Main tributaries of the Kuban River: description, name and nature

Numerous tributaries of the Kuban River form a river network with a total length of 9482 kilometers. Starting from Mount Elbrus and flowing through the territory of Karachay-Cherkessia, Stavropol and Krasnodar Krai, this river carries its waters to the Azov Sea.

Main tributaries

In Kuban, a total of about 14 thousand large and small rivers. The left-bank tributaries, which have the largest number, drain mainly from the slopes of the mountains of the Western Caucasus. The most significant of them are the Belaya, Laba, Urup and Pshys rivers.

The right tributaries of the Kuban River are less numerous and small. Among them are worth mentioning such small rivers as Dzheguta, Mara and Gorkaya.

Laba

It is a high-water tributary of the Kuban formed by the confluence of the Bolshaya and Malaya Laba rivers. They take their origin from the northern side of the Main Range of the Greater Caucasus. The Laba River together with these sources has a total length of 347 km and a basin area of 12,500 km². Its width is closer to the mouth of almost 200 m. In the Kuban it flows near the village of Hatukai, located in the Krasnogvardeysky district of Adygea.

In the upper reaches, like all other main tributaries of the Kuban River, this turbulent mountain river swiftly carries its waters along deep canyons and narrow canyons. Then, in a flat area, where many tributaries flow into Labu, the river becomes calm. The river is mixed food - rain, snow and glacial. At the end of December, as a rule, Laba freezes, getting rid of ice only by March.

The river is very popular with tourists. In these unique places, there are excursions, fishing and alloys.

White

This is the next largest left tributary of the Kuban River, considered the largest waterway in the region. The length of the Belaya River is 273 km. Its ancient name "Shhaghuashche" in the translation from Adyghe sounds like "the goddess of the mountains". Tradition says that later the river began to be called "Bela", gradually the name began to sound like "White".

Of the three and a half thousand tributaries flowing into this river, the most serious are Kisha, Dakh and Psheha. The source of the Belaya River is on the Fisca glaciers. For many tens of kilometers the river flows through narrow and deep gorges. During the snowmelt and torrential rains, it turns into a high-water mountain stream, attracting lovers of extreme alloys.

In the middle reaches of the Belaya River there are many picturesque canyons with which almost all the main tributaries of the Kuban River are famous. The riverbed in these places narrows to five and even up to three meters, flowing between steep rocks and accompanied by waterfalls and cascades. Not far from the village of Kamennomostsky is the most famous Hajokh canyon, attracting many tourists. Behind the Hadzhokh gorge begins the valley of the Ammonites - another attraction of the Belaya River.

Urup

The left tributary of the Kuban (the Urup River), flowing in the vicinity of the city of Armavir, has a length of 231 km. Its origin takes from the slopes of the mountain of the same name, from an altitude of 3232 m above sea level. In the upper reaches it separates from the Laba River by an acute ridge. Like other tributaries of the Kuban River, Urup in the upper reaches is a typical mountain river, narrow and deep, with steep slopes. Gradually passing into the lowland, in the lower reaches, it carries its waters along a shallow valley calmly and majestically. The width of the river in this place is up to 3 km. Nutrition prevails rain. In summer, when the snow melts at the tops of the Forward Ridge, and there is a lot of precipitation in the form of torrential rains, there is the highest water level in the river. By winter, Urup is rather meadow, in some places the river can be waded.

The valley of this river is distinguished by high fertility, which caused its dense population. Along it is a large number of villages and villages (Mednogorsk, Urup, Comfortable, Pleasant, Resurrection, Forward, Soviet, Unsafe, etc.).

The river Urup is not rich in tributaries. Of the most significant, it should be noted Big and Small Tegen, Dzheltmes. For about 60 km from the mouth of the tributaries are completely absent.

Пшиш

Not far from the village of Altubinal of the Krasnodar Territory, one of the tributaries of the Kuban with an unusual name Pshish originates. Further, the river follows the Apsheron, Belorechensky and Teuchezhsky districts and flows into the Krasnodar reservoir. Pshysh has more than 50 tributaries, both right and left. The largest of them are Gunaika, Kura, Khadazhka, Tsitsa, Tsece, Filtuk, Bolshaya and Malyi Pshish.

In the upper reaches the river keeps the path between the mountain ridges consisting of clay and calcareous rocks. Then descends into the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, flowing through the forest-steppe. Its entire length is 270 km.

Pshish has similar features of the current with other tributaries of the Kuban. In the upper reaches alternate rolling and deep ples, the rate of water flow is quite large. At the bottom, the valley expands and the current becomes more calm and temperate.

The food is mixed. Along with snow and rain, great importance is also feeding the river with underground waters. In the mainstream of it, a lot of underground keys are knocked out.

Rich fish stocks, the possibility of rafting along the river and favorable conditions for recreation attract a huge number of tourists to these places.

Afipse

This river has a length much less than other tributaries of the Kuban River, the names of which are listed above. Taking its origin from Mount Afipse in the direction of the north, it makes a path of only 96 km.

This is a shallow river, relatively deep places are found in its canal, but there are not many of them. Feeds Afipse mainly groundwater and precipitation. In winter, the river freezes, but for a short while - the freeze lasts no more than a month. The highest level of water is observed in the spring, the minimum level is from July to September.

The main tributaries of the Afipps are the rivers Shebsh and Ubin, whose valley in the upper reaches is a narrow gorge and gradually widens downstream. During the flood, the water level in the tributaries rises, and they become almost impassable.

The Afips River basin is famous for its mineral springs. The most popular is Zaporozhsky, located in the valley of the tributary Ubin. There are 14 outlets of mineral waters of the "Essentuki" type.

All the rivers of the Krasnodar Territory have a large fishery importance. About what tributaries near the Kuban River are particularly rich in fish, it is difficult to talk. Almost everywhere there is stellate sturgeon, carp, catfish, pike perch, sturgeon and other commercial fish species.