What rivers are included in the Pacific basin. inland waters of north america

13.03.202027.05.2017

North America has rich inland waters. By the number of inland water bodies, it ranks third in the world among other continents (after Eurasia and South America).

Rivers of the Pacific Basin

The rivers that belong to the Pacific Ocean in North America are short, but very full-flowing. These rivers surround deep and narrow valleys called canyons.

The largest river in the Pacific Ocean basin is the Colorado River, which has many hydroelectric power plants that generate energy for several states.

In the northern west of North America, the Yukon River flows, the lower course of which resembles the great and full-flowing rivers of Siberia. The Yukon River carries its waters directly to the Pacific Ocean. In summer, it is full of water, in July the river overflows for 160 km.

Rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin

The rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin are very long, they have a large number of tributaries. The largest river of the continent, which belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin, is the Mississippi.

The main tributary of the Mississippi is the Missouri River, one of the most long rivers in the world. The Mississippi River basin occupies 1/6 of North America.

In frosty winters, the Mississippi is covered with ice (with the exception of the part that crosses tropical latitudes), in summer the river floods. The Mississippi is called the "fat mud": its waters are colored yellow, as the current washes loose clay rocks.

Lakes of North America

On the territory of North America, the largest accumulation of fresh lakes on earth is located - the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes complex unites five reservoirs, two of which are held together by the Niagara Falls.

The largest lake on the continent is the Upper Lake, it is the largest fresh water body on the planet. The freshwater lakes of North America do not freeze in winter, which makes them suitable for year-round use for industrial purposes.

Salt lakes are located in the north of the continent. The largest of them are the Great Bear, Great Slave, Great Salt Lake.

Niagara Falls

Translated from the language of the ancient Indians, "Niagara" means "thundering water." This name very accurately characterizes the reservoir: the noise of Niagara Falls is heard at a distance of 25 km. Niagara Falls is relatively young: it was formed about 10 thousand years ago.

Niagara Falls is made up of three waterfalls: Horseshoe, Bridal Veil and American Falls. The height of all three waterfalls is 53 meters (of which 21 meters are visible).

Despite the fact that the height is small, the waterfalls are very wide, the volume of falling water reaches 5700 m3/s. Niagara Falls attracts many tourists from all over the world. The most colorful views of the waterfall open from Canada.

Before finding out which rivers belong to the Pacific basin, it is worth knowing what it is.

The deceptive Pacific Ocean is surrounded by five continents:

Eurasia;
North America;
South America;
Australia;
Antarctica.

A myriad of islands are scattered throughout its territory. The ocean connects countries and people by water and air.

The Pacific was first called the Great, it is the leader among other oceans:

The total surface area is 178.7 million square kilometers - half the total area of all water bodies on Earth and a third of the planet's surface. From south to north it stretched for 16 thousand kilometers, from east to west - for 20 thousand.
The total volume of water is 710 million cubic kilometers. At the same time, when closer to the poles the water is covered with ice, builds icebergs and gives rise to tsunamis, in tropical latitudes it surprises with transparency and piercing blue. Tens of thousands of living creatures live there - fish, animals, bacteria, algae, fungi.
The depth of the ocean is on average 3984 m. The bottom is indented with mountains and gorges. The deepest place is the Mariana Trench (the distance from the surface of the water to the bottom is 11 km). It formed 180 million years ago and carefully keeps its secrets from scientists. The complex relief highlights the seas in the Pacific Ocean, each of which has a special life.

The rivers belonging to the Pacific Ocean make up a list of almost four hundred names. They replenish the water supply and bring alluvium - the material for the structure of the bottom. Basically, these are turbulent mountain streams with a winding channel.

The most full-flowing rivers of the Pacific Ocean basin belong to the lands of Eurasia and North America. The rest of the continents give little inflow. Asian drains have an impact only on the adjacent seas. Those that escape from American shores become completely part of the ocean.

Yangtze

The Yangtze River crosses China from west to east. It divided the country, giving rise to different cultures on its two banks in antiquity.

