The
Lena (
Russian ??´??;
Sakha ??????,
Ölüöne) is the easternmost of the three great
Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two being the
Ob River and the
Yenisei River). It is the 10th longest
river in the world and has the 9th largest
watershed. It is the greatest
Russian river with its watershed entirely within national ranges. Rising at the height of 1,640&_160;metres (5,381&_160;ft) at its source in the
Baikal Mountains south of the
Central Siberian Plateau, 7&_160;kilometres (4&_160;mi) west of
Lake Baikal, the Lena flows northeast, being joined by the
Kirenga River,
Vitim River and
Olyokma River. From
Yakutsk it enters the lowlands and flows north until joined by its right-hand affluent the
Aldan River. The
Verkhoyansk Range deflects it to the north-west; then, after receiving its most important left-hand tributary, the
Vilyuy River, it makes its way nearly due north to the
Laptev Sea, a division of the
Arctic Ocean, emptying south-west of the
New Siberian Islands by the
Lena Delta - 30,000&_160;square kilometres (11,583&_160;sq&_160;mi) in area,
[2] and traversed by seven principal branches, the most important being
Bykov, farthest east.
The total length of the river is estimated at 4,400&_160;km (2,800 mi). The area of the Lena river basin is calculated at 2,490,000&_160;square kilometres (961,394&_160;sq&_160;mi). Gold is washed out of the sands of the Vitim and the Olyokma, and mammoth tusks have been dug out of the delta. The Lena has the unusual distinction of appearing to be the longest river in the world when viewed on a map using a Mercator projection, the most common method of displaying the spherical earth on a flat surface, due to that projection's tendency to exaggerate the size of areas near the poles (the longer Amazon and Nile rivers both cross the equator.)
The majority of researchers believe that the name of the river Lena has been acquired from the original Even-Evenk name Elyu-Ene, which means "the Large River".
In the upper section west and northwest of Lake Baikal the river flows mostly north. 4400 [3]. A small lake in the Baikal Range, in the Baikal-Lena Reserve, 10&_160;km west of Lake Baikal, 1800m in altitude. The Lena flows north 19&_160;km, losing 600m in altitude and becomes passable by rafts. It turns west and then south losing another 600 meters in 128&_160;km, to Chanchur, where there is a ranger station. 4222 Kachug start of navigation, road to Irkutsk. 4197Verkholenskmouth of the Kulenga River, northwest through mountains, Tutura River. 4108Zhigalovostart of passenger service, including hydrofoil to Ust-Kut. Canyon downstream.
