Yenisei

Yenisey
The confluence of the rivers Kaa-Khem and Piy-Khem near Kyzyl
The Yenisey basin, including Lake Baikal
Etymologyfrom either Old Kyrgyz Эне-Сай (Ene-Sai, 'mother river') or Evenki Ионэсси (Ionəssi, 'big water')
Native name
Location
CountryMongolia, Russia
RegionTuva, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Khakassia, Irkutsk Oblast, Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai
CitiesKyzyl, Shagonar, Sayanogorsk, Abakan, Divnogorsk, Krasnoyarsk, Yeniseysk, Lesosibirsk, Igarka, Dudinka
Physical characteristics
SourceMungaragiyn-Gol
 • locationridge Dod-Taygasyn-Noroo, Mongolia
 • coordinates50°43′46″N 98°39′49″E / 50.72944°N 98.66361°E / 50.72944; 98.66361
 • elevation3,351 m (10,994 ft)
2nd sourceThe most distant source: Yenisey-Angara-Selenga-Ider system
 • locationKhangai Mountains
 • coordinates47°54′47″N 97°57′1″E / 47.91306°N 97.95028°E / 47.91306; 97.95028
 • elevation2,850 m (9,350 ft)
MouthYenisey Gulf
 • location
Arctic Ocean, Russia
 • coordinates
71°50′0″N 82°40′0″E / 71.83333°N 82.66667°E / 71.83333; 82.66667
Length3,487 km (2,167 mi)
Basin size2,554,482 km2 (986,291 mi2) to 2,580,000 km2 (1,000,000 mi2)
Width 
 • minimum90 m (300 ft)
 • maximum5,000 m (16,000 ft)
Depth 
 • minimum5 m (16 ft)
 • average14 m (46 ft)
 • maximum66 m (217 ft)
Discharge 
 • locationIgarka, Russia (Basin size 2,440,000 km2 (940,000 sq mi); 2,442,735 km2 (943,145 sq mi))
 • average(Period of data: 1971–2015)19,499 m3/s (688,600 cu ft/s)

18,050 m3/s (637,000 cu ft/s)

(Period of data: 1999–2008) 636 km3/a (20,200 m3/s)
 • minimum3,120 m3/s (110,000 cu ft/s)
 • maximum112,000 m3/s (4,000,000 cu ft/s)
Discharge 
 • locationDudinka, Russia (Basin size 2,540,000 km2 (980,000 sq mi))
 • average(Period of data: 1999–2008) 673 km3/a (21,300 m3/s)
Discharge 
 • locationYenisey Gulf (near mouth)
 • average(Period of data: 1984–2018)637 km3/a (20,200 m3/s)

(Period of data: 1940–2017) 588 km3/a (18,600 m3/s)

620 km3/a (20,000 m3/s)
 • minimum2,700 m3/s (95,000 cu ft/s)
 • maximum190,000 m3/s (6,700,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightAngara, Podkamennaya Tunguska, Nizhnyaya Tunguska

The Yenisey or Yenisei (/ˌjɛnɪˈs/, YEN-iss-AY; Russian: Енисе́й, pronounced [jɪnʲɪˈsʲej]) is the fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean.

Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through Lake Baikal and the Krasnoyarsk Dam before draining into the Yenisey Gulf in the Kara Sea. The Yenisey divides the Western Siberian Plain in the west from the Central Siberian Plateau to the east; it drains a large part of central Siberia. Its delta is formed between the Gyda Peninsula and the Taymyr Peninsula.

It is the central one of three large Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two being the Ob and the Lena). The maximum depth of the Yenisey is 61 metres (200 ft) and the average depth is 14 metres (45 ft).