- Kama River
Infobox River | river_name = Kama
caption = Map of the Volga watershed with the Kama highlighted
origin =Udmurtia
mouth =Volga River
basin_countries =Russia
length = 1,805 km (1,122 mi)
elevation =
discharge =
watershed = 507,000 km²Kama ( _ru. 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 Volga before junction).It starts in
Udmurtia , near the town ofKuligi ( _ru. Кулига), flowing north-west on 125 miles, turn north-east near the town ofLoyno ( _ru. Лойно) for another 125 miles, then turns south and west inPerm Krai , flowing again through Udmurtia and then throughTatarstan , where it meets the Volga.The overall length is 1805 km. The largest tributaries to the Kama are Kosa, Vishera, Sylva, Chusovaya, Belaya, Ik, Izh, Zay, Vyatka and
Myosha River s. The cities situated on the banks of the Kama areSolikamsk ,Berezniki ,Perm ,Sarapul , andNaberezhnye Chelny . It is located to the west of theUral Mountains and is a fairly well used trade route.Before the advent of the railroads, the Kama was connected by important
portage s with the basins of theNorthern Dvina and thePechora . In the early 19th century,Northern Ekaterininsky Canal connected the upper Kama with theVychegda River (a tributary of the Northern Dvina), but was mostly abandoned after just a few years due to low use.Dams and reservoirs
The Kama is dammed at several locations:
* AtPerm , by the dam of theKama Hydroelectric Station (Камская ГЭС), forming theKama Reservoir (Камское водохранилище);
* At Chaykovsky, by the dam of theVotkinsk Hydroelectric Station (Воткинская ГЭС), forming theVotkinsk Reservoir ;
* AtNaberezhnye Chelny , by the dam of theNizhnekamsk Hydroelectric Station (Нижнекамская ГЭС), forming theNizhnekamsk Reservoir .Gallery
External links
*
* [http://www.naberezhnye-chelny.com Naberezhnye Chelny and the Kama River]
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