- Angara River
Infobox_River | river_name = Angara River
caption =
origin =Lake Baikal
mouth = Yenisei River
basin_countries =Russia ,Mongolia
length = 1,779 km (1,105 mi)
elevation = 456 m
discharge = 120 km³/year
watershed = The Angara River ( _ru. Ангара́) is a 1779 km (1105 miles) long river inIrkutsk Oblast andKrasnoyarsk Krai , south-eastSiberia ,Russia . It is the only river flowing out ofLake Baikal , and is a headwater of theYenisei River . [cite web
url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9007537/Angara-River
title=Angara River
publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica Online
accessdate=2006-10-26 ]Leaving Lake Baikal near the settlement of
Listvyanka , the Angara flows north past the Irkutsk Oblast's cities ofIrkutsk ,Angarsk ,Bratsk , andUst-Ilimsk . It then turns west, enters theKrasnoyarsk Krai , and falls into the Yenisei nearStrelka (40 km north ofLesosibirsk ).Below its junction with the Ilim River the Angara has been known in the past as the Upper
Tunguska ( _ru. Верхняя Тунгуска, "Verkhnyaya Tunguska").Dams and reservoirs
The Angara is dammed by the dams of three major hydroelectric plants that have been constructed since the 1950s.
* Irkutsk Dam (Иркутская ГЭС), forming the Irkutsk Reservoir, which floods the valley of the river from its source to Irkutsk, and slightly raises the water level in Lake Baikal.
* Bratsk Dam, forming theBratsk Reservoir .
*Ust-Ilimsk Dam (Усть-Илимская ГЭС), atUst-Ilimsk , forming the Ust-Ilimsk Reservoir.
*Bogychany Dam (Богучанская ГЭС) (under construction), atKodinsk Navigation
The Angara is used for navigation on several isolated section: [ [http://www.rusnet.nl/encyclo/a/angara.shtml Angara River, southeast-central Russia] ] [ [http://www.e-river.ru/freight/map/Angara/ Енисейское пароходство: Ангара - судоходство и грузоперевозки] (Yenisei Shipping Company: Angara - navigation and cargo shipping) ru icon] [ [http://istok.angara.ru/mppss/BaikalRules.htm ОСОБЕННОСТИ ДВИЖЕНИЯ И СТОЯНКИ СУДОВ ПО ВНУТРЕННИМ ВОДНЫМ ПУТЯМ ВОСТОЧНО-СИБИРСКОГО БАССЕЙНА] (Special navigation rules for the internal waterways of the Eastern Siberia Basin) ru icon]
* from Lake Baikal to Irkutsk;
* from Irkutsk to Bratsk;
* on Ust-Ilimsk Reservoir;
* from the Boguchany Dam (Kodinsk) to the river's fall into the Yenisei. The section between Ust-Ilimsk Dam and Boguchany Dam has not been navigable due to rapids; however, with the completion of the Boguchany Dam, and filling of its reservoir, at least part of this section of the river will become navigable as well. Nonetheless, this will not enable through navigation from Lake Baikal to the Yenisei, as none of the existing 3 dams has been provided with locks for passing boats, nor will Boguchany dam have them.Footnotes
External links
* [http://www.rusnet.nl/encyclo/a/angara.shtml Angara River, southeast-central Russia]
* [http://www.baikal.ru/old.baikal.ru/baikal/faq/b4e.htm Angara River]
* [http://www.icc.ru/fed/most.html The new bridge over the Angara River - text & photos]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pjones/russia/russia-Pages/Image91.html Angara River photo]
* [http://www.baikal.ru/old.baikal.ru/baikal/maps/rezko.jpgMap of region showing mouth of Angara River]
* [http://www.lkirchner.de/kodar/kodar.html Photo of river and dam]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.