Lena River Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lena River (Лена, Zülge,Өлүөнэ)
River
Lena watershed
Country	Russia

Tributaries
- left	Kirenga, Vilyuy
- right	Vitim, Olyokma, Aldan


Source
- location	Baikal Mountains, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia
- elevation	1,640 m (5,381 ft)
Mouth	Lena Delta
- location	Arctic Ocean, Laptev Sea

Length	4,472 km (2,779 mi)
Basin	2,500,000 km² (965,255 sq mi)
Discharge	for Laptev Sea
- average	16,871 m³/s (595,794 cu ft/s)
- max	241,000 m³/s (8,510,835 cu ft/s)
- min	366 m³/s (12,925 cu ft/s)

The Lena River is a really long river in Siberia, a huge part of Russia. It flows all the way north into the Arctic Ocean. It is one of the longest rivers in the world, stretching about 4,472 kilometers (2,779 miles).

The Lena River also has a very large watershed. A watershed is the area of land where all the water drains into one river. The Lena's watershed is about 2,500,000 square kilometers (965,255 square miles). This makes it one of the largest river systems on Earth.

Where the Lena River Starts and Ends
What Does "Lena" Mean?
Photos
Images for kids
See also

Where the Lena River Starts and Ends

The Lena River begins high up in the Baikal Mountains. These mountains are in central Siberia, about 7 kilometers (4 miles) west of the famous Lake Baikal. From there, the river flows mostly northeast.

As it travels, many smaller rivers join the Lena. These are called tributaries. Some of its most important tributaries include the Kirenga, Vitim, Olyokma, Aldan, and Vilyuy rivers. Finally, the Lena River empties into the Laptev Sea. The Laptev Sea is a part of the Arctic Ocean.

What Does "Lena" Mean?

The name "Lena" comes from a word used by the Evenks people. The Evenks are a group of people who live in Northern Asia. Their word for the river was Elyu-Ene, which means "The Large River." This name certainly fits, given how long and wide the Lena River is!