The Selenga River: we study the rivers of Russia and Mongolia

Few people know anything about the Selenga River, its location, its flora and fauna. However, it is one of the largest water streams that feed Lake Baikal.

The river Selenga (photo can be seen in the article) flows through the lands of Siberia, in particular, in Buryatia, the main part of this beauty is in Mongolia. It is in this state that it originates. But in Russia, the watercourse flows into the cleanest Lake Baikal. Thanks to this neighborhood, the river is inhabited by burbot. Her turbulent waters fall in love with this species of fish.

origin of name

According to scientists, the river Selenga has existed for more than 500 thousand years. There is no official information about where the so beautiful name came from. There are only assumptions about the possible origin of the hydronym. Among them there are two most believable options:

• The formation of a name from the word of the Buryat people is "sal", which in Russian means "lake";
• Tungus origin, in the translation of the word sele - iron.

Short description

The origins of the Selenga are near the Ider (a watercourse flowing on the territory of Mongolia). The river is very long, its length is about 1024 km, while the smaller part (409 km) passes through the territory of the Russian Federation. It was formed due to the merger of two water streams - Idar and Dalger-Muren.

Of all the waters flowing into Lake Baikal, the Selenga River is considered to be the deepest. Scientists say that it is in most cases responsible for the cleanliness of the reservoir. If you take into account the two Gulf of Proval and Sor-Cherkalovo, which are on the sides of the delta, the width of the river in some places can reach 60 kilometers.

The powerful bubbling stream of the Selenga right near Lake Baikal reduces its "head" and spreads over several channels, sweeps, streams.

Features of the river

The river Selenga is quite turbulent, has a flat appearance, periodically narrows to 1-2 km. In these places it is divided into channels, where islands are formed. The delta of the Selenga is a water area, overgrown with reeds and water-loving plants. On the river there are islets that are periodically flooded.

Selenga has a rich fauna. Due to the diversity of flora, there are a large number of ducks, insects and amphibians. Also, the waters of the river are characterized by abundance of fish. Among them there are also rare species - ide, burbot, carp, Siberian roach, whitefish, taymen. Fishing here thrives, as baits are most often used by crustaceans.

At the place of confluence in Lake Baikal, a fairly large delta of the river is formed. Selenga is the richest stream that makes up half of all the waters flowing into Baikal. In spring there is a high water, in the summer and autumn the river replenishes with rain. In winter, Selenga, as a rule, is tiny.

The tributaries of the river are: Djida, Temnik, Orongoy, Orkhon, Chikoy, and Itanz. The water flow is broken into sleeves, while forming a swampy terrain, which is favorable for agriculture.

Industrial use

On the shore of Sor-Cherkalovo there are settlements - Istomino, Istok; In the Gulf of Proval - Dulan, Oymur. In the delta of the river there are only a few houses that belong to fishermen and hunters.

The Selenga River along the coastline is inhabited very little. The local population does not engage in agriculture, as there is an acute shortage of fertile land. Economic activity is developed only near the bays. The small population of the territory is also due to the fact that after the earthquake that occurred in the XIX century, the steppe fell much lower, became much lower than the level of Lake Baikal, and was flooded. Accordingly, it was impossible to live here.

On the beautiful shores are such cities as Sukhbaatar (Mongolia), Ulan-Ude, the village of Kabansk (the territory of Russia).

Interesting Facts

The Selenga River and its city, located in the delta, are listed in the unique phenomena of nature, and enter the protected zone of Lake Baikal. This site is managed by the UNESCO organization.

Until the end of the twentieth century, the river was navigable, connecting Lake Baikal and the city of Sukhbaatar. In the 30s, they proposed the construction of hydroelectric power stations, just below Ulan-Ude. However, the construction did not take place, as it was decided that this was not practical. This conclusion was reached due to the lack of the necessary number of consumers living in this area. And since the station was supposed to be very large, they decided to abandon this venture.

Earlier, shipbuilding was developed here. Built ships descended into Lake Baikal. If there was a need for repair work, they were also raised along the navigable channels.