Bira River
The Bira in Birobidzhan
The Bira (Russian Бира ) is a 424 km long left tributary of the Amur River in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (Russia).
Course
The Bira built on 216 m height in the middle of the Little Hinggan Mountains a few miles west of the urban-type settlement Birakan from the headwaters Kuldur from left and Sutara (also Sutar ) from the right. The 60- kilometer Kuldur comes from the north, where he originates at several dozen kilometers away in the main ridge of the central mountain range on the border with Khabarovsk region in about 600 m altitude, while the 123 km long Sutara originated some 60 kilometers as the crow flies south-west, am named after her, southeast upstream Sutara comb ( Sutarski Chrebet ) has.
The Bira flows first in a relatively wide valley to the east and turns after reaching the plains of Amurniederung south. It meanders on some sections heavily on the middle reaches in wide arcs, so that the flow length subdued by the straight-line distance by more than double. The river flows below Leninskoje in the left arm ( Protoka Golowinskaja ) of the Amur, whose beyond several islands extending main arm there marks the border of Russia to the People's Republic of China. In estuaries near the Bira is up to 200 meters wide; The flow rate is here 0.8 m / s
The most important tributaries are Bolschaja Kamenuschka (Grand Kamenuschka ), Nikita, Sagdy - Bira and Ikura, all of which drain from the left mainly in the upper middle reaches of the Bira.
The river's name is probably derived from the Evenk word for river. Sometimes it is also Big Bira ( Bira Bolschaja ) called, to distinguish it from the Little Bira ( Bira Malaya ), which also opens a few kilometers upstream ( west ) from the left into the Amur. From the Amur and its left tributary Tunguska apart, the flow along the boundaries of the area, the Bira is the most important river of the Autonomous Oblast. After her lying on the river settlements Birakan and Bira and the Oblastverwaltungszentrum Birobidzhan is named, which is also traversed.
Hydrology
The catchment area of 9580 km ² comprises Bira.
For the summer months heavy rainfall -induced level variations and episodic floods are characteristic.
Use and infrastructure
The lower reaches of the Bira is navigable for about 100 kilometers from the village Scholty Jar south of Birobidzhan for smaller vehicles, but is not listed in the list of inland waterways of Russia.
From the origin of the Bira between Iswestkowy and Birakan up to Birobidzhan the river valley follow on the left, sections right on the river, the Trans-Siberian Railway ( approximately kilometer 8240-8350 from Moscow ) and the highway M 58 Amur from Chita to Khabarovsk as part of the transcontinental road link. In Birobidzhan, the flow of the there branching railway line to Leninskoje as well as the regional road R 454, which leads over Leninskoje after Nowoje -on-Amur, crossed. From Birobidzhan follows a local road to the left of the river through the villages located there. In Naifeld there are about 50 kilometers above the mouth of another road bridge and from there another local road on the right side of the river.