Baikal is the deepest lake surrounded by high mountains. Many rivers flow into it, but only one flows out. She is called the daughter of Baikal. She is beautiful and full of water and, moreover, very swift.
General description of the Baikal rivers
The feeding pool of the great lake has many water streams. These are the rivers flowing from Baikal and flowing into it. There are 544 temporary and permanent tributaries. The rivers were counted on maps in 1964. Before that, it was believed that there were 336 of them. Moreover, most of them flow from the eastern shores.
Rivers carry 60 cubic kilometers of water to Baikal. It has low mineralization, as the area around the lake is composed of metamorphic and volcanic rocks. The total area of the drainage basin is about 540 thousand square kilometers. The largest inflowing and flowing rivers of Baikal: Angara, Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin. They are arranged like this, starting with the most important.
Baikal's main tributaries
Most of the waters - almost half of Baikal - are brought by the Selenga River. Its source is inMongolia.
The Upper Angara flows into Baikal from the northeast. It flows down from the North Muya and Delyun-Uransky ranges.
Barguzin is another large river flowing into Baikal. In full-flowing water, it loses to the Upper Angara. It carries its waters from the Barguzinsky ridge. The height that this river loses when it reaches the majestic lake is 1344 meters.
The rivers flowing from the Khamar-Daban ridge are numerous. This mountain range is heavily dissected by valleys. These are such rivers as Snezhnaya, Langutai, Selenginka, Utulik, Khara-Murin. These water streams have many rapids and waterfalls.
All these are tributaries of a huge lake, but are there any rivers flowing from Baikal? The water stream originating from this miracle of nature is one and only. Which river flows out of Baikal can be seen on the map of this area. This is Angara.
Toponymy of Baikal and its rivers
The name Baikal (according to one of the versions) is translated from Turkic as "rich lake". Another option, from Mongolian, is "big lake". Different translations of the names have inflowing and flowing rivers. Angara originates from Baikal, and its name means “open” (from the Buryat word “angagar”). Barguzin (and with it the ridge, village, bay of the same name) is formed from the name of a tribe living in the Baikal region. They are called Barguts, and their language is similar to Buryat. Selenga from Evenki means "iron". And from Buryat it can have such a translation: "lake", "overflow". Shaman threshold - foundationPrimorsky ridge, washed out by the Angara. The resulting ledge is the Shaman stone, revered by the local population. It has acquired the status of a protected natural monument.
Angara and the rivers flowing into it
Angara has a powerful flow, like other large Siberian rivers. Its waters flowing from Baikal rush mainly in the northern and western directions. On its way, it overcomes the Central Siberian Plateau, then flows through the territory of the Baikal region and ends its run at the confluence with the Yenisei. Its length is 1779 kilometers. The Angara owes its powerful flow to Baikal. Its width is more than a kilometer. The only river flowing from Baikal, in turn, feeds the Yenisei, the largest water artery of Siberia, from the right side. The basin of this river includes 38 thousand small and large tributaries. In addition, there are more than six lakes in this area. The tributaries of the Angara on the left side are larger: Irkut, Kitoy, Belaya, Biryusa, Oka, Uda. On the right side, the flowing rivers are not so full-flowing: Ilim, Ushovka, Uda, Kuda, Ida, Osa.
The bed of this river passes through an area characterized by harsh climatic conditions. However, ice is established on it later than on other large water streams in Siberia. This is due to the fact that there is a very strong current. In addition, Baikal waters enter the Angara, the temperature of which is warmer. At the source, steam even rises above the river. It forms frost on trees. Waterfowl visit here every year. Black-and-white goldeneyes, long-tailed ducks, and mergansers winter here. Also in winterThe hangar gathers up to two thousand ducks.
Economic use of the river
The cities of Irkutsk, Angarsk, Bratsk, Ust-Ilimsk arose on the banks of the Angara. The only river flowing out of Baikal has a very powerful flow. Therefore, hydropower plays an important role in the economy of this region. Three HPPs have been built on the Angara: Bratskaya, Irkutskaya, and Ust-Ilimskaya. Reservoirs with corresponding names have been built here. Together they form the Angara cascade. The fourth HPP - Boguchanskaya - under construction.
Before the creation of these power plants and reservoirs, the river was not navigable, as its current is very fast, and many rapids created a danger to pass. This was a very serious problem in the economic development of this region. Now river transportation has become more accessible, but only in four sections of the river. As a result of human activity, the water in the Angara has become calmer.
Legend of the Angara
There is a legend that tells which river flows out of Baikal and why. It says that the hero Baikal lived in these parts. He had 336 sons and only one daughter, Angara. The hero forced his children to work day and night. They melted snow and ice, and drove the water into a deep depression surrounded by mountains. But the results of their hard work were wasted by the daughter on different outfits and other whims. One day Angara found out that somewhere behind the mountains lives the handsome Yenisei. She fell in love with him.
But the stern father wanted her to marry old Irkut. To prevent her from escaping, he hid her in a palace at the bottom of a lake. Angara grieved for a long time, but the gods took pity on her and released her from the dungeon. Baikal's daughter broke free and ran quickly, quickly. And the old Baikal could not catch up with it. Out of anger and annoyance, he threw a stone in her direction. But he missed, and the block fell into the place where the Shaman stone is now located. He continued to throw stones at his fleeing daughter, but each time Angara managed to dodge. When she ran to her fiancé Yenisei, they embraced and together went north to the sea.
The Angara is one of the great Siberian rivers, and yet it is unique. This is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal. It provides electricity to the entire Irkutsk region and neighboring territories.
