31 Amur River Facts: The Ultimate Natural Resource!

The Amur River outlines a part of the border between Russian far east and China since the river flows from the deserted areas of Mongolia to the Strait of Tartary.

The Amur River has a crucial role to play within the dynamics between the two massive countries, Russia and China. It is amongst the most prominent rivers of Inner Mongolia.

The Amur River, which is said to be one of the world’s longest undammed rivers, acts as a transportation route for agricultural raw materials and goods from the vast Siberian areas of Russia.

Since Moscow is in the east and maintains its strategic agreement with Beijing, several opportunities for trade as well as cooperation exist amid the countries, particularly in the agricultural and hydro-carbonic regions.

However, the potential for conflicts exists between Russia and China. China tends to harness the power of the river for agriculture and energy, whereas Russia intends to use the river for transport and security opportunities.

Although the relationship between the two countries seems healthy, their history of conflict on the border hints at the potential for tensions emerging again for Amur, which is still extremely real.

Read on to know more about the relation of the Amur River with the Manchu Tribes of China. Afterward, also check out the Amazon river map and rivers in Mississippi.

Streams Of And From The Amur River

The Amur River flows from the eastern part of Russia to the Strait of Tartary in the north-eastern part of China.

The river covers nearly 0.7 million sq mi (1.85 million sq km) and flows from far east Russia to north-east China, almost 1,765 mi (2,824 km) and drains into the Strait of Tartary. The river has three parts: the upper Amur, the middle Amur, and the lower Amur.

The upper Amur starts at the meeting point of the Shilka River and the Argun River and runs for approximately 562 mi (900 km) to the mouth of the Zeya River.

The middle Amur flows for 606 mi (970 km) from the Zeya River to the town of Khabarovsk.

The lower Amur runs into the Strait of Tartary from Khabarovsk for another 660 mi (970 km). The Amur River reaches a height of 92 ft (303 m) and drops to sea level.

The History Of The Amur River

The Amur River has a long history of tribal inhabitants, Russian explorers and traders, and conflicting relations between China and Russia.

The basin of the Amur River has been originally occupied by numerous tribes, consisting of Nanai, Yakut, Buryat, Orok, Nivkh, and many Machu individuals. The key occupation of these tribes has been hunting and fishing. The river was considered sacred by Machu individuals and was termed as 'sahaliyan ula' which implies 'Black River.' 

In the 17th century, explorers and traders from Russia became interested in this area. The estuary and the basin of the river were explored by explorers from Russia, Vasily Poyarkov from 1644 to 1647, and Yerofey Khabarov between 1649 and 1651.

In 1689, China was allocated the whole basin of the river through The Treaty of Nerchinsk.

In spite of the treaty, Europeans and Russians tried to capture the northern part of the river. By 1860, the northern part of the Amur River and the eastern part of the Ussuri came under the control of Russia.

Settlers from Russia shifted to the area and constructed towns such as Blagoveshchensk. The people of Russia slowly settled near the basin of Amur and started influencing Dalian and Harbin. The river is a significant symbol in the relation between China and Russia, as the river became popular throughout the 1956-66 conflict between Sino and Soviet.

Wildlife In And Out Of The Amur River

The region in and around the Amur River basin has different varieties of fauna and flora.

The vegetation of the basin of the Amur River lies mostly within the taiga area and the region’s most common species is the larch tree. The drier areas of the Amur River basin have fir, pine, and spruce trees whereas the eastern parts of the river have Korean pine and cork trees.

The western parts of the Amur River are dominated by the steppe grassland while the southern parts of the river have mixed broad-leaved forests and conifers.

The Amur River also has almost 123 species of fish together with 25 species used for commercial purposes.

The lower Amur contains approximately 100 species of fish along with nearly 20 species of carp and indigenous broadhead. Besides these, some other species consist of the sig, burbot, Siberian salmon, and kaluga, which are the largest fish species in the river.

The region around the river has a dense forest that houses several wild animals such as the Amur leopard, the Amur tiger, musk deer, and brown bears as well as numerous other animal species.

Bridges And Subways Near The Amur River

Many bridges and subways pass over the Amur River between China and Russia.

The Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye railway bridge is situated over the Amur River within Russia. It is the first cross-river railway bridge from China to Russia and is also called the Amur Railway Bridge.

The bridge spans from the Tongjiang town in China’s north-eastern Heilongjiang area to Nizhneleninskoye in east Russia. The bridge connects the north-eastern railway system of China with the Siberian railway network of Russia.

Another bridge across the river is a road-rail bridge situated close to Komsomolsk-on-Amur town. It is a single-rail track bridge and a two-lane highway.

The river basin holds a variety of large predatory fish. Fish in the Amur River basin include the northern snakehead and the Amur pike, among others. Native to the Primorye region, the Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies.

Through the Strait of Tartary, the river empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is among the chief tributaries of the Onon rivers, and also is a major waterway.

It lands north, towards the sacred mountain in east Asia, in the eastern hemisphere. These tributaries drain into a bigger water source and do not directly drain into the ocean.

This river has Chinese sovereignty and flows through many notable cities helping migration routes including the Russian portion. It is said to be one of the longest rivers in the Russian far east and has prevented much habitat loss at the farther inland of this left bank.