The Irtysh River is the largest tributary in the world

The Irtysh River, being the largest tributary of the Ob, retains several more length records. The Irtysh and the Ob are the largest along the rivers of Russia, taking second place in Eurasia and the seventh in the world. In addition, the Irtysh River is the world's largest river-tributary, pushing the American Missouri to second place. The source of the Irtysh - in China, More than a half thousand kilometers the river runs through this country, then, crossing the border, seventeen hundred kilometers flow through the territory of Kazakhstan, and the remaining two-odd thousand kilometers - across Russia.

When looking at the map, it is evident that, rather, the Irtysh is not a tributary of the Ob, but the Ob is a tributary of the Irtysh. Since the Irtysh River flowed in the same direction at the confluence point, it continues to flow, but the Ob, on the contrary, sharply changes its direction. Most likely, the fact is that while mastering Western Siberia, the Russians first recorded the Ob hydron, and later the Irtysh name, mistaking it as a tributary. Since then, and fixed on the cards: consider the Irtysh tributary of the Ob. Although it would be more logical, given the length, either to give the name Ob to the river from the source of the Irtysh, and that part of the hydraulic system, called the Ob, before the meeting with the Irtysh, to call it something else, or the whole river to be called Irtysh: from the source in China to the mouth In the Kara Sea.

But they do not say in vain: "What is written with a pen, you can not cut out with an ax." Once recorded on maps and documents - and all, and remained in the centuries.

The Irtysh River is mostly flat, only in the upper reaches of the mountainous terrain. The average slope of the river is very small - three centimeters per kilometer of length. The catchment area is one million six hundred forty-three thousand square kilometers.

The flat nature of the river made it almost impossible to use it as a source of electricity: the construction of a hydroelectric power station is extremely difficult. Today, there is one cascade of hydroelectric power stations in Kazakhstan, and not far from Omsk in 2010, the construction of the Krasnogorsk hydroelectric complex was started. For such a deep and long river it is a drop in the ocean.

The largest tributary of the Irtysh is Ishim. This river, flowing on the territory of Kazakhstan and Russia, has a length of 2450 kilometers. Ishim is the capital of Kazakhstan - Astana. This left tributary of the Irtysh has a very decent catchment area - almost one hundred and eighty thousand square kilometers. Ishim is navigable from Petropavlovsk to the confluence of the Irtysh.

Another large tributary of the Irtysh is Tobol. Its length is a little more than a thousand and a half kilometers. Tobol is navigable for 470 kilometers from the confluence of the Irtysh. On Tobol, several reservoirs have been constructed, through which the flow of water during the spring flood is regulated. Tobol, as an influx of the Irtysh, gave the name to the large Russian city of Tobolsk. Two regional centers are located in Tobol: Kustanai (in Kazakhstan) and Kurgan (in Russia), and several smaller cities: Lisakovsk, Rudny, Yalutorovsk.

The Irtysh, which belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin, is home to many valuable fish species. Here a complete set for every taste: salmon (muxun, nelma, some others), sturgeon (Siberian sturgeon), and a large number of less "noble" fish: pike, perch, crucian, pike perch, ruff, rudd, and many others.

There are sights on the Irtysh. Not only is the river an object of ecological tourism. There is still a paleontological monument under the name "Goose Flight", and history lovers should visit the place where the small river Vagay flows into the Irtysh. It was there, according to legend, that the conqueror of Siberia, ataman Ermak, found death.