The Velikaya (russian: Великая, also Большая ''Bolshaya'', Онемен ''Onemen''; ckt, Мэйнывээм, ''Meynyveem''), is a river in
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka (russian: Чуко́тка), officially the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,, ''Čukotkakèn avtonomnykèn okrug'', is the easternmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia. It is an autonomous okrug situated in the Russian ...
in
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 is long (556 km including its source river Kylvygeyvaam), and has a drainage basin of .
The name of the river was given by the Russian inhabitants of the village of
Markovo. ''Velikaya'' (Великая) means "great" in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and ''Bolshaya'' (Большая) translates to "big". The Velikaya and its tributaries belong to the
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka (russian: Чуко́тка), officially the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,, ''Čukotkakèn avtonomnykèn okrug'', is the easternmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia. It is an autonomous okrug situated in the Russian ...
. One of the native names of this river is Echinku and in some documents referring to this river in Soviet times, it was referred to as Velikaya-Echinku.
Course
The Velikaya is formed in the eastern slopes of the
Southern Mayn Range
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
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* Southern Airways Express, M ...
of the
Koryak Mountains
The Koryak Mountains or Koryak Highlands () are an area of mountain ranges in Far-Eastern Siberia, Russia, located in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and in Kamchatka Krai, with a small part in Magadan Oblast. The highest point in the system is the Mou ...
at the confluence of rivers
Kuimveyem and
Kylvygeyvaam. It heads northeastwards through mountainous terrain, descending into the southern end of the
Anadyr Lowlands
The Anadyr Lowlands (russian: Ана́дырская ни́зменность) are a low alluvial plain located in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia.
Geography
The lowlands are crossed by the Anadyr River in the m ...
into
Onemen Bay
Onemen Bay (russian: Залив Онемен, ''Zaliv Onmen''; ckt, Онмын, ''Onmyn'') is a bay of the Gulf of Anadyr, Bering Sea. Administratively it belongs to the Anadyrsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. There are no se ...
, part of the
Anadyr River
The Anadyr (russian: Ана́дырь; Yukaghir: Онандырь; ckt, Йъаайваам) is a river in the far northeast of Siberia which flows into the Gulf of Anadyr of the Bering Sea and drains much of the interior of Chukotka Autonomous ...
estuary of the
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...
at the
Gulf of Anadyr
The Gulf of Anadyr, or Anadyr Bay (russian: Анадырский залив), is a large bay on the Bering Sea in far northeast Siberia. It has a total surface area of
Location
The bay is roughly rectangular and opens to the southeast. The corn ...
. The
Rarytkin Range
The Rarytkin Range (russian: хребет Рарыткин; ckt, Ръарыткын) is a range of mountains in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russian Far East. Administratively the range is part of Anadyr District.Google Earth
Geography
The Raryt ...
rises along the left bank of the river in its middle and lower course.
There is a small populated place in the area close to its estuary also named Velikaya. The
Tamvathey (Тамватней) mercury mining town was located in the basin of the river, just south of its middle course. It was abandoned in 1984.
Fauna
Beluga The beluga whale (/bɪˈluːɡə/) (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the wh ...
whales are common in its
estuarine
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
waters.
[ ]
See also
*
List of rivers of Russia
Russia can be divided into a European and an Asian part. The dividing line is generally considered to be the Ural Mountains. The European part is drained into the Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea. The Asian part is drained into ...
References
External links
*
Rivers of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Drainage basins of the Bering Sea
Koryak Mountains
{{Russia-river-stub