Lena River

The Lena is a very long river. It is in Russia. It flows north to the cold Arctic Ocean.

Many rivers flow into the Lena. These smaller rivers help it grow. The river is very big.

In some parts, the ground is frozen. This is called permafrost. It stays cold under the soil.

Near the end, the river spreads out. This area is a wide delta. It has many islands and lakes.

People find gold in the river sands. They also find old mammoth tusks there. It is a grand place to explore!

The Lena is a very long river in Russia. It is in the Russian Far East. It is the longest river that stays inside Russia. The Lena flows north into the Arctic Ocean. It flows into a place called the Laptev Sea. This river is the eleventh longest in the whole world.

The river starts in the Baikal Mountains. It flows past many other rivers. These are called tributaries. Some of these are the Vitim and the Olyokma rivers. The Vitim and Olyokma rivers have gold in their sands. People have also found old mammoth tusks in the river delta.

A delta is where a river spreads out into many paths. The Lena Delta is a very large area. It has many flat islands. For seven months, the ground is frozen tundra. In May, the area becomes a lush wetland. Most of the ground stays frozen all year. This frozen ground is called permafrost.

Boats can travel on the Lena. This is called navigation. In most parts, boats can move for 125 days a year. This happens when the ice is gone.

Caption: A boat on the river around 1890.

The Lena is a huge river in the Russian Far East. It is the eleventh-longest river in the whole world. It is also the longest river that stays entirely within Russia. The river flows north and ends in the Laptev Sea. This sea is part of the cold Arctic Ocean. Most of the land around the river stays frozen. This frozen ground is called permafrost. It covers more than 75 percent of the river's drainage basin.

The river starts high up in the Baikal Mountains. It flows northeast across the Lena-Angara Plateau. Along its path, many other rivers join it. These smaller rivers are called tributaries. The Vitim and Olyokma rivers are two of these tributaries. The Kirenga and the Aldan are others that flow into the Lena. The Aldan River joins the Lena north of the city of Yakutsk. The Vilyuy River is another large one that flows into it.

People have explored this river for a very long time. Some believe the name comes from the Even-Evenk word Elyu-Ene. That name means "the Large River." Russian fur hunters found the river a long time ago. They traveled up the river between 1620 and 1623. Later, people built a fortress at Yakutsk in 1632. In 1881, survivors of a famous ship called the Jeannette reached the delta. Some were rescued by native Tungus huntsmen.

The Lena is a very busy place for nature. The river is 3,540 kilometres long for boats to travel. This is called navigation. Boats can move for 125 days a year in most places. This happens when the ice melts away. In the delta, boats can only move for about 70 days. The river is also home to many fish. You can find Siberian taimen and Siberian sturgeon there. People have even found gold in the sands of the Vitim River.

At the end of the river, the water spreads out. This area is called the Lena Delta. It is a very large area that reaches into the sea. The delta is made of many flat islands. Some islands have names like Otto Ary or Ullakhan Ary. For seven months, the delta is frozen tundra. In May, it turns into a lush wetland. The Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve helps protect this special place.

The Lena River is a massive waterway located in the Russian Far East. It is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean. The other two major rivers in this group are the Ob and the Yenisey. The Lena is a very significant river for several reasons. It is the eleventh-longest river in the entire world. It also holds the title of being the longest river located entirely within the borders of Russia.

The river begins its journey at a high elevation in the Baikal Mountains. This mountain range sits west of Lake Baikal and south of the Central Siberian Plateau. From its source, the Lena flows in a north-east direction. It travels across the Lena-Angara Plateau as it moves toward the north. The entire drainage basin of the river sits on permafrost. Permafrost is ground that remains frozen for long periods. This frozen ground is continuous in over 75 percent of the Lena's catchment area.

As the Lena moves, many other rivers join its flow. These joining rivers are known as tributaries. The first major tributaries the river meets are the Kirenga, the Vitim, and the Olyokma. After the river passes the city of Yakutsk, it enters the Central Yakutian Lowland. Here, it is joined by two more large tributaries: the Aldan River to the east and the Vilyuy River to the west. The Vilyuy is part of the T-shaped Chona-Vilyuy system. This system drains a large area to the west of the Lena.

The path of the river changes as it nears the end of its journey. After meeting the Vilyuy, the Lena bends both westwards and northwards. It flows between two distinct mountain features. To the east, it passes the Kharaulakh Range, which is part of the Verkhoyansk Range. To the west, it flows beside the Chekanovsky Ridge. Eventually, the river travels almost due north. It widens into a massive area called the Lena Delta before merging into the Laptev Sea. The Laptev Sea is a marginal region of the Arctic Ocean located southwest of the New Siberian Islands.

The Lena Delta is a vast and complex landscape. It covers an area of 30,000 square kilometres. This delta is divided into many flat islands by seven main branches. The most eastern branch is called the Bykovsky channel. Some of the many islands in the delta include Otto Ary and Ullakhan Ary. For about seven months of the year, the delta is a frozen tundra. However, in May, the area transforms into a lush wetland. Part of this unique environment is protected as the Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve.

History shows that the Lena has been a place of discovery and struggle. Many believe its name comes from the Even-Evenk word Elyu-Ene, meaning "the Large River." Russian fur hunters explored the river between 1620 and 1623. They eventually founded the fortress of Yakutsk in 1632. In 1881, survivors of the Jeannette expedition reached the delta. Some were rescued by native Tungus huntsmen. The river also saw the "Lena massacre" in 1912. This was a violent event involving striking gold miners near Bodaybo. This incident helped increase revolutionary feelings in Russia.

The river provides many resources and supports various life forms. The mean annual discharge of the river is 489 cubic kilometres per year. The river is navigable for a length of 3,540 kilometres. Navigation depends on the ice, which is minimal or absent for part of the year. In the estuary, boats can travel for about 70 days. In other areas, the navigation period lasts about 125 days. The river is also home to fish like the Siberian taimen and Siberian sturgeon. People have even found gold in the Vitim and Olyokma sands. They have also discovered mammoth tusks in the delta.