Geographical encyclopedia

River in Russia, on southwest Eastern Siberia, the right, most abundant tributary of the Yenisei. 1779 km, basin area 1040 thousand km2. Flows out of Lake Baikal; from the source along most of its length it has been turned into a cascade of reservoirs. Average water consumption... encyclopedic Dictionary

ANGARA, a river in Russia, in the southwest of Eastern Siberia, the right, most abundant tributary of the Yenisei. Length 1779 km. Flows out of Lake Baikal; in the upper and middle reaches it has been turned into a cascade of reservoirs. Main tributaries: Irkut, Belaya, Oka, Taseyeva,... ... Modern encyclopedia

River in the southwest East. Siberia, the right, most abundant tributary of the Yenisei. 1779 km, basin area 1040 thousand km². Flows out of the lake. Baikal; from the source along most of its length it has been turned into a cascade of reservoirs. Average water flow at the mouth... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

ANGARA, a river in the southwest of Eastern Siberia, the right, most abundant tributary of the Yenisei. 1779 km, pl. basin 1040 thousand km2. Flows out of the lake. Baikal; from the source to b. hours of stretch has been turned into a cascade of reservoirs. Average water flow at the mouth is 5100... ...Russian history

Noun, number of synonyms: 2 wind (262) river (2073) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

The main and right tributary of the Yenisei. A distinction is made between the upper A., ​​which flows from the spurs of the Olekmin-Vitim Mountains and flows into the northern tip of Lake Baikal, and the lower A., ​​the source of Baikal. It is also called Upper Tunguska. When leaving the lake it has... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

"Angara"- ANGARA, a transport converted into a hospital ship and serving as a floating hospital in Port Arthur during the siege. He was in charge of the Red Cross, under the command of Cap. 2 r. Sukhomlina, sank 17 Oct. 1905 in the eastern basin... ... Military encyclopedia

Angara- Angara, a balneological resort on the outskirts of Irkutsk. Located on the high right bank of the Irkut River, 2 km from its confluence with the Angara. It occupies a vast territory of a pine forest park at the foot of Mount Kaiskaya. The main natural healing... ... Dictionary "Geography of Russia"

Angara- river, part of the Yenisei; Irkutsk region, Ust Ordynsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Territory. In the name Angara, the base is Anga Evenk, Buryat, animal’s mouth, mouth; the derivative of this hangar base is explained as gaping, open, gaping. It can be considered that... Toponymic dictionary

Angara(in the lower reaches it was first called Upper Tunguska, and - Ankara-Muren) - a river in Eastern Siberia. Flows through the territory and Krasnoyarsk Territory. The largest and most abundant tributary of the Yenisei (there are theories that the Yenisei flows into the Angara). Yenisei and Angara connect 84 km above Yeniseisk. The only river flowing from the lake. It flows through the southern part of the Central Siberian Plateau. The length is 1853 km, the area is 468,000 km 2, and with the basin - 1,040,000 km 2.

origin of name

The hydronym "Angara" comes from the Evenki and Buryat root base anga - "animal's mouth, mouth", in figuratively- “gorge, crevasse, ravine” (based on the association of the source of the Angara, reminiscent of an open mouth absorbing water). From the Crimean Tatar “pass behind the gorge”, Angarsk Pass, height 752 m above sea level. In Evenki, o:ngan - “small pine growing on the flood banks” (plural o:ngar) - a word with this meaning could well be taken as the name of a river, and o:nnga:n “inner corner of something.” Plural from the noun o:nnga:n it looks like o:nnga:r. Finally, it is possible that the name of the Angara River comes from the Tungus, actually Even, word onga:r - “deer pile, a place where deer mined moss,” that is, a winter moss reindeer pasture.

Also, according to another version, the hydronym Angara is associated with the Greek era. Angara is a Greek word. Anarreo - flowing, flowing out from above, flowing back. Angara is a monosyllabic hydronym, passed into the Russian language with a variable vowel: anar - hangar. Final “a” - Angara - Russian ending feminine nouns with the stem ending in “a”, a sign of feminine words. But another interpretation is also possible. Angara is a two-syllable hydronym. The first component "ana - anga" is Greek, and the second component - "ra" - is substratum, taken from some unknown language as a result of the assimilation of the population and the replacement of one language by another.

