Ob River
Ob-Irtysh watershed
Origin	Altai Krai
Mouth	Kara Sea
Basin countries	Russia
Length	3,650 km (2,268 mi) from the head of the Katun River; 5,410 km (3,362 mi) from the head of the Irtysh River
Source elevation
Avg. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Altai Krai (Алта́йский край Altaysky kray) is a federal subject of Russia (a Krai) in the Siberian Federal District The Kara Sea ( Russian: Ка́рское мо́ре is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending For the steel inverted roller coaster see Katun (roller coaster; for the village in Slovakia see Katúň. Irtysh (Иртыш; Kazakh: Ertis / Эртiс; Иртеш|İrteş; Chinese: Erqisi / 额尔齐斯河) a River in Siberia discharge	12,500 m³/s (441,500 ft³/s)
Basin area	2,972,497 km² (1,131,273 mi²)

Ob River (Russian: Обь), also Obi, is a major river in West Siberia, Russia, the country's fourth longest. In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending

Contents 1 Names 2 Geography 3 Human use 4 Cities along the Ob 5 References 6 External links

Names

The Ob is known to the Khanty people as the As, Yag, Kolta and Yema; to the Nenets people as the Kolta or Kuay; and to the Siberian Tatars as the Umar or Omar. Khanty / Hanti (obsolete Ostyaks) are an endangered Indigenous people calling themselves Khanti Khande Kantek (Khanty living in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous The Nenets people ( Ethnonym in Nenets language: ненэця Russian name ненцы IPA: (plural--> The Siberian Tatars are a sub-group of the Tatars, sometimes considered a separate ethnic group

Geography

The Ob is formed sixteen miles southwest of Biysk in Altai Krai by the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers. Biysk (Бийск is a city in Altai Krai, Russia. It is the second largest city of the krai (after Barnaul) Altai Krai (Алта́йский край Altaysky kray) is a federal subject of Russia (a Krai) in the Siberian Federal District The Biya River (Бия is a River in the Altai Krai in Russia. For the steel inverted roller coaster see Katun (roller coaster; for the village in Slovakia see Katúň. Both these streams have their origin in the Altay Mountains, the Biya issuing from Lake Teletskoye, the Katun, 80 mi long, bursting out of a glacier on Mount Byelukha. The Altai Mountains (Алтай Altay; Алтай 阿尔泰山脉 are a Mountain range in central Asia, where Russia, Lake Teletskoye (Озеро Телецкое Altay: Алтын Кӧл Altyn-Köl, literally "Golden Lake" is the largest lake in the Altay Mountains Belukha Mountain ( Russian: Белуха; Altai: Muztau) located in the Katun Mountains, is the highest peak of the Altay Mountains The Ob zigzags west and north until it reaches 55° N, where it curves round to the northwest, and again north, wheeling finally eastwards into the Gulf of Ob, a long (600 mi) bay of the Kara Sea, which adjoins the Arctic Ocean. The Gulf of Ob (also known as Ob Bay) (О́бская губа́ Obskaya guba) is an immense bay of the Arctic Ocean in Northern The Kara Sea ( Russian: Ка́рское мо́ре is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major

The river splits into more than one arm, especially after joining the large Irtysh tributary at about 69° E. Irtysh (Иртыш; Kazakh: Ertis / Эртiс; Иртеш|İrteş; Chinese: Erqisi / 额尔齐斯河) a River in Siberia Originating in China, the Irtysh is actually longer than the Ob from their sources to the point of their confluence. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Irtysh (Иртыш; Kazakh: Ertis / Эртiс; Иртеш|İrteş; Chinese: Erqisi / 额尔齐斯河) a River in Siberia From the source of the Irtysh to the mouth of the Ob, the river flow is the longest in Russia at 5,410 km. Other noteworthy tributaries are: from the east, the Tom, Chulym, Ket, Tym and Vakh rivers; and, from the west and south, the Vasyugan, Irtysh (with the Ishim and Tobol rivers), and Sosva rivers. Tom (Томь is a river in Russia, right Tributary of Ob. Its length is 871 km The Chulym (Чулым is a River in Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tomsk Oblast in Russia, a right Tributary of the Ob River Ket River (Кеть also known in its upper reaches as the Big Ket River (Большая Кеть is a River in the Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tomsk Oblast Tym River (Тым is a river in Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tomsk Oblast in Russia, right Tributary of the Ob River. The Vakh River (Вах is a River in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Vasyugan (Васюга́н is a river in Russia, the left Tributary of the Ob River. Irtysh (Иртыш; Kazakh: Ertis / Эртiс; Иртеш|İrteş; Chinese: Erqisi / 额尔齐斯河) a River in Siberia Ishim River (Иши́м Kazakh: Esil) is a River running through Kazakhstan and Russia. Tobol ( Тобыл; Тобол) is a River in Kazakhstan and Kurgan and Tyumen Oblasts in Russia, left Tributary Sosva River (Сосьва is a River in Sverdlovsk Oblast in Russia, a right tributary of the Tavda River.

The combined Ob-Irtysh system, the third-longest river system of Asia (after China's Yangtze and Yellow rivers), is 5,410 km (3,362 mi) long, and the area of its basin 2,990,000 km². China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho ( Hatan Gol Queen river) is the second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the

The river basin of the Ob consists mostly of steppe, taiga, swamps, tundra, and semi-desert topography. In physical Geography, a steppe ( German, from степь - "a flat and arid land" степ - /stɛp/ тал - tal дала - /dɑlɑ/ pronounced Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons A Semi-arid climate or steppe climate generally describes climatic regions that receive low annual Rainfall (250-500 mm or 10-20 in The floodplains of the Ob are characterized by many tributaries and lakes.