The source of the Yangtze is located in the mountains of Tibet at around 5000 m above sea level. Here it is fed by the glaciers of the Tangla and Kukushili ranges. At the beginning of the journey, the river is called Jinshajiang.

Having squeezed through the gorges of the Sino-Tibetan mountains, it significantly loses height. In the canyon Leaping Tiger Gorge, the narrowest place on the river is located - about 30 m. According to legend, a tiger, running away from a hunter, was able to overcome this distance. The canyon is located on the territory of the protected park "Three parallel rivers" protected by UNESCO, namely the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween.

Further, the path of the Yangtze passes through the Sichuan Basin. Here it is joined by the large tributaries of the Minjiang and Jialingjiang. The rivers here are fed by the monsoons. The current becomes peaceful, from here full-fledged navigation begins.

A popular tourist destination is the Three Gorges. The Yangtze and Wujiang, one of its main tributaries, cut their way through the Wushan mountain range, forming the Quitang, Wu and Xiling gorges.

The beauty of nature is set off by the most powerful hydroelectric power station built on the river. The cascade of dams contributes to the destruction of natural and historical monuments located here.

Below the Yangtze, it flows along the Jianghan Plain, where it is replenished by the waters of several lakes and tributaries, of which there are more than 700, of which the largest is Hanshui.

Passing along the southern tip of the Great Plain of China, the Yangtze splits into many branches and, when it flows into the South China Sea, forms the Golden Triangle - a wide delta that forms an estuary. The eight-kilometer Sutun Bridge is thrown across it - the longest cable-stayed bridge on the planet. Here stands the most populous city on Earth - Shanghai.

In the Pacific Ocean, the Yangtze is the largest river in Eurasia. The Chinese themselves call it the "Long River" - Changjiang. In general, its length is 6300 km.

The waters of the river are used to generate electricity, Agriculture, fishing, tourism and shipping in conjunction with the Grand Canal.

Huanghe

The second longest river in the Pacific Ocean basin is the Yellow River, called the Yellow River for its unusual color. Its length, according to various estimates, ranges from 4670 km to 5464 km.

For a long time, it bore the name "Sorrow of China" or "River of a Thousand Sorrows." The reason for this was the regular destructive floods that claimed many lives. Two dozen times its channel changed the direction and location of the mouth, flooding entire villages.

Gradually, the river is covered with sand brought from the source and becomes more and more recalcitrant. Despite the construction of several dozen dams for power plants, special bypass channels and watersheds, disasters recur every few years.

But the same sediments enable farmers to get a rich harvest. The use of water for the bay of rice fields led to the fact that the Yellow River began to dry up.

The area of the river basin is approximately 750 thousand square kilometers. It is difficult to accurately determine due to the changeable nature of the current. For the same reason, navigation is poorly developed even on a calm flat part.

The Yellow River originates at an altitude of 4500 m on the Tibetan Plateau near Bayan-Khara-Ula, not far from the source of the Yangtze and the Mekong. The upper reaches of these rivers were united in the reserve "Sources of three rivers".

Escaping from the embrace of the Tibetan mountains, the river makes the Ordos loop, hugging a section of the Ordos steppe. Between low hills covered with rare shrubs, mirrors of salt and fresh lakes glisten. Among them, the mausoleum of the great conqueror Genghis Khan was lost. The southern border is guarded by the Great Wall of China. The Yellow River continues south and enters the Loess Plateau. The loess washed out of the soil - a calcareous rock of a light yellow color - became the reason for the name of the river. Here it is the only major source of moisture for numerous agricultural enterprises and cities. Then, downstream, the withdrawn water is replenished by numerous tributaries, the most important of which are the Daxiahe, Weihe, Taohe, Luohe. After running along the Great Plain of China, the Huang He flows into the Yellow Sea, forming a delta on the shores of the Bohai Bay.

Dozens of power plants and discharges pose an environmental problem industrial waste. The water is so polluted that it is not even suitable for use in industry and agriculture.

