Tag: famous rivers

Yenisei River: Facts and Information

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Yenisei River Facts

  • It has a drainage basin of 2.5 million square km, covering a large portion of Siberia.

  • Its average depth is about 14 metres, but some of the waters can be as deep as 24 metres.
  • The Yenisei flows through the city of Krasnoyarsk.
  • Its tributaries include, the Angara River, the Lower Tunguska, and the Tunguska River.
  • The river supports more than 50 different fish species.
  • The Taimyr reindeer herd graze along the banks of the Yenisei during the wintertime.
  • In 2001 Ben Kozel and Colin Angus became the first people to naviage the entire length of the Yenisei River.
  • The river’s name is sometimes written as Yenisey River.
  • The Krasnoyarsk Dam was completed in 1972 and supplies power to an aluminium manufacturing plant.
  • Many ancient nomadic tribes lived on the banks of the Yenisei, including the Ket people, the Yugh people, the Kotts, Assans and Arins.

Yenisei River Fact File

Countries: Mongolia and Russia

Length: Approximately 748 km (465 miles)

Source: Mungaragiyn-Gol Ridge, Mongolia

Mouth: Yenisei Gulf, Kara Sea

What next? Learn more about other famous rivers by visiting our rivers resources page.

Japura River: Facts and Information

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Japura River Facts

  • When it flows in Colombia, the river is called the Caqueta River.

  • In Brazil, the river can be navigated by small boats.
  • The Japura flows into the Amazon River through a network of channels.
  • The river is home to a massive range of fish and reptiles, including electric eels, catfish, turtles, caimans and piranhas.
  • The American composer Philip Glass named a piece of music after the river. Lsiten to it by playing the video below

Japura River Fact File

Countries: Brazil, Colombia

Length: Approximately 2820 km (1752 miles)

Source: Andes, southwest Colombia

Mouth: Amazon River

What next? Check out some more river facts by visiting our rivers resources page.

Tigris River: Facts and Information

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Tigris River Facts

  • The Tigris River forms the border between Syria and Turkey.

  • Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, is built on the banks of the Tigris.
  • The river is heavily dammed. Its waters are used to irrigate the semi-desert ares of Turkey and Iraq which are next to the Tigris River valley.
  • The largest dam in Iraq is the Mosul Dam.
  • Before it was dammed, the Tigris used to frequently flood in the Spring after the snow in the Turkish mountains (the source of the Tigris) started to melt in April.
  • It’s drainage basin covers nearly 375000 square km.
  • More than 50 different types of fish can be found in the Tigris River.
  • Mesopotamia is the word used to describe the section of land between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Mesopotamia is often called the ‘cradle of civilization’. In the Bronze Age the area was home to the Sumner, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires.
  • Shallow-draught boats can navigate the Tigris River as far as Baghdad in Iraq.
  • The Tigris has four important tributaries – the Greater Zab, the Lesser Zab, the Adhem River and the Diyala River.
  • In 1954, during flood season, the water level in the Tigris rose by over 8 metres.
  • The course of the river has altered over time. Today, the Tigris joins the Euphrates to form the Shatt-al-Arab River, before flowing into the Persian Gulf. In ancinet times, it is believed that the Tigris and the Euphrates had different outlets.
  • The last sighting of lions on the banks of the Tigris was in 1926, but foxes jackals and hyenas can still be seen from the river today.

Tigris River Fact File

Countries: Turkey, Syria, Iraq

Length: 1850 km (1150 miles)

Source: Lake Hazar, Turkey

Mouth: Shatt al-Arab, Iraq (Persian Gulf)

Tigris River

What next? Discover some more facts about rivers by visiting our rivers resources page.