Yenisei facts for kids
The Yenisei River (pronounced Yen-ih-SAY) is a very long river in Siberia, a huge part of Russia. It is one of the biggest rivers that flows into the cold Arctic Ocean. In fact, the Yenisei is the fifth-longest river in the entire world! It's a bit shorter than the Mississippi River in the USA, but it carries much more water.
The Yenisei starts far away in Mongolia. From there, it flows north all the way to the Kara Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean. This mighty river helps drain, or carry water away from, a huge area of central Siberia. The longest path of water that joins the Yenisei, including the Angara, Selenga, and Ider rivers, stretches for about 5,539 kilometers (about 3,442 miles). The area of land that collects water for the Yenisei, called its watershed, is massive. It even includes Lake Baikal, which is the deepest and largest freshwater lake in the world by volume! This means the Yenisei system holds more water than almost any other river system on Earth.
Contents
Journey of the Yenisei River
The Yenisei River changes a lot along its long journey.
Upper River: Wild and Remote
The upper parts of the Yenisei River system are very wild. Here, the river has fast-moving rapids and can sometimes flood. This area passes through places where very few people live. It's a truly remote and natural part of the world.
Middle River: Dams and Energy
As the Yenisei flows further north, it enters a section where many large hydroelectric dams have been built. These dams are like huge walls that hold back the river's water. They were built to create electricity for important industries in Russia. Many workers helped build these dams.
Lower River: Cold and Icy
After the dams, the Yenisei continues through vast forests called taiga, where not many people live. Many smaller rivers, called tributaries, join the Yenisei, making it even bigger. Finally, the river reaches the cold tundra region, which is a treeless plain. Here, the Yenisei flows into the Kara Sea. For more than half the year, this part of the river is covered in ice!
The Yenisei and Our Changing World
Like other big rivers in Siberia, the amount of water flowing in the Yenisei has increased recently. Scientists believe this might be happening because of global warming. As the Earth gets warmer, more ice and snow melt, adding water to the rivers. People are also thinking about how changes in the amount of salt in the Arctic Ocean might affect big ocean currents around the world.
Images for kids
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Map including the Yenisey River
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Inclined plane at Krasnoyarsk Dam
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The bridge over the Yenisey in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, viewed from the left bank.
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Vinogradovsky most, the bridge in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, viewed from the left bank
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The Yenisey (left) and the Ob flow into Kara Sea.
See also
In Spanish: Río Yeniséi para niños
