. major tributaries. Olekma, like Vitim, is quite long - 1100 km. The river valley is narrow and replete with rapids. Below Olekma, in the middle reaches, the Lena also does not receive large tributaries. The river here flows mainly in a deep and narrow valley, which widens only at the confluence of tributaries.
The expansion of the valley occurs below the village of Pokrovsk. The floodplain in this place reaches 15 km. The speed of the river flow, accordingly, also slows down and does not exceed 1.3 m/s (on average 0.5 m/s). The fact is that in this section the river is part of the Central Yakut River, which stretches to the north for more than 500 km. The main tributaries of the Lena Aldan and also flow through it.
Near the city of Yakutsk on the Lena there are several terraces along which long manes made of sand stretch. Between them there are elongated hollows. There are many drying oxbow lakes on the terraces. The banks of the river here are also covered with forest, however, unlike the upper reaches, here it is represented not only coniferous trees, but also deciduous (for example, birch).
The Lena River with its tributaries Aldan (right) and Vilyuy (left). Satellite view
One of the major tributaries of the Lena - Aldan - flows from south through a deep and winding valley. Areas with fast currents, replete with rapids, are often replaced by wide ones, in which the current is quite calm. For some time the Aldan flows parallel to the Lena, and then turns towards it (to the west). The length of this tributary is almost 2.3 thousand km.
The sources of the Vilyuy are located on the Central Siberian Plateau. Its upper course is directed from north to south. Then it turns sharply to the east and slowly flows through a narrow valley. In the lower reaches of the Vilyui there are many and, and the low banks are very washed out. The width of the channel can be up to 1.5 km, and the depth up to 12 m. This tributary of the Lena is longer than the Aldan (the length of the Vilyuy is 2650 km), however, it is inferior to it in terms of basin area.
Below Yakutsk, the width of the Lena reaches 10 km and its depth 20 m. In some places, where there are many islands, the river valley expands to 30 km. In its lower reaches, the Lena basin, on the contrary, is very narrow. The Lena Delta begins 150 km from the sea. This is one of the largest deltas in the world. It covers an area of 30 thousand km and exceeds even the delta in this indicator. There are many islands here, most of which are composed of sandy sediments.
Lena's main nutrition comes from snow and rain. Permafrost prevents nutrition. The river is characterized by spring floods and summer floods. The spill is first in the upper reaches (at the end of April), and then gradually reaches the lower reaches (in mid-June). During a flood, the water level in the river rises by 6-8 meters, and in the lower reaches up to 10 m. The river freezes, on the contrary, from the lower reaches to the upper reaches. In some areas this process occurs quite unusually: freezing begins not from the surface, but from the bottom.
Let's get acquainted with the largest river in our country, the basin of which is located exclusively on Russian territory. This largest source fresh water, while being environmentally friendly, not blocked by dams and reservoirs. And this is the Lena River. Origins, features, exclusivity and history of study - this is the topic of the article.
"Big River"
This is how the name Lena is translated from the language of the local aborigines. In the Evenki language it sounds like Elyu-Ene. But there are other versions, although the first mention of a river with that name refers to XVII century and expeditions of hunters led by Pyanda. The legend about the name of this river is connected with the Cossacks. In accordance with it, the Cossacks crossed the Muku River (where they suffered), Kupa (where they swam), crossed Kuta (where they caroused) and reached the Lena, where they could rest and be lazy.
The mighty Siberian river Lena, whose sources lie in the Baikal region, has a length of 4.4 thousand kilometers, which puts it in 11th place in the ranking of the longest rivers in the world. The river basin is about 2.5 million square kilometers and is replenished by many rivers and tributaries, which occupy an area 4 times larger than the area of France. The Lena River is amazing - the source, the direction of the flow, the mouth, the delta - everything in it amazes the imagination with its uniqueness.
The place of its beginning has no name, direction of flow and location in Arctic zone leads to the fact that it begins to freeze from the mouth to the upper reaches, and opens up from the ice in the opposite direction. Unique landscapes coasts of several latitudes geographical zones and very wide make these places attractive for tourists.
Hydrogeography
This the only river Russia, which is located in the permafrost zone and separates the European part of the country and Far East. The subjects of the federation that were blessed by the river's flow are the Irkutsk region, the Republic of Sakha, Transbaikalia, Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk region, Buryatia and Amur region.
On the map, the river bed is an almost straight line, stretching from south to north along the Arctic zone and ending with a wide delta at the confluence with the Laptev Sea. The nature of the flow of the Lena River changes from its sources to its mouth.
There is no name for its beginning
The source of the Lena River is a small lake, almost a swamp, located 7 kilometers from Lake Baikal. There are even ancient legend about the hero Baikal, who had 260 river daughters and one of them was Lena. Surprisingly, this lake doesn’t even have a name, there are only coordinates - 72° 24′ 42.8″ northern latitude and 126° 41′ 05″ east longitude. The source of the Lena River is located within the Baikal mountain range at an altitude of 1470 meters above sea level. The place where the full-flowing river of Siberia originates is marked only by a small chapel with an information plaque, built in 1997.
