Vitim (river): description and photo

The Siberian rivers can be divided into two categories. These are large arteries and flowing into them ducts. One of the largest Siberian rivers is Vitim. This is the right tributary of the river. Lena, which, in turn, connects to the Laptev Sea.

History of the river

Buryat rivers Chin and Vitimkan merge together in the mountains of Western Transbaikalia. And as a result, p. Vitim. The river was first developed by the Cossack ataman Maxim Perfiliev. In 1639 he swam along the river. Vitim. And at the mouth of the river. Kugomary founded a winter residence.

Location

The Vitim River flows through the territory of Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory, Yakutia and the Irkutsk Region. The reservoir originates on the Irkutsk ridge. Then surrounds the Vitim plateau. It cuts the North and South Muisky ridges. Where does the river Vitim flow then? In the river. Lena, which is connected with the Laptev Sea.

First, Vitim flows through the territory of Buryatia, then along its border with Trans-Baikal Territory and in the lower reaches of the Irkutsk Region. The last 50 kilometers of the river stretch along the Sakha-Yakutia.

Description

The beginning of the river is the source of the river. Vitimkan. With this in mind, Vitim's length is 1978 km. The area of the basin is 225,000 square kilometers. After the rivers Aldan and Vilyui, Vitim is the third longest tributary of the river. Lena.

The upper and middle reaches are located on the Vitim plateau and the Stanoi Highlands. The lower borders Patomskoye on the west side. From the source to the village of Romanovka Vitim is considered a mountain river. Forms bends near the nearest islets. Many of the coast there are steep with oval-scree processes. Vitim is a river, which in some places has a strong current.

After crossing the Yuzhno-Muy ridge, the water enters the basin. And there the river has a ramified broad-flooded channel with small rifts. Vitim is divided into two parts by the Parama threshold. Down the slope the channel is rapids-waterfall. Prior to the Delun-Oronsky rapids, there are many rocky outcroppings under water.

Before Bodaibo, the river flows in a narrow valley. In these places are underdeveloped floodplains and terraces. In the lower reaches of the Vitim River flows through the Baikal-Patom Upland. Gradually, the reservoir expands and becomes a flat type.

Fast flooding occurs because of the melting of snows and the slope of the territory. Rainwater is not so sharp. During them the river spends a lot of water, more spring flood. Autumn ice drift lasts from two to three weeks. During this period congestion occurs on the ruts. The thickness of the ice reaches almost two meters.

Flora and fauna

Vegetation on the Vitim coast is mainly composed of coniferous forests. On the plateau, the eye of the larch is pleasing. In the vicinity of some tributaries there are deaf thickets of mixed forest (fir, aspen, cedar, etc.). On the mountain banks grow dwarf species of trees, moss and jag. Nearly forty species of mammals live in the Vitim basin. Many fur-bearing animals (sable, ermine, etc.), and in the water - fish.

Hydrology

According to the nature of the current, the Vitim River is an intermediate between the plain and the mountain. The water supply is mainly rainwater. The average water discharge per year is 1,530 square meters per second in the city of Bodaibo. Another two thousand square meters per second are spent at the mouth of the river. At the river. Vitim stretched flood. It starts in May and lasts until October. The most plentiful month is June. A sharp decrease in water is observed from March to April. Vitim begins to freeze in early November. And ice breaking occurs in the second half of May, when relatively warm weather is established.

Fishing

Siberian rivers are famous for their fishing. And one of such reservoirs is Vitim. There are many different fish in the river:

• bream;
• ide;
• red salmon;
• pike;
• Nelma;
• roach;
• burbot;
• perch;
• Taymen;
• Tugun;
• grayling.

Therefore, many people are attracted to fishing by the river. Vitim is famous for large pikes (you can catch a ten kilogram specimen). And also here are often caught five-kilogram taimeney. For lovers of fishing there are even special tours (up to ten days) along the river.

Vitim values

On the Vitim River is one of the largest gold mining centers. This is the city of Bodaibo. Deposits of mica and jade were found in the basin. And in the Vitim Reserve there is a unique lake Oron. Vitim is the main transport waterway through which cargo is transported to mining areas. Shipping is possible only to the village of Luzhki. A cascade of hydroelectric power stations is planned on the banks of the river.