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Indigirka

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The Indigirka is a long river in Russia. It sits in the Sakha Republic. This river is found between the Yana river to the west and the Kolyma river to the east. It is a very important part of the East Siberian Lowland. The river starts where the Tuora-Yuryakh and Taryn-Yuryakh rivers meet. These two rivers begin on the slopes of the Khalkan Range. From there, the Indigirka flows north through many different lands.

As the river travels, it moves through many different types of land. In its high parts, it flows through the Yana-Oymyakon Highlands. It also moves through the lowest part of the Oymyakon Plateau. The river cuts through parts of the Chersky Range. When it hits the Chemalgin Range, the water gets narrow and forms rapids. Later, it joins the Moma river. This join happens in a wide basin called the Momo-Selennyakh Depression. After this, the river valley becomes much wider.

People have explored this river for a long time. In 1638, an explorer named Ivan Rebrov reached the Indigirka. Other explorers like Elisei Buza and Mikhail Stadukhin found ways to reach it overland. A place called Zashiversk was once an important outpost for Russia. However, people left that place in the 19th century. Later, from 1892 to 1894, Baron Eduard Von Toll led a survey team there. They worked for the Russian Academy of Sciences to study the land.

Life on the Indigirka is shaped by the cold and the land. The river freezes in October and stays under ice until May or June. Many kinds of fish live in these waters. People catch whitefish like omul, muksun, and nelma. Some people also work in the gold prospecting industry. The largest town on the river is Ust-Nera. It is a major center for mining gold. Other ports include Khonuu, Druzhina, Chokurdakh, and Tabor.

At the end of its journey, the river becomes a wide delta. A delta is a place where a river splits into many arms. The Indigirka splits into two main streams first. One is the Russko-Ustyinskaya Protoka on the west side. The other is the Srednyaya Protoka, or the Middle Arm. A third arm called the Kolymskaya Protoka splits off later. These streams flow around many flat islands. The water finally ends up in the Kolyma Bay. This bay is part of the East Siberian Sea.

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