Mekong

The Mekong River also belongs to the Pacific Ocean. It starts on the Tangla Ridge at an altitude of about 5 thousand kilometers and crosses the borders of six states of Indochina:

China;
Cambodia:
Vietnam;
Laos;
Myanmar;
Thailand.

For the last three, it partially serves as a natural boundary. Each country has its own name. For example, for the Chinese - Lancangjiang, and for the Vietnamese - Cu Long.

The length of the river is 4.5 thousand km and a fairly calm flow in the flat part allows it to be used as a serious transport artery. In normal times, you can rise from the mouth for 700 km, and in high water - for 1600 km. Most of the path of the Mekong passes through mountain crevices. A fast full-flowing current is replete with rapids.

The construction of hydroelectric power plants is hampered by disputes between neighbors. After all, the nutrition of the river depends both on rains and on glaciers at the source. Residents of Laos and Cambodia fear that the dams will block the flow of water.

On the border between Laos and Cambodia, the level of the channel gradually changes to 21 m, a stepped spectacular waterfall Khon is formed. After it, the stream enters the plain, calms down.

Additional inflow is provided by lakes. The most original of them is Tonle Sap. It constantly changes shape, so the inhabitants build houses right on the water, and the runoff from the lake joins the Mekong stream along with all the waste. This practice was adopted by the people of Vietnam. They live in houseboats, under which fish are raised in nets as livestock. The Mekong Delta is located in Vietnam. Eight of its branches have formed estuaries extending far into the South China Sea. The shores are covered with impenetrable swamps and jungles.

Yukon

The list of the longest rivers belonging to the Pacific Ocean includes the North American Yukon River with a length of 3185 km. For its full flow and harsh character, the Indians called it the "Big River".

Unlike those described above, it flows through cold lands and is covered with ice for more than six months. Most of the water comes from glaciers and melting snow.

Despite the cold, animals live here, salmon comes to spawn.

The source of the Yukon is the Atlin Lake complex, located in southwestern Canada at around 731 m above sea level. The river flows out of Marsh Lake, the last in the chain.

The Canadian part of the river is mountainous and full of rapids. It is unsuitable for boating.

In this part, the course is flat, in the warm season from June to September it is used for navigation. In June, floods occur when the water level rises to 20 m. Only four automobile bridges and many crossings are thrown across the stream.

The Yukon flows into the Bering Sea. The Delta is the most densely populated place in Alaska. But at the beginning of the 20th century, it was impossible to find the Yukon and its tributary Klondike on world maps. After the discovery of gold deposits, there were more hunters to move to the gold-bearing shores than they could accommodate. Now there are few who want to live in this cold land. Golden fever left only an aura of romance that attracts tourists. They also go on steamboat excursions in order to admire the picturesque rocky shores.

Amur

The Far Eastern full-flowing Amur has a length of 2824 kilometers. The basin area covers a little less than two million square kilometers and captures part of the territory of Mongolia.

Ice lies on the river for half a year, from July to August heavy rains lead to floods.

The beginning of the Amur is considered to be the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers at an altitude of 303 m above sea level. If you add the length of the sources, in general you get more than 4000 km. After the confluence, it heads east, separating the territory of Russia from China, where it is called the "Black River" or "Black Dragon". From this place begins full-fledged shipping.

Among the numerous tributaries of the Amur there are such as the Zeya. It is deeper and more full-flowing and can compete for leadership. The point of its confluence separates the mountainous Upper and swampy valleys of the Middle Amur.

After the annexation of the Ussuri, the Lower Amur begins near Khabarovsk. The gently sloping valley is covered with lakes and oxbow lakes left after seasonal floods.

The Amur ends in the Amur Estuary, from where it exits to the Tatar Strait, then to the Sea of Okhotsk and further to the Pacific Ocean.

The nature on the banks is as diverse as the nature of the current. As water boiling on rapids is replaced by a network of channels, so steppes and semi-deserts are replaced by taiga forests. Fishermen love the river for its abundance delicious fish. Scientists are studying ancient rock paintings left about three thousand years ago. Extreme tourists rafting. Cautious tourists can arrange a photo shoot for local birds and animals and, possibly, catch the rarest Amur tiger in the frame.

