|
The
Yenisei
Facts
|
Continent
|
Asia
|
|
Countries
it flows through
|
Mongolia
and Russia
|
|
Length
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5540
kilometres
|
|
Number
of tributaries
|
2
|
|
Source
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Russian-Mongolian
border
|
|
Mouth
|
Russia,
into the Kara Sea and Arctic Ocean
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Location
The
Yenisei starts as the Selenga River near the border of Russia and Mongolia.
There are 336 streams in
total which make up the sources
of the Yenisei. These streams flow into Lake Baikal. They come out the
other side as the Angara river. The Angara
is the main tributary
of the Yenisei.
The
Yenisei flows north through the Siberian part of Russia. Its course
takes it through a taiga forest, full of evergreen trees. The Yenisei
flows through a tundra landscape about 300 kilometres from its mouth.
The tundra is a type of cold desert where the ground is always frozen
and there are no trees.
The
frozen Yenisei River
Oil
and minerals
There
are many dams on the Yenisei.
The dams are used to make hydroelectric
power for steel factories and people's homes. Oil and gas have also
been found near the river. These are also used to make electricity,
and some is sold to other countries. Gold, silver and other precious
metals are also mined along the banks of the Yenisei. There was a bad
oil spill in 1994. Much of the Yenisei and surrounding countryside was
damaged by pollution.
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