Mezen (river)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Mezen (; Komi: Мозын, ''Mozy''''n'') is a river in
Udorsky District Udorsky District (; ) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twelve in the Komi Republic, Russia.Law #13-RZ It is located in the west of the republic. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the rural locality (a '' ...
of the
Komi Republic The Komi Republic (; ), sometimes simply referred to as Komi, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the northeast of European Russia. Its capital city, capital is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Syktyvka ...
and in Leshukonsky and
Mezensky District Mezensky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Arkhangelsk Oblast, twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.Law #65-5-OZ As a subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions, municipal division, it is ...
s of
Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast ( rus, Архангельская область, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic Ocean, Arctic archipelagos of Franz ...
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 ...
. Its mouth is located in the
Mezen Bay The Mezen Bay () is located in Arkhangelsk Oblast and Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Northwestern Russia. It is one of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea, the others being the Dvina Bay, the Onega Bay, and the Kandalaksha Gulf. The Mezen Bay i ...
of the
White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...
. Mezen is one of the biggest rivers of European Russia. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal
tributaries 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 Mezen are the Bolshaya Loptyuga (left), the Pyssa (left), the Mezenskaya Pizhma (right), the Sula (right), the
Kyma KYMA-DT (channels 11 and 13) is a television station licensed to Yuma, Arizona, United States, serving the Yuma, Arizona–El Centro, California market as an affiliate of CBS and NBC. It is owned by Imagicomm Communications, which maintains ...
(right), the
Vashka The Vashka () is a river in Udorsky District of the Komi Republic and Leshukonsky and Mezensky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left and the biggest tributary of the Mezen. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal ...
(left), the
Pyoza The Pyoza () is a river in Mezensky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Mezen. It is long, and the area of its basin . The main tributaries of the Pyoza are the Tsema (left), Varchushka (right), the Chetsa ...
(right), and the Kimzha (left). The river basin of the Mezen comprises vast areas in the east and north-east of Arkhangelsk Oblast and in the west of the Komi Republic. The town of Mezen, the
urban type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the Soviet Union and later also f ...
s of
Usogorsk Usogorsk (; ) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Udorsky District of the Komi Republic, Russia, located at the confluence of the Us and Mezen Rivers. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 5,343. History In December 196 ...
and Kamenka, as well as the administrative center of Udorsky District, the selo of Koslan all are located on the banks of the Mezen. The administrative center of Leshukonsky District, the selo of
Leshukonskoye Leshukonskoye () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a ''village#Russia, selo'') and the administrative center of Leshukonsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Vashka River. It also se ...
, is located on the Vashka River several kilometers upstream from the confluence of the Vashka and the Mezen and is connected with the right bank of the Mezen by a ferry crossing. The source of the Mezen is in the
Timan Ridge The Timan Ridge ( – ''Timansky Kryazh'') is a highland in the far north of European Russia. Most of the Timan Ridge is situated in the Komi Republic, but the northernmost part is in Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Arkhangelsk Oblast. The highest ...
in the Komi Republic, west of the northern
Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
. It flows first south-west, then sharply turns roughly in the north-western direction. The upper course of the Mezen runs through the hilly landscape. The Mezen flows into the Mezen Bay of the White Sea near the town of Mezen, right below the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...
. Near its mouth, the Pyoza River enters from the east. The Mezen is navigable below the selo of Koslan, however, there is no regular passenger navigation except for ferry crossings.


History

The area was populated by
Finnic peoples The Finnic peoples, or simply Finns, are the nations who speak languages traditionally classified in the Finno-Permic languages, Finnic language family, and which are thought to have originated in the region of the Volga River. Currently, the l ...
and then colonized by the
Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...
. In the 13th century the Novgorod merchants already reached the
White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...
. The Mezen was used by Novgorod merchants as the trading route to the basin of 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 ...
which was attractive because of the fur. From the Northern Dvina, they went upstream the
Pinega Pinega () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a settlement), formerly a town, in Pinezhsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pinega River (hence the name). It serves as the administr ...
and took the boats by land to the Kuloy. The boats then were taken from the Kuloy to the Mezen. The river route continued east up the Pyoza, portage, and down the
Tsilma The Tsilma () is a river in Leshukonsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast and Ust-Tsilemsky District of the Komi Republic in Russia. It is a left and one of the main tributaries of the Pechora. It is long, and the area of its basin . The main tributa ...
to the Pechora. Another route went from the Northern Dvina upstream the
Pukshenga The Pukshenga () is a river in Kholmogorsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Northern Dvina. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Pukshenga are the Tyulenga and the Shi ...
, then moved to the
Pokshenga The Pokshenga () is a river in Vinogradovsky and Pinezhsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Pinega. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Pokshenga are Shatogorka (right ...
and downstream to the Pinega. From the Pinega, the merchants used the
Yozhuga The Yozhuga (also ''Iozhuga'', ) is a river in Udorsky District of the Komi Republic and in Pinezhsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Pinega. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributar ...
, the Zyryanskaya Vashka, and the
Vashka The Vashka () is a river in Udorsky District of the Komi Republic and Leshukonsky and Mezensky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left and the biggest tributary of the Mezen. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal ...
to get to the Mezen. After the fall of Novgorod, the area became a part of the
Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...
. The first permanent Russian settlements on the Mezen River are mentioned during the 16th century: Yuroma (1513) and Koynas (1554). The middle course of the Mezen, approximately the current area of
Leshukonsky District Leshukonsky District () is an administrative district ( raion), one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.Law #65-5-OZ Municipally, it is incorporated as Leshukonsky Municipal District.Law #258-vneoch.-OZ It is located in the northeast ...
, was where Russian and Komi cultures mixed the most. In the lower course of the Mezen, currently
Mezensky District Mezensky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Arkhangelsk Oblast, twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.Law #65-5-OZ As a subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions, municipal division, it is ...
, Russians dominated, whereas in the upper course, currently
Udorsky District Udorsky District (; ) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twelve in the Komi Republic, Russia.Law #13-RZ It is located in the west of the republic. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the rural locality (a '' ...
, Komi dominated.


References


External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of the Komi Republic Rivers of Arkhangelsk Oblast