The Ob is ice-bound at southern Barnaul from early in November to near the end of April, and at northern Salekhard, 100 miles above its mouth, from the end of October to the beginning of June. For the Barnaul meteorite of 1904 see Meteorite falls. For the bird see Barn owl. Salekhard (Салеха́рд Nenets: Саля'харад lit

Human use

The Ob is used mostly for irrigation, drinking water, hydroelectric energy, and fishing; the river has more than 50 species of fish.

The navigable waters within the Ob basin reach a total length of 9300 miles. The importance of the Ob basin navigation for transportation was particularly great before the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway, since, despite the general south-to-north direction of the flow of Ob and most of its tributaries, the width of the Ob basin provided for (somewhat indirect) transportation in the east-west direction as well. The Trans-Siberian Railway or Trans-Siberian Railroad (Транссибирская магистраль Транссиб in Russian, or Transsibirskaya magistral' Until the early 20th century, a particularly important western river port was Tyumen, located on the Tyumen River, an affluent of the Tobol. Tyumen ( is a city in Russia, located on the Tura River east of Moscow. Tobol ( Тобыл; Тобол) is a River in Kazakhstan and Kurgan and Tyumen Oblasts in Russia, left Tributary Reached by an extension of the the Ekaterinburg-Perm railway in 1885, and thus obtaining a rail link to the Kama and Volga rivers in the heart of Russia, Tyumen became an important railhead for some years until the railway was extended further east. Yekaterinburg (Екатеринбу́рг also romanized Ekaterinburg, formerly Sverdlovsk) is a major city in the central part of Russia Perm (Пермь pʲɛrmʲ is a city and administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia. Kama (река́ Ка́ма is a major river in Russia, the longest left tributary of the Volga and the largest one in discharge in fact it is larger than Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending In the eastern reaches of the Ob basin, Tomsk on the Tom River was an important terminus. Tomsk (Томск is a city on the Tom River in the southwest of Siberian Federal District, Russia, the administrative centre of Tom (Томь is a river in Russia, right Tributary of Ob. Its length is 871 km

Tyumen had its first steamboat in 1836, and the middle reaches of the Ob have been navigated by steamboats since 1845. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller

In an attempt to extend the Ob navigable system even further, a system of canals, utilizing the Ket River, 560 mi long in all, was built in the late 19th century to connect the Ob with the Yenisei, but soon abandoned as being uncompetitive with the railway. Ob-Yenisei Canal, also known as Ket-Kas Canal is a disused waterway that connected the basins of the rivers Ob and Yenisei in Siberia Ket River (Кеть also known in its upper reaches as the Big Ket River (Большая Кеть is a River in the Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tomsk Oblast Yenisei (Енисе́й is the greatest River system flowing to the Arctic Ocean, and at 5539 km (3445 mi is the fifth longest river in the world The Trans-Siberian Railway or Trans-Siberian Railroad (Транссибирская магистраль Транссиб in Russian, or Transsibirskaya magistral'

The Trans-Siberian Railway, once completed, provided for more direct, year-round transportation in the east-west direction. But the Ob river system still remained important for connecting the huge expanses of Tyumen Oblast and Tomsk Oblast with the major cities along the Trans-Siberian route, such as Novosibirsk or Omsk. Tyumen Oblast (Тюме́нская о́бласть Tyumenskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) Tomsk Oblast (То́мская о́бласть Tomskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) History The city was founded in 1893 as the future site of the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge crossing the great Siberian river Ob, and was known as Omsk (Омск is a city in southwest Siberia in Russia, the administrative center of Omsk Oblast. In the second half of the 20th century, construction of rail links to Labytnangi, Tobolsk, and the oil and gas cities of Surgut, and Nizhnevartovsk provided more railheads, but did not diminish the importance of the waterways for reaching places still not served by the rail. Labytnangi (Лабытна́нги Khanty: kca лапыт нангк lit Tobolsk (Тобо́льск Tatar: Tubıl) is a historic capital of Siberia, now an ordinary town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia. Surgut (Сургу́т is a city in Russia, the largest in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and second largest in Tyumen Oblast. Nizhnevartovsk (Нижнева́ртовск is the second largest city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia

A dam was built near Novosibirsk in 1956, which created the largest artificial lake in Siberia, called Novosibirsk Reservoir. History The city was founded in 1893 as the future site of the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge crossing the great Siberian river Ob, and was known as Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving Novosibirsk Reservoir or Novosibirskoye Reservoir (Новосиби́рское водохрани́лище informally called the Ob Sea (ru Обско́е

In the 1960s through 1980s, a gigantic project was contemplated by Soviet engineers and administrators to divert some of the waters of Ob and Irtysh to Kazakhstan and Soviet Central Asian republics, replenishing the Aral Sea as well. The Northern river reversal or Siberian river reversal was a grandiose project to divert the flow of the Northern rivers in the Soviet Union, which "uselessly" Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south The Aral Sea ( Kazakh: Арал Теңізі Aral Tengizi, Orol dengizi Russian: Аральскοе мοре Tajik / Persian: Daryocha-i The project never left the drawing board, abandoned in 1986 due to economic and environmental considerations. ^{[1] [2]}

Cities along the Ob

Cities along the river include:

• Barnaul
• Novosibirsk (Russia's third largest city)
• Kolpashevo
• Nizhnevartovsk
• Surgut
• Khanty-Mansiysk
• Beryozovo
• Labytnangi
• Salekhard

See also: Rivers of Russia

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

External links

• Information and a map of the Ob's watershed
• River Basin Report: Ob River

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