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The Kama ( , ; ; ), also known as the Chulman ( ; ), is a long«Река КАМА»
Russian State Water Registry
river in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. It has a
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of . It is the longest left tributary of the
Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
and the largest one in discharge. At their confluence, in fact, the Kama is even larger in terms of discharge than the Volga. It starts in the Udmurt Republic, near Kuliga, flowing northwest for , turning northeast near Loyno for another , then turning south and west in
Perm Krai Perm Krai (, ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a Krais of Russia, krai), located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is Perm, Russia, Perm. The population of the krai was 2,532,405 (2021 Russian census, 2021 ...
, flowing again through the Udmurt Republic and then through the
Republic of Tatarstan Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...
, where it meets the Volga south of
Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...
. Before the advent of railroads, important
portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...
s connected the Kama with the basins of the Northern Dvina and the
Pechora Pechora (; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Komi Republic, Russia, located on the Pechora (river), Pechora River, west of and near the northern Ural Mountains. The area of the town is . Population: History Pechor ...
. In the early 19th-century the Northern Ekaterininsky Canal connected the upper Kama with the
Vychegda The Vychegda (; ) is a river in the European part of Russia, a tributary of the Northern Dvina. Its length is about . Its source is approximately west of the northern Ural Mountains. It flows roughly in a western direction, through the Komi Re ...
River (a tributary of the Northern Dvina), but was mostly abandoned after just a few years due to low use. The Kama featured in the 2013 Russian film '' The Geographer Drank His Globe Away'', in the climactic rapids scene.


Dams and reservoirs

The Kama is dammed at several locations: *At Perm, by the dam of the Kama Hydroelectric Station, forming the Kama Reservoir; *At Chaykovsky, by the dam of the Votkinsk Hydroelectric Station, forming the Votkinsk Reservoir; *At Naberezhnye Chelny, by the dam of the Nizhnekamsk Hydroelectric Station, forming the Nizhnekamsk Reservoir.


Tributaries

The largest tributaries of the Kama are, from source to mouth: *
Veslyana The Veslyana () – is a river in Perm Krai and Komi Republic, Russia, a left tributary of the Kama, which in turn is a tributary of the Volga. It starts in the southeastern portion of Ust-Kulomsky District of the Komi Republic, about from th ...
(left) * Kosa (right) * South Keltma (left) * Vishera (left) * Yayva (left) * Inva (right) * Kosva (left) * Obva (right) * Chusovaya (left) * Tulva (left) * Siva (right) * Buy (left) * Belaya (left) * Izh (right) * Ik (left) * Toyma (right) * Zay (left) * Vyatka (right) * Sheshma (left) * Myosha (right)


Gallery

Image:W W Chusovaya Kama crossing.png, Crossing of the rivers Chusovaya (tributary) and Kama Image:Kama yelabuga.jpg, View in Yelabuga Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-25.jpg, A
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n
truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
by Lavr Proskuryakov. Early colour photograph, taken ca. 1912.


Volga or Kama

Even today, disputes over the primacy of the rivers continue: Volga or Kama? Scientific facts say that the
Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
flows into the Kama, and not vice versa. The confluence of the Volga and the Kama has exactly the same water content (Volga: 3,500 m3/s; Kama: 4,100 m3/s). The source of the Volga (228 m) is below the source of the Kama (331 m), which is the main factor in determining the superiority of any river. Compared to the Kama basin (507,000 km2), the Volga has a larger basin (604,000 km2). More rivers flow into the Kama than the Volga. Experts have proven that the valley of the Kama River is more ancient than the Volga River valley. In other words, at the time of the existence of the ancient Kama, also known as the Paleo-Kama, there was no Volga. Later, geological changes caused the Volga to join the Kama at right angles. Also looking at the map, we can understand that the confluence of the Kama and the Volga is the continuation of the Kama canal. The bed of the Kama is lower, so the Volga clearly flows into the Kama.


References


External links

*
Naberezhnye Chelny and the Kama River
{{Authority control Rivers of Perm Krai Rivers of Tatarstan Rivers of Udmurtia