The Kuma (russian: Кума́) is a river on the Black Sea-Caspian Steppe of southern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. It flows northeast into the Caspian Sea. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . Its source is in the

Greater Caucasus The Greater Caucasus ( az, Böyük Qafqaz, Бөјүк Гафгаз, بيوک قافقاز; ka, დიდი კავკასიონი, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; russian: Большой Кавказ, ''Bolshoy Kavkaz'', sometimes translat ...

, in the republic

Karachay-Cherkessia The Karachay-Cherkess Republic (russian: Карача́ево-Черке́сская Респу́блика, ''Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Respublika''; krc, Къарачай-Черкес Республика, ''Qaraçay-Çerkes Respublika''; Cir ...

, west of

Kislovodsk Kislovodsk (russian: Кислово́дск, lit. ''sour waters''; ; krc, Ачысуу) is a spa city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, in the North Caucasus region of Russia which is located between the Black and Caspian Seas. Population: History I ...

. It flows in northeastern direction, through

Stavropol Krai Stavropol Krai (russian: Ставропо́льский край, r=Stavropolsky kray, p=stəvrɐˈpolʲskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a Krais of Russia, krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the North ...

(towns

Mineralnye Vody Mineralnye Vody (Min-Vody) ( rus, Минеральные Воды (Мин-Воды), p=mʲɪnʲɪˈralʲnɨjə ˈvodɨ, mʲɪn ˈvodɨ; lit. ''mineral waters'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located a ...

Zelenokumsk Zelenokumsk (russian: Зеленоку́мск) is a town and the administrative center of Sovetsky District in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located on the Kuma River. Population: History It was founded in 1762 as the '' selo'' of Vorontsovo-Alexand ...

Budyonnovsk Budyonnovsk (russian: Будённовск) is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia. Population: History The town was founded in 1799 by Armenian settlers from Derbent. During World War II, Budyonnovsk was occupied by German troops from August ...

Neftekumsk Neftekumsk (russian: Нефтеку́мск) is a town and the administrative center of Neftekumsky District in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located on the right bank of the Kuma River, east of Stavropol, the administrative center of the krai. Popul ...

) and further east through the

Caspian Depression The Caspian Depression ( kk, Каспий маңы ойпаты, ''Kaspıı mańy oıpaty''; rus, Прикаспи́йская ни́зменность, p=prʲɪkɐˈspʲijskəjə ˈnʲizmʲɪnnəsʲtʲ, Caspian Lowland) or Pricaspian/Peri-Casp ...

as the natural border between

Kalmykia he official languages of the Republic of Kalmykia are the Kalmyk and Russian languages./ref> , official_lang_list= Kalmyk , official_lang_ref=Steppe Code (Constitution) of the Republic of Kalmykia, Article 17: he official languages of the ...

and

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

. That part of the Kuma's valley forms the eastern part of the

Kuma–Manych Depression The Kuma–Manych depression ( rus, Кумо–Манычская впадина, Kumo–Manychskaya vpadina), is a geological depression in southwestern Russia that separates the Russian Plain to the north from Ciscaucasia to the south. It is ...

, separating the

East European Plain The East European Plain (also called the Russian Plain, "Extending from eastern Poland through the entire European Russia to the Ural Mountaina, the ''East European Plain'' encompasses all of the Baltic states and Belarus, nearly all of Ukraine, a ...

from the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

region. The Kuma flows into the

Kizlyar Gulf The Kizlyar Bay (russian: Кизлярский залив) is a bay of the Caspian Sea located in the Republic of Dagestan, Russian Federation. If the plans for the proposed Eurasia Canal, linking the Caspian Sea with the Black Sea, are ever impl ...

of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

near the border between Dagestan and Kalmykia. Most of the rivers that flow north from the Caucasus Mountains and into

Terek–Kuma Lowland The Terek–Kuma Lowland (russian: Терско-Кумская низменность) is the lowland in the southwestern part of the Caspian Depression in southern Russia, in Republic of Dagestan, Stavropol Krai and Chechen Republic. It has ...

are caught by the

Kuban Kuban (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Кубань; ady, Пшызэ) is a historical and geographical region of Southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Pontic–Caspian steppe, ...

and Terek. It rises between the basins of those two rivers so the Kuma is mainly a steppe river. It is much used for irrigation.

Construction projects

If the plans for the proposed

Eurasia Canal The Eurasia Canal (russian: Канал "Евразия", ''Kanal "Evraziya"'') is a proposed 700-kilometre-long (430 mi) canal connecting the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea along the Kuma-Manych Depression. Currently, a chain of lakes and res ...

, linking the Caspian Sea with the Black Sea, are ever implemented, it will likely follow the Kuma River valley in its eastern section.

References

Rivers of Dagestan Rivers of Kalmykia Rivers of Karachay-Cherkessia Rivers of Stavropol Krai Tributaries of the Caspian Sea {{Russia-river-stub