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 they ...
of the
Lena
Lena or LENA may refer to:
Places
* Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso
* Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada
* Lena, Norway, a village in ...
in eastern
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
.
The river gives its name to the
Olyokma-Chara Plateau
The Olyokma-Chara Plateau (; ) is a mountainous area in the Sakha Republic and Irkutsk Oblast, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia.Google Earth A small section is in Kalarsky District, northernmost Zabaykalsky Krai.
Charoite, a rare mineral, ...
, located to the west of its western bank.
History
In the summer of 1631, Russian pioneer
Pyotr Beketov
Pyotr Beketov (, c. 1600 – c. 1661) was a Cossack explorer of Siberia and founder of various fortified settlements in the region, which later developed into modern cities such as Yakutsk, Chita, and Nerchinsk.
Beketov started his military ser ...
entered the Olyokma during his first voyage down the
Lena
Lena or LENA may refer to:
Places
* Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso
* Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada
* Lena, Norway, a village in ...
and in 1636 he founded the present-day city of
Olyokminsk
Olyokminsk ( rus, Олёкминск, p=ɐˈlʲɵkmʲɪnsk; , ''Ölüöxüme'') is a town and the administrative center of Olyokminsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, southwest of Yakutsk, the capital of the republic. As of the 2010 ...
near the mouth of the river on the left bank of Lena.
Yerofey Khabarov
Yerofey Pavlovich Khabarov-Svyatitsky (; 1603 – after 1671), was a Russian entrepreneur and adventurer, best known for his exploring the Amur river region and his attempts to colonize the area for Russia. For background, see Russian–Manchu ...
used this river's route to travel from the Lena to the
Amur
The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer Manchuria, Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ...
during his mid-17th century expeditions. In the spring of 1649 Khabarov set off at his own expense up the Olyokma, then up its tributary, the Tungir and
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 '' ...
d to the
Shilka River
The Shilka (; Evenki: Силькари, Sil'kari; , ''Shilke''; , ''Shilka''; ) is a river in Zabaykalsky Krai, (Dauria) south-eastern Russia. It has a length of , and has a drainage basin of .Dauria) in early 1650.
Course
The river is long, and 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, ...
Olyokma-Stanovik Highlands
The Olyokma-Stanovik (; ''Olyokminsky Stanovik'') is a system of mountain ranges in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. The western end of the range reaches into Amur Oblast.
(Олёкминский Становик), west of Mogocha. It flows through remote terrain and cuts across the
Kalar Range
The Kalar Range () is a mountain range in Zabaykalsky Krai and the NW end of Amur Oblast, Russian Federation. The highest point of the range is high Skalisty Golets. Google Earth
The range is part of the Udokan Ore Region that includes the Kod ...
of the
Stanovoy Highlands
The Stanovoy Highlands () or Stanovoy Uplands is a mountain range in the Transbaikal region of Siberia, Russia.
Geography
The Stanovoy Highlands are a mountainous area between the Patom Highlands to the north and the Vitim Plateau to the south. ...
through a narrow valley. Further north, it bends around the eastern end of the
Udokan Range
The Udokan Range () is a mountain range in Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Zabaykalsky Krai, Russian Federation. The nearest town is Chara (rural locality), Chara.Google Earth
There is copper mining in the range at the Udokan mine, part of the Ud ...
and flows roughly north before joining the Lena near
Olyokminsk
Olyokminsk ( rus, Олёкминск, p=ɐˈlʲɵkmʲɪnsk; , ''Ölüöxüme'') is a town and the administrative center of Olyokminsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, southwest of Yakutsk, the capital of the republic. As of the 2010 ...
Vitim
Vitim () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
Modern localities
* Vitim, Sakha Republic, an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Lensky District of the Sakha Republic
* Vitim, Republic of Buryatia, a rural locality (a ...
, to the south the Shilka and Amur, and to the east the upper
Aldan Aldan may refer to:
People
*Gille Aldan, the first bishop of Galloway, Scotland
*Andrey Aldan-Semenov (1908–1985), Russian writer
*Duke Aldan, a fictional character in ''Langrisser IV'' video game
Places
*Aldan, Russia, a town in the Sakha Repub ...
Nyukzha
The Nyukzha () is a river in Amur Oblast and Transbaikalia, East Siberia, Russian Federation. It is the second largest tributary of the Olyokma river in terms of length and area of its basin. The Nyukzha is long and has a drainage basin of . Th ...
and the Chara —with its tributary the Tokko.''Олёкма'' //
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...
, in 30 vols. / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M., 1969-197
See also
*
List of rivers of Russia
Russia can be divided into a European and an Asian part. The dividing line is generally considered to be the Ural Mountains. The European part is drained into the Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea. The Asian part is drained i ...
*
Olyokma Nature Reserve
Olyokma Nature Reserve () (also Olekminsky) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) located south of the middle reaches of the Lena River on the right bank of its second largest tributary - the Olyokma River at the junction of the Aldan ...