Description of the Lena River
Conventionally this great river is divided into three parts and has 9 main tributaries: Chaya, Vitim, Aldan (the largest), Kuta, Olemka, Vilyui, Kirenga, Chuya and Molodo. These three parts - upper, middle and lower - differ in the nature of the flow of the Lena River, hydrological data and landscape of the banks.
In her upper part, Lena is mountain river with a fast current and a winding channel between high and rocky banks. Where the Lena River begins, a tributary flows into it - the Manzurka River, which many hydrographers directly connect with Lake Baikal. And although today the Lena and Baikal basins are not connected, there is a theory according to which such a connection existed in the past through one of the Manzurka hollows.
After taking the waters of Kirenga, the wayward Lena calms down somewhat. It becomes wider and deeper (in some places - up to 10 meters), and the rocky bottom gives its waters a dark, almost black color. Rocky shores are interrupted by forests where pines, cedars, fir, spruce and light-coniferous larches grow.
Taming the Beauty
The middle part of the Lena begins from the place where the Vitim flows into it. This is already the land of Yakutia, where the river first rushes to the east and only in the area of Yakutsk turns sharply to the north. The channel in this section widens significantly, islands with dense vegetation appear, and the depth in some places reaches 12 meters. The outlines of the Lena valley change - the left bank is flat, and the right bank is steep and high. Coniferous forests reign here, only occasionally giving way to meadows.
The river flows along the Prilensky plateau, which is formed by limestone, dolomite and sandstone. On this stretch of the coast, rocky landscapes of amazing beauty form. The attraction of this section is the Lena Pillars. This is a complex of rocks stretching for many kilometers above the water surface. Today they are part of the National natural park, each rock has an ancient legend associated with it. It was formed in 1995, the park area is 485 thousand hectares, and today it is a contender for inclusion in the list of World Heritage Sites. cultural heritage UNESCO.
Located on a plateau amazing desert in the middle of the taiga - Lena tukulans. These are sand dunes about a kilometer long, the origin of which is still debated today.
On the Yakut Plain, the rocks recede, the Lena has a floodplain of up to 12 kilometers and loses its flow speed. It receives water from its main tributary, the Aldan, into its basin. The lower Lena begins from this place.
Siberian beauty
After the confluence of the Vilyui, epithets such as mighty and majestic appear in the description of the Lena River. It truly becomes the pearl of Siberia. On the left bank of the river is the main city of this region, Yakutsk. It was founded by Cossacks under the command of Pyotr Beketov in 1632, and it was he who “cut a window to the north,” giving rise to the development and study of the northern and eastern lands of Russia.
In this place, the river forms channels with numerous islands, the shore is formed by terraces, and the forest consists of larches with rare inclusions of birch and pine trees. The Beauty Lena becomes a wide stream (up to 10 kilometers), and its depth reaches 20 meters. In these places, the estuary forms a wide floodplain with lakes and swamps.
150 kilometers from the Laptev Sea begins the Lena Delta, which is considered one of the largest in the world - its area is 30 square kilometers. This is an area where the river forms multiple channels, most of which are navigable. For example, along the Bykovskaya Channel, ships reach the port of Tiksi, which is located above the Arctic Circle, and navigation there lasts only three months a year. The entire Lena delta is covered protected areas- nature reserves (Baikal-Lensky, Okleminsky, Ust-Lensky) and special resource reserves. 402 species of plants, 32 species of fish, 33 species of mammals and about 110 species of birds are protected here.
Lena in winter
This river is the main shipping artery that connects Yakutia with the entire country. For ships it is passable almost everywhere, but large ships sail only along the lower section. Shipping lasts up to 170 days. The rest of the time, Lena is frozen.
Lena freezes from north to south. The peculiarity is the formation of ice. This occurs because the water begins to freeze from the bottom to the surface, and such formations reach a height of up to 10 meters.
The ice breaks up in the opposite direction and is accompanied by ice jams. In the spring there comes a flood - the water level in the river rises to 10 meters, this begins in April. In the lower reaches, the flood reaches mid-June.
Pristine Lena swimming pool
Today, the Lena is one of the few rivers that has not been affected by hydroelectricity. Its basin is represented mainly by landscapes untouched by man. The sparse population of these territories, where indigenous peoples (Yakuts, Evenks and Evens) live in close connection with nature, maintain the uniqueness of environmental indicators.
But gold, diamonds, iron, oil, gas, coal, valuable species facing stones, mica, apatite provoke an irrepressible “itch” among nature transformers. The taiga and tundra attract loggers and hunters. The fertile land of river terraces and reindeer moss are already used today in field cultivation, plant growing, and reindeer husbandry. Along its entire length, the Lena River has an inexhaustible supply of fish, which is used by travel agencies to organize unique fishing trips. Urbanization trends have brought industry to the Lena basin, and shipping contributes to the ecology of this region.
Therefore, it is not surprising that this river is so far the only one with its own monument - a three-meter sculpture of a young girl made of white concrete “Beauty Lena”. Installed on the river bank in the city of Okleminsk, the beauty greets tourists with a soft smile and flowing hair.
