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 A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

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 Udmurtia, officially the Udmurt Republic, is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is administratively part of the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Izhevsk. It was established as the Udmurt (until 1931 — Vots ...

, 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

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 The Northern Dvina (, ; ) is a river in northern Russia flowing through Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River to the east, it drains most of Northwest Russia into the Arctic O ...

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 The Kama Reservoir, also known as the Perm Reservoir (), is a reservoir formed by the dam of the Kama Hydroelectric Station near Perm, Russia, Perm (constructed in 1954-1956). The Kama Reservoir has a surface area of 1,915 km2 and a water vo ...

; *At Chaykovsky, by the dam of the

Votkinsk Hydroelectric Station The Votkinsk Hydroelectric Station (''Russian: Воткинская ГЭС'') is a dam and hydroelectric power station on the Kama River along the border of Perm Krai and Udmurtia, Russia. It is south of Votkinsk and its main purpose is power gen ...

, forming the

Votkinsk Reservoir Votkinsk Reservoir is a reservoir formed by the dam of the Votkinsk Hydroelectric Station on the Kama River in Perm Krai, Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of coun ...

; *At

Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny (, ; , ) is the second largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. A major industrial center, Naberezhnye Chelny stands on the Kama River east of Kazan near Nizhnekamsk Reservoi ...

, by the dam of the

Nizhnekamsk Hydroelectric Station The Nizhnekamsk Hydroelectric Station (''Russian: Нижнекамская ГЭС''), also known as Lower Kama, is a dam and hydroelectric power station on the lower Kama River near Naberezhnye Chelny in Russia Russia, or the Russian Federa ...

, forming the

Nizhnekamsk Reservoir Lower Kama Reservoir or Nizhnekamsk Reservoir (; ) is the lowest reservoir from the Kama River hydroelectric cascade. It is situated in Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Bashkortostan and Perm Krai, Russian Federation. The reservoir was filled in 1978-81 up to ...

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 The South Keltma ( - ''Yuzhnaya Keltma'') is a river in Perm Krai, Russia, a left tributary of the Kama. It is long, and its area of drainage basin is .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 Yelabuga (also spelled ''Elabuga''; ; ) is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the right bank of the Kama River and east from Kazan. Population: The evolution of name The name of the city of Yelabuga comes from the T ...

Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-25.jpg, A

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

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