The Shakhe (; Adyghe: Шэхэ, ''Šèhè''), also known as the Golovinka () is a river in Khostinsky and

Lazarevsky City District Lazarevsky city district () is one of four city districts of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city district borders Tuapsinsky District in the northwest, Apsheronsky District in the north, ...

s of the city of

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...

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 flows down the slopes of the

Western Caucasus The Western Caucasus is a western region of the North Caucasus in Southern Russia, extending from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus. World Heritage Site The Western Caucasus includes a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site (named Western Caucasus), ...

to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. It is long, and the area of its basin . Its main tributary is the Bzych (left). The Shakhe is the second longest river of Sochi, next to the

Mzymta The Mzymta (; Abkhaz: Мӡы́мҭа; , ''Mezmytha'') is a river in Northwestern Caucasus, flowing through Mostovsky District and the city of Sochi ( Adlersky City District) of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The Mzymta is the largest river in Russia ...

. Almost the whole course of the Shakhe, with the exception of the proximity to the sea, lies within

Sochi National Park Sochi National Park (, also Sochinsky National Park) is Russia's oldest national park, established on May 5, 1983. It is located in the Western Caucasus, near the city of Sochi, in Southern Russia. Topography Sochi National Park covers within t ...

. The source of the river is in the mountains northwest of

Krasnaya Polyana Krasnaya Polyana () meaning "Red Meadow" is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia: Modern localities Amur Oblast As of 2012, one rural locality in Amur Oblast bears this name: * Krasnaya Polyana, Amur Oblast, a '' selo'' in Tomsky R ...

. The Shakhe flows northwest in a narrow valley, the first settlement downstream is Babuk-Aul where the river turns west. Downstream of Babuk-Aul it accepts the Azhu from the right and turns south. In the village of Bzogu it accepts the Bzych from the left and turns west. In the settlement of Bolshoy Kichmay the Shakhe turns southwest. The mouth of the river is in the settlement of Golovinka. The

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 the Shakhe is confined between the drainage basins of the

(south) and the Psezuapse (north). A tiny part of the drainage basin belongs to the

Caucasus Zapovednik Caucasus Nature Reserve is a Russian ''zapovednik'' (strict ecological reserve) covering a heavily mountainous section of the Northwest Caucasus Mountains. It is the largest and oldest in the territory of specially protected natural area in the C ...

References

{{Reflist Rivers of Krasnodar Krai Sochi Khostinsky city district Lazarevsky city district Tributaries of the Black Sea