The rivers included in the Pacific basin can be listed for a long time. This list includes Anadyr, Colorado, Fraser, Liaohe, Brisbane and others. All of them are beautiful. Each of them has its own characteristics, they benefit a person.

North America is an amazing continent full of rivers and lakes. All of them belong to the basins of the three oceans that wash the mainland - the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. These oceans include such seas as the Chukchi, Caribbean, Baffin, Bering, Sargasovo, as well as the straits and bays of North America.

Arctic Ocean Basin

Part of the mainland in the north belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin. The rivers here are quite young, and their valleys are characterized by a large number of lakes and swamps. The rivers of this territory are mostly flat, with a mixed (with a predominance of snow) type of nutrition, almost the entire year (8 months) are ice-bound. Some of them can even freeze to the bottom. The largest river Mackenzie (4240 km.), It is navigable only three months a year. This basin also includes the Bluenose River and Lake Garry.

The only ocean that does not wash North America is the Indian Ocean. South and North America are separated by the Panama Canal, Eurasia and North America, in turn, are separated by the Bering Strait.

Atlantic Ocean basin

The rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin reach great lengths. The main river of this basin is the Mississippi (3778 km). It has two tributaries: the left one is the Missouri River, the right one is the Ohio River. The Mississippi is a flat river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico, forming a huge delta. Meals are mixed (with a predominance of rain). Frequent downpours can be detrimental as they cause flooding. In the upper reaches of the Mississippi freezes for a short time.

Rice. 1 Mississippi River

The Atlantic Ocean also includes the Bronx, Mohawk, Tar, Tallulah and others.

Pacific Basin

The Pacific basin is insignificant. This includes the mountain rivers of the Cordillera, the largest of which are the Colorado, Columbia, and Yukon. Most of the rivers are not very long, but have a fast and cold flow. The Yukon River is the third largest in the North American basin. This river is of great importance for Alaska. Fish riches are concentrated off the coast of Alaska, this river is fed by snow and is covered with ice for half a year. The Colorado River is located in southern North America and flows into the Gulf of California in Mexico. Most of the riverbed runs between desert and semi-desert regions.

Lakes of the North American Basin

North America is rich in lakes. Most of them are located in the north in the zone of continental glaciation and are of glacial-tectonic origin. In the Cordillera, the lakes are volcanic (crater), and on the coasts of the ocean - lagoons. The main waterways of the mainland are the Great Lakes. This includes Lake Superior. It is the largest fresh water lake in the world. The Great Lakes also include Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario. The volume of water here is almost equal to the volume of Lake Baikal.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake on Earth (82.4 thousand sq. km).

Rice. 2. Lake Superior

All lakes are connected by rivers into a single waterway. For example, Lakes Erie and Ontario are united by the Niagara River, it is on it that the famous Niagara Falls is located.

Glaciers of the North American Basin

Most of the glaciers (more than 86%) belong to Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. There is so much ice in Greenland that its entire volume exceeds the amount of water in all the lakes of the world. But due to global warming, the Greenland glaciers are melting quite intensively. Icebergs break away from the glacier and are carried by currents into the open ocean (Labrador and East Greenland). In the last century, at positive air temperatures, 50% of the ice sheet in the coastal zone melted, now this number has increased to 97%.

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About forty rivers belong to the Pacific Ocean basin. The largest and most significant rivers are the Amur, which flows into the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Anadyr, which flows into the Bering Sea. All rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean can be described as relatively short, but fast-flowing. Both Amur and Anadyr originate and flow by a third among the mountains.

The Amur flows along the border of Russia and China, partly through the territory of Mongolia. Thus, the riverbed passes through the territory of three countries. In each of the countries, the Amur has its own name, for example, the Chinese call it the “Black Dragon River”, and the Mongols “Black River”. The length of the Amur is two thousand eight hundred seventy-four kilometers (2874 km.), And the length of the entire basin is about four and a half thousand kilometers, from the mouth of the Shilka and Argun rivers. In terms of basin area, the Amur is in fourth place among Russian rivers, second only to the Yenisei, Ob and Lena, the area of the Amur river basin is one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five square kilometers.