Another hydronym could come from Mong. hangar “crack, crack, crevice. Possibility of communication with the Turkic people. the hangar wide valley has not been sufficiently explored... The Evenks call the Angara Yaneji (compare Yenisei), considering it the main one, and the Yenisei above their confluence is its tributary.”

Finally, the new electronic directory contains another discrepancy that is directly related to the interpretation of the Angara hydronym. In it, next to the article “Angara” there is the following article: “Angaraba, a tributary of the river. Kan. Samoyed ba - “water”; River Angara-ba means “River Angara”. Consequently, the Samoyeds only added their term ba - “river” to the well-known name Angara.”

Initially, the lower course of the river from the confluence of the Ilim tributary was called Upper Tunguska by Russian explorers. The Yenisei Cossacks believed that the Upper Tunguska and the Angara were two different rivers. Cossack and pioneer Panteley Pyanda, returning from a three-year expedition in 1623, during which he became the first Russian to reach the Lena River, discovered that the Upper Tunguska and the Angara were the same river.

Angara within the boundaries of Irkutsk

Advancement to Baikal continues with the construction of a fort at the mouth of Irkut in 1652 by I. Pokhabov, in 1661 by O. Firsov, in 1654 by O. Firsov, in 1669 by the Usolsky winter hut and the Ida fort. On Uda the Udinsky fort was founded (1648), on Belaya - the Velsky fort (second half of the 17th century). Thus, in the 50s of the 17th century. the entire Angara line was occupied by Russian forts and settlements. The territory of the Angara basin forever became part of Russia. The accession of Siberia to European civilization was, perhaps, no less important for the knowledge of the globe than the discovery of America or sea ​​route to India. Information from Siberian explorers about open lands enriched science, including the science of rivers. Their notes contained characteristics of navigation conditions, descriptions of river banks and fish resources.

The materials collected by the explorers served as the basis for compiling the first descriptions and maps of the Angara region, which appeared already in the second half of the 17th century. The first “Drawing” of the waterway along the Angara, indicating the main tributaries and rapids, was made by P. Golovin. Then, in 1667, the Angara was depicted on the “Drawing of All Siberia” compiled by P. Godunov, and in 1698 - on the “Drawing of All Siberia” and in the “Drawing Book” - the first Siberian geographical atlas. The scientific study of the Angara began with the first half of the XVIII V. Surveyor P. Chichagov in 1725 - 1730 carried out the first instrumental survey of the Angara.

The first scientific description of the river was given by the government expedition of D. Messerschmidt, who worked in Siberia during 1720-1727. Great importance To study the Angara, there were studies by I. Gmelin, S. Krasheninnikov, G. Miller. At the end of the 18th century. a description of the Baikal region made by academician P. Pallas was published. However, a detailed study of the Angara and its basin began only in mid-19th century, when the expedition of A. Middendorf came to the Angara region, compiling his most valuable general geographical essay. The foundations of the geological study of the Angara basin were laid by I. Chersky, A. Chekanovsky, P. Yavorsky, V. Obruchev.

Special descriptions of rivers - so-called hydrographic works - in late XIX- early 20th century were concentrated mainly in the department of communications, since rivers were important primarily as transport routes. In 1887-1889 The survey party of M. Chertsov produced the first complete hydrographic description of the Angara. The result of these works was the “Atlas of the Angara River” - a fundamental work that has not lost its scientific significance even now.

The surveys made it possible to accurately map the Angara and its main tributaries onto geographic Maps, which were clarified only in the 40s - 50s of the XX century. as a result of aerial photography. At the beginning of the 20th century. Special regular hydrological observations of water levels, runoff, water temperature, etc. began to be carried out on the Angara. The very first such observations of the river level began in Irkutsk in 1886. During the first half of this century, the Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk hydrometeorological service departments organized systematic observations on most large and medium-sized rivers of the Angara basin. The first attempt to develop a scheme for the use of hydropower resources in the Angara was made by A. Welner in 1920 in work carried out on the instructions of GOELRO.

Soviet period

Since 1930, systematic research and research papers on the study of hydropower resources of the Angara, which was carried out by the East Siberian and Moscow branches of the Hydroproject under the leadership of I. Aleksandrov, V. Malyshev, N. Kolosovsky. In the post-war years, work in this direction intensified, and in 1953 a scheme was drawn up for the use of Angara hydropower resources, including six hydroelectric power stations from Baikal to the Yenisei. IN last decades Research into the water resources of the Angara basin, their use and protection has acquired a particularly large scale. Numerous water surveys and design work carried out in connection with the construction of industrial enterprises and reclamation systems.

