The Yukon River, photos of which are located below, closes the top five longest water arteries in North America. Moreover, according to this indicator, it is ranked 21st in the world. Translated from the language of the local aborigines, its name means "Great River". The largest settlements built on it are Marshall, Circle, Rylot Station, Fort Yukon and others.
General Description
The Yukon River on the map of North America is located mainly in the northwestern part. It flows through the United States and Canada. The American state of Alaska is visually divided by this waterway into two approximately identical parts. It originates in the territory of the Canadian province called British Columbia. The mouth is opposite St. Lawrence Island, not far from Norton Bay. The total area of the basin, which is deep, narrow and long, exceeds 855 thousand square kilometers. The Yukon is 3,185 kilometers long. It should be noted that this is the mosta long water artery that flows through Canada.
Opening
Mankind knew almost nothing about this river until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its discoverer is Pyotr Korsakovsky from Russia. It is his detailed description of the mouth, dated 1819, that is currently considered the oldest. In addition, our compatriot a few years later founded a settlement here, which was called the Mikhailovsky Redoubt. After Alaska became the 49th state of the United States, it was renamed Saint Michael. The village is still known by this name. In 1843, the Russian naval officer L. Zagoskin described in detail the lower course of the water artery.
The Yukon River is now very popular with tourists. Many of them prefer to travel on it by boat or canoe. In 1897, the famous writer Jack London visited these places. He was so impressed by them that he spent over six months there.
Leakage
The river source, as noted above, is located in the north of British Columbia. It is considered to be Lake Atlin, which is located at an altitude of 731 meters above sea level. Together with several more lakes, a kind of chain is created, the last link of which is Lake Marsh. A little north of it is the main administrative center of Northern Canada and the federal territory - the city of Whitehorse. Despite its importance, it is very small and has a population of 21 thousand inhabitants.
After the Yukon River goes around it, it rushes intonorthwest direction and expands for five kilometers, thereby forming Lake Laberge. The length of its basin is about fifty kilometers. Further, the water flow crosses the US border, after which it ends up in Alaska. Here the channel is located in a mountainous area, so it is not surprising that the river is full of rapids. Immediately after the small town of Eagle, it comes out on flat ground.
Not far from the Mountain Village, the Yukon Delta begins. The local population does not even reach the mark of one thousand people. People here by American standards live very poorly. Behind this village, the water stream breaks into many channels, after which it flows into the Bering Sea. It should be noted that the stretch between the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers in Alaska is the greenest area.
Climate and water regime
Winter in the waterway basin lasts about nine months. At this time, there are periods when the air temperature drops to fifty degrees below zero. In connection with such weather conditions, the region is characterized by a peculiar settlement. Most of the villages here are small, and their population is two times less than it was during the gold rush. Be that as it may, the Yukon River has great hydroelectric potential. Its interesting feature is that only four bridges are thrown over it.
The water artery is fed mainly by snow. The period from June to July is the time of floods. In ittime the water level here can rise to fifteen to twenty meters. The main left tributaries are Novita, Beaver and Birch, and the right ones are Tiislin, Stewart, Pally, Milozitna, Klondike, Nadvizik and others. Starting from the second half of October and up to the beginning of May, the period of ice standing lasts. During the rest of the year, the river is navigable. Ships can enter it up to the Whitehorse Rapids for a distance of about 3,200 kilometers from the delta.
River dwellers
Due to the predominance of low temperatures, the vegetation in the basin is not very diverse. From time immemorial, fishing has been the most developed industry among local residents. The situation has not changed in our time. The fact is that the Yukon River is a place where a huge amount of salmon swims for spawning. In addition to it, other valuable species of fish are found in its waters, including whitefish, pike, grayling and nelma. As of today, fishing is legal in the Yukon. The cost of an annual license for its implementation is 35 Canadian dollars. This does not apply to the local natives, who have a lifetime right to free fishing in the local waters. As for the representatives of the fauna, beavers, black bears, bighorn sheep and foxes live on the banks of the river.
Gold Rush
Starting in the late nineteenth century, the Yukon River in North America gained worldwide fame. The fact is that in 1896, in the area of its flow, three prospectors discovered the first gold. A year later from here toSeveral tons of this mineral were brought to San Francisco. After that, a massive hype began, and thousands of fortune hunters rushed to the Yukon and Klondike rivers in search of quick profit. It was these people who became the founders of most of the towns and villages that have survived to this day. Many of them got rich very quickly. Along with this, there were those who disappeared forever in the snowy cold desert. At the end of the nineteenth century, the gold sand reserves here dried up, and the hype ended. In addition, gold was found on Seward in 1899, so the vast majority of prospectors moved there. All that's left of the fever is a memory and a Yukon steamship line.