In Russia, the Amur flows through the territory of Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Territory, Amur region, Chita region, Jewish Autonomous Region and Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug. Amur is formed as a result of the connection of two rivers: Argun and Shilka. Argun originates in Mongolia, more precisely on the western slope of the Greater Khingan Range. The length of the Argun from its source to the connection with Shilka is about one thousand six hundred kilometers. The source of the Shilka is located in the Chita region, before joining the Argun, the waters of the river pass over five hundred and fifty kilometers.

The Amur has seven main tributaries: Zeya, Ussuri, Bureya, Sungari, Amgun, Anyui, Tunguska. The Zeya is a right tributary of the Amur. The source is located high in the mountains belonging to the system. The Ussuri is the right tributary of the Amur, less than nine hundred kilometers long. Bureya is the left tributary of the Amur, flows through the territory of the Amur Region and the Khabarovsk Territory, the length is about six hundred kilometers. The Sungari is the largest right tributary of the Amur. It flows through China. The Amgun is a large left tributary of the Amur, originating in the mountains of the Bureya Range. The length of the Amgun is a little over seven hundred kilometers. It flows through the territory of the Khabarovsk Territory, in permafrost conditions. Anyui is the right tributary of the Amur, the source is in the mountains of the Khabarovsk Territory. Tunguska - the left tributary of the Amur, eighty-six kilometers long, flows completely through the plains of the Khabarovsk Territory.

In the last two years, the ecological situation in the waters of the Amur has deteriorated significantly. In the winter of 2005, an accident occurred at a chemical plant located on the banks of the Songhua River in China. The result of the incident was a powerful release of chemicals into the waters of the river, which is the largest tributary of the Amur, naturally, poisonous substances soon got into the water of the Amur. Despite the construction of the dam, water poisoning continues to this day.

About one hundred and twenty species of fish live in the waters of the Amur. Among them are white and black carp, sturgeon, beluga, perch, kaluga and many others. Among the representatives of the sturgeon family, there are individuals of huge sizes, sometimes the weight of the beluga reaches one ton, and the Amur sturgeons are considered the largest. The river is a large object where industrial fishing is developed.

Anadyr is a relatively small Chukchi river, its length is 1150 kilometers, and the basin area is one hundred ninety-one thousand square kilometers. The source of Anadyr is located in the center of the Anadyr plateau, there is a small lake, from which the Siberian river originates. The channel passes through the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and the river flows into the Gulf of Anadyr in the Bering Sea. The banks of the Anadyr are high mountains covered with dense forests, so there are no villages along almost the entire length of the river. Sometimes nomadic Chukchi tribes come to the cold waters of Anadyr.

The Anadyr has six major tributaries: Yablon (right tributary), Yeropol (right tributary), Chineiveem (left tributary), Belaya (left tributary), Main (right tributary) and Tanyurer (left tributary). The width and depth of the river does not allow large cargo ships to walk on it, therefore, only small ships use it as a transport line. Only at the mouth of the Anadyr reaches six and a half, seven kilometers, in the middle reaches it is half as narrow, and the upper reaches of the river are represented. In the lower reaches and the mouth of the Anadyr, industrial fishing is developed, in the upper and middle reaches only amateurs and athletes catch fish. The lands belonging to the Anadyr basin are rich in deposits hard coal, therefore, small barges travel along the river, transporting coal downstream to the Gulf of Anadyr, where ports and moorings have been built.

Anadyr receives the main water mass as a result of snowmelt, to a lesser extent, the river is fed by rain and groundwater. The upper reaches of the Chukchi River freeze very early - in mid-September, the middle and lower reaches are covered with ice in October. Ice drift begins only at the beginning of summer. Thus, there is no navigation on Anadyr for about eight months.

According to the materials of the big encyclopedia of Russia

All rivers flowing into can be described as relatively short, but fast-flowing. Both Amur and Anadyr originate and flow by a third among the mountains.

