Little Yenisei River

Small Yenisei in Dersig -Aksy

Confluence of Small (right) and Big Yenisei

The Little Yenisey (Russian Малый Енисей / Maly Yenisei; Tuvan Каа-Хем/Kaa-Chem, " Small River " ) is 563 km long, left or eastern source of the river Yenisei in Mongolia and belonging to Russia South Siberian Republic of Tuva.

Course

In most, primarily Russian sources indicated ( Russified form Dod - Only ) in northern Mongolia as the origin of the Little Yenisei Lake Dood Nuur; it is also the river length of 563 km applies. The lake is located in the northwest of Chöwsgöl - aimags at 1538 m altitude in the large Darchad Valley between the to 3351 m high Ulan Taiga Mountains to the west and up to 3093 m high Chordol - Sardag Mountains with the beyond lying large lake Chöwsgöl Nuur in the east.

The headwaters of the river from the lake to the Mongolian- Russian border is in Mongolia Schischchid gol ( Mong Шишхид гол; Schischged also gol Шишгэд гол ) called, as well as the lower section of the southern of the two main tributaries of the Dood Nuur. Its headwaters originate mostly in the over 3000 m high mountain country southwest of the Darchad sink. The more northerly main tributary of the Dood Nuur, the Schargyn gol ( Mong Шаргын гол ), and its source rivers originate predominantly in Sayan near the border with Russia. The Seezuflüsse are long with headwaters up to nearly 200 km.

On the border with Russia is the Small Yenisei (or Schischchid gol ) the Bugsejn gol (also Busijn gol ) from the left and after a few kilometers of the Bilin right. This area is called the Ush - Beldir, Tuvan for Triple confluence; there is an eponymous, small place with just Usch - Beldir -called sanatorium ( ⊙ 51.4715198.05343 ). From here to the located at about 870 m altitude receiving the end of the south coming Balyktyg - Chem ( Балыктыг - Хем; 51.3224196.97434 ⊙ ) of the river and the Kyzyl -Chem is called, Tuvan for Red River.

Some sources also refer to the lower reaches of Balyktyg -Chem from the mouth of coming from Mongolia, smaller Saryg He ( ⊙ 50.7939597.70227 ) as "Little Yenisei ". The Balyktyg -Chem itself rises in the hill country between the combs Chorumnug - taiga and Sangilen ( ⊙ 50.3755896.39679 ) representing the eastern extensions of the Tannu - Ola Mountains, which is therefore sometimes expressed as the headwaters of the Little Yenisei. The Balyktyg -Chem flows in a great arc, first mainly to the east, then north- west and north.

The Little Yenisei with Schischchid gol and Kyzyl -Chem flows from the Dood Nuur after leaving the Darchad sink almost its entire length approximately in an east-west direction in predominantly narrow valley through which of boreal forest (taiga ) covered mountains of northern Mongolia and of the southeastern Tuva. In the lower reaches, he turns to the northwest, and its valley opens up to between the mountains Westsajan and Tannu Tuva basin ola Mountains located in the central part of the Republic.

In this valley, the Little Yenisei united on the northern edge of the Republic capital Kyzyl (631 m) to about 619 m in height with the coming of the right Great Yenisei ( Bii - Chem) to the Yenisei, one of the largest rivers of Siberia. The upper reaches of the Yenisei River on the actual territory of the Republic of Tuva and on to stepping out of the Westsajan in the Minusinsk basin is also Upper Yenisey (Russian Werchni Yenisei; Tuvan Ulugh -Chem, such as " Mighty River " ) called.

In estuaries near the Little Yenisei is more than 200 m wide; The flow rate is 2.3 m / s The most important tributaries besides the aforementioned are Uschep and Dersig from the right as well as Ulugh - Schiwei, Sisim and Boers from the left.

Hydrology

The catchment area of the river comprises 58,700 km ². The Little Yenisei freezes from December to April / May, followed by a lasting until July flood during snowmelt follows, which accounts for almost half of the annual runoff. The autumnal ice can last up to one and a half months.

Use and infrastructure

The Little Yenisei River is navigable for 142 kilometers from the village appearance to the mouth. Further upstream navigation on the basis of rapids is hardly possible. Because of this, however, is the Little Yenisei with Kyzyl -Chem and Balyktyg -Chem popular among canoe athletes.

The catchment area of the Little Yenisei is especially along the lower reaches in the field of Tuvan Valley densely populated than that of the Great Yenisei. There, lying on the left bank of the Rajonverwaltungszentrum Kaa -Chem far from the Republic capital Kyzyl and further upstream on the right bank of the Rajonverwaltungszentrum Saryg - September These and other places are connected by a road leading along the river, about 20 km above the mouth of Kyzyl and with the single bridge crosses him across the river. Above Saryg -Sep located at the Little Yenisei villages appearance, Uschep, Unschei and Schiwei which are mainly inhabited by Russian Old Believers, who have retired in the early 20th century in the remote area and have maintained their traditional way of life partly to this day. Near the origin of the Little Yenisei in Mongolia is located on the west bank of the Dood Nuur village Tsagaannuur.