13 Yenisei River Facts: All You Need To Know About The Famous River

River Yenisey is often called the Yenisei or Enisei River.

The Yenesei River is a river in central Russia. It is one of Asia's longest rivers.

The Yenisey is the world's sixth-biggest river in terms of discharge. It flows from south to north through middle Siberia. The river passes across a wide territory with dramatically diverse landscapes, ancient peoples and cultures, and massive commercial infrastructure.

The northern peoples' traditional professions include hunting, fishing, reindeer breeding, and fur farming. There is some coal, copper, and nickel mining near Norilsk. The south has seen significant industrial growth. The south has seen significant industrial growth. The important centers are in Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, and Bratsk.

The Yenisey and its largest tributary, the Angara, have huge hydroelectric potential. Power plants have been erected on the Angara.

The Yenisey was initially colonized by Russians in 1607. This was when a winter camp on the Turukhan River was founded. It was a left-bank tributary joining the Yenisey just below the Lower Tunguska confluence. However, merchants from Novgorod may have been dealing with the valley's inhabitants as early as the 11th century.

A fort was erected in 1619 at Yeniseysk. Roads ran east into Buryat land and south into the rich Minusinsk Basin. Early in the 18th century, Russia firmly established its control over the Yenisey line. The Great Northern Expedition set out to explore the rivers, including a detachment working on the Yenisey.

The lower Yenisey was later surveyed by an expedition from 1894 to 1896. From 1907 to 1912, the whole river was investigated more thoroughly. Throughout the 20th century, studies for development goals or scientific reasons persisted.

Between Oznachennoye and the sea, the Yenisey is routinely sailed. To allow through commerce, a massive elevator capable of raising ships down an inclined train between the upper and lower waters of the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Station has been built.

Krasnoyarsk, Strelka (near the Angara confluence), Igarka, and Dudinka are the main ports. Seagoing boats sail up to Igarka. The principal cargo is lumber. Some of the cargo is transported upstream to Krasnoyarsk. However, the downstream traffic transports bread, coal, petroleum products, and timber, among other things.

What is the Yenisei River famous for?

The Yenisei is famous as one of the largest rivers in the world. In this section, we will learn some facts about the Yenesei River.

The river is a major source of hydroelectric power. A massive oil refinery is located 30 mi (50 km) downstream of Irkutsk.

Fish such as salmon and sturgeon may be found in abundance in the river. The river runs north to the sea. It passes through taiga woods that give way to the tundra as the trees grow fewer and shorter.

The area is referred to as 'permafrost' at its highest northerly extent. This is where it is practically perpetually frozen.

The western boundary of the considerably larger Siberian Plateau is marked by a large length of the river channel. The River Lena flows east of this mountain range.

The Yenisei is prone to freezing in the winter due to frigid temperatures. Also, floods may occur.

To fracture the ice, explosives are utilized. In the bustling estuary, icebreaker vessels are employed to keep cargo channels open.

The Ket formerly lived among the riverbanks in central southern Siberia. They are the sole survivors of Yenisei now. The contemporary Ket dwelt in the river's eastern middle reaches until being politically incorporated by Russia.

The Yenisey has been contaminated by radioactive discharges from a facility that manufactured bomb-grade plutonium. It is located in the secret city of Krasnoyarsk-26. The city is now known as Zheleznogorsk, according to studies.

How deep is the Yenisei River?

The Yenesei is one of the most famous rivers in the world. Let us learn some more facts about the Yenesei River.

The Yenisei has a maximum depth of 80 ft (24 m). It has an average depth of 45 ft (14 m).

The river's outflow is 106 ft (32 m) deep. However, the inflow is 101 ft (31 m).

Lake Baikal is the world's deepest and oldest lake. It is a prominent feature of the Upper Yenisei.

Lake Yenisei has a huge drainage basin. It covers a large chunk of central Siberia.

The Angara River, the Lower Tunguska River, and the Tunguska River are its tributaries.

The first people to navigate the whole length of the Yenisei River were Ben Kozel and Colin Angus.

The Krasnoyarsk Dam was completed in 1972. This provides electricity to an aluminum mill.

The Ket, the Yugh, the Kotts, and the Arins were among the ancient nomadic tribes that lived along the Yenisei's banks.

What animals live in the Yenisei River?

The Yenisei River is home to a large variety of flora and fauna. In this section, we will focus on facts regarding the flora and fauna of the Yenesei River.

More than 50 different fish species may be found in the Yenisei River.

During the winter, the Taimyr reindeer herd grazes along the Yenisei's banks.

The Taiga flora, which consists mostly of coniferous trees, covers a considerable area of the basin. Siberian tidy, fir, and cedar dominate in the south and are more isolated north.

Steppe meadows surrounded by semidesert are found in the extreme south of the Selenga River basin.

Taiga is overtaken by tundra in the far north of the basin. It is a boggy plain secured with greenery and other low, cold-tolerant plants.

Fish is abounding in the Yenisey River and its tributaries. The waters sustain grayling, trout, lenok, bug, and dace.

In the summer, transitory waterfowl from the south feed on the lower Yenisei. Ducks, geese, and swans feed on the small lakes and islands.

Is the Yenisei River navigable?

The Yenisei river drains a huge part of Siberia. Let us look into some facts regarding the Yenisei basin.

The Yenisei River region is the world's largest river system. The river flows into the Arctic Ocean.

The Yenisei River is one of three magnificent Siberian streams. The Yenisei begins in Mongolia and travels north to the Yenisei Gulf in the Kara Sea. This is where it drains a huge portion of Siberia's landmass.

The Yenisey River is the world's fifth-longest river. It is not as long as the Mississippi River but has 1.5 times the discharge.

The Yenisey River begins in Mongolia. The river and its tributaries wind their way north to the Kara Sea.

The Yenisey River flows for 2,167 mi (3,487 km) from the divide. It flows mostly along the outskirts of eastern and western Siberia. The river finally empties into the icy Kara Sea.

The Yenisei river's watershed is Lake Baikal. It is the world's largest lake by volume. The river contains more water than any other stream system.

Yenisey is 3,442 mi (5,539 km) long and depletes an area of 996,000 sq mi (2,580,000 sq km). This makes it the sixth-largest on the earth.

Snow provides a part of the Yenisei's water. Precipitation provides 33% of the water. Groundwater provides the remainder of the water.

Violent spring floods are followed by a rapid fall in levels in the Yenisei basin. During the winter, the flow decreases somewhat. However, the levels stay high due to ice jams.

The Yenisey basin dumps a huge amount of alluvium into the Kara Sea each year.

The water temperature varies from 57 F (14 C) to 66 F (19 C) in mid-summer. However, freezing begins on the lower Yenisei in October. It impacts the whole canal by mid-November with ice blocks and submerged ice.

Thawing happens in the higher reaches toward the end of April. It happens in the intermediate reaches in May until the middle of June.

In the spring and summer, the water in the heart of Yenisey is deeply murky. This contrasts sharply with the clean water of the Angara.

During the summer, the two rivers, the Yenisey and the Angora run in a similar direction. However, they do not meet until around 9 mi (14 km).