Amur river

The Amur flows along the border of Russia and China, partly across the territory. Thus, it passes through the territory of three. In each of the countries, the Amur has its own name, for example, the Chinese call it the "Dragon River", and the "Black River". The length of the Amur is two thousand eight hundred seventy-four kilometers (2874 km.), And the length of the entire basin is about four and a half thousand kilometers, from the mouth of the Shilka and Argun rivers. In terms of the area of \u200b\u200bthe Amur basin, it is in fourth place among Russian rivers, second only to, and, the area of \u200b\u200bthe Amur River basin is one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five square kilometers.

AT Russian Federation The Amur flows through the Primorsky Territory, Khabarovsk Territory, Amur Region, Chita Region, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Aginsky Autonomous Okrug. Amur is formed as a result of the connection of two rivers: Argun and Shilka. Argun originates in, more precisely on the western slope of the ridge. The length of the Argun from its source to the connection with Shilka is about one thousand six hundred kilometers. The source of the Shilka is located in the Chita region, before joining the Argun, the waters of the river pass over five hundred and fifty kilometers.

The confluence of the Ussuri River with the Amur. satellite view

The Amur has seven main tributaries: Zeya, Ussuri, Bureya, Sungari, Amgun, Anyui, Tunguska. Zeya is a right tributary of the Amur. The source is located high in the mountains belonging to the system. Ussuri- the right tributary of the Amur is less than nine hundred kilometers long. Bureya- the left tributary of the Amur, flows through the territory of the Amur Region and the Khabarovsk Territory, the length is approximately six hundred kilometers. Sungari - the largest right tributary of the Amur. It flows through China. Amgun- a large left tributary of the Amur, originates in the mountains of the Bureya Range. The length of the Amgun is a little over seven hundred kilometers. It flows through the territory of the Khabarovsk Territory, in conditions. Anyui- the right tributary of the Amur, the source is in the mountains of the Khabarovsk Territory. Tunguska- the left tributary of the Amur, eighty-six kilometers long, flows completely through the Khabarovsk Territory.

In the last two years, the ecological situation in the waters of the Amur has deteriorated significantly. In the winter of 2005, an accident occurred at a chemical plant located on the banks of the Songhua River in. The result of the incident was a powerful release of chemicals into the waters of the river, which is the largest tributary of the Amur, naturally, poisonous substances soon got into the water of the Amur. Despite the construction of the dam, water poisoning continues to this day.

Khabarovsk, Amur

Anadyr River

Anadyr is a relatively small Chukchi river, its length is 1150 kilometers, and the basin area is one hundred ninety-one thousand square kilometers. The source of Anadyr is located in the center of the Anadyr plateau, there is a small lake, from which the Siberian river originates. The channel passes through the territory of the Autonomous Okrug, and the river flows into the Gulf of Anadyr in. The banks of Anadyr are high mountains, overgrown with dense ones, therefore, there are no villages along almost the entire length of the river. Sometimes nomadic tribes come to the cold waters of Anadyr.

Port of the city of Anadyr, located at the mouth of the Anadyr River

The Anadyr has six major tributaries: Yablon (right tributary), Yeropol (right tributary), Chineiveem (left tributary), Belaya (left tributary), Main (right tributary) and Tanyurer (left tributary). The width and depth of the river does not allow large cargo ships to walk on it, therefore, only small ships use it as a transport line. Only at the mouth of the Anadyr reaches six and a half, seven kilometers, in the middle reaches it is half as narrow, and the upper reaches of the river are represented. Industrial fishing is developed in the lower reaches and the mouth of the Anadyr, only amateurs and athletes catch fish in the upper and middle reaches. The lands belonging to the Anadyr basin are rich in deposits, therefore, small barges go along the river, transporting downstream to the Anadyr Bay, where ports and moorings are built.

The main Anadyr receives as a result of melting, to a lesser extent, the river is fed by rain and water. The upper reaches of the Chukchi River freeze very early - in mid-September, the middle and lower reaches are covered with ice in October. Ice drift begins only at the beginning of summer. Thus, there is no navigation on Anadyr for about eight months.