A network of hydrological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological observations of the State Committee for Hydrometeorology is being developed. Control over sources of discharges into water bodies carried out by the Irkutsk regional and Krasnoyarsk regional committees for protection environment And natural resources. Information on the use of water resources is collected and systematized by the Angara-Baikal and Yenisei water management departments. Scientific research is becoming more and more diverse. Of particular relevance is deepening knowledge about the natural regimes of watercourses and reservoirs of the Angara basin, forecasting their ecological state, and determining optimal measures for their conservation and restoration. Important fundamental and applied work in these areas is carried out by the institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences: the Irkutsk Scientific Center (geography, Limnology, Earth Crust, Siberian Energy, Geochemistry) and the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center (biophysics, forests and wood).

Of great importance are scientific studies of the waters of the Angara region, carried out by departments of Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk universities (Research Institutes of Biology, Computing Centers, Geographical and Biological Departments), and a number of other universities and departmental institutes. Simultaneously with the study of the rivers of the Angara basin, their development was going on. During the first centuries after the annexation of Eastern Siberia to Russia, the main function of the Angara remained water transport: despite the dangerous roads and rifts, all communications with Western Siberia were carried out along the Angara until the construction of the overland Moscow highway.

The path through the Angara rapids was long and difficult: under the most favorable circumstances, the journey down the river from Irkutsk to Yeniseisk took 15 days, but often ships stood in front of the rapids for weeks, waiting high water. Often they crashed on terrible rapids in the middle reaches of the river near. And yet, during navigation along the Angara, up to 250 ships passed down. The path against the current was even more difficult, since along the entire length of the river the ships were pulled with a towline, and at the rapids they were lifted with a winch. In the middle and lower reaches of the river you can still see old dirt roads, which locals call towpaths.

Ecological situation

The concentration of industry in a relatively small area, mainly on the banks of the Angara, leads to the emergence of socio-economic problems, among which the deterioration of the quality of natural waters due to the discharge of polluted wastewater is of primary importance. In terms of volume of such waters, the Angara basin is second only to the Volga; only 2-3% of wastewater passing through treatment facilities can be considered normatively treated. The region has a low share of recycled and repeated water supply; in many cities, treatment plants are overloaded and operate ineffectively; the construction of new ones has almost stopped, although their shortage in a number of settlements is very noticeable. As a result, the pollution of rivers and reservoirs with many chemical and bacteriological ingredients (petroleum products, phenols, organic substances, heavy metals, asphaltenes, etc.) is very high; concentrations of pollutants in water, bottom sediments, and fish often exceed tens and even hundreds of maximum permissible concentrations. Below Irkutsk, the river and reservoirs in various areas are rated by water quality from moderately polluted to very polluted.

Bridges

In 1891, the first pontoon bridge was built across the Angara. The opening of the bridge coincided with the passage of Tsarevich Nicholas through Irkutsk. The pontoon bridge lasted approximately 45 years. Movement on it in each direction was carried out in one thread and did not allow overtaking[.

In 1931-1936, the first bridge across the Angara was built, which connected the central and left bank parts of Irkutsk. During the Soviet period, this bridge was considered a monument to V.I. Lenin, as indicated by the corresponding memorial marble slab. In 2011, it received the official name Glazkovsky Bridge.

In 1972, a second bridge was built across the Angara, connecting the right and left banks. At the time of commissioning, there were rails running along it, which were dismantled in 2000.

In 1978, the third bridge across the Angara was put into operation, connecting the right bank in the Padi Topka section and the left bank in the Zhilkino area on the outskirts of Irkutsk. In 2011, this bridge received the official name Innokentyevsky Bridge.

In 1999, construction of a new bridge across the Angara began (the decree on its construction was signed back in 1995). In October 2007, traffic on the new bridge in Irkutsk was opened in one direction, and in December 2009 - in both directions. In 2011, the bridge received the official name Academichesky.

On September 30, 2011, a new bridge across the Angara was opened in the Boguchany district on the Boguchany - Yurubchen - Baykit highway.

Angara in art

1. There is a Siberian legend that romantically describes the flight of the Angara from its father Baikal to the Yenisei. According to this legend, the Shaman-stone, which is located in the middle of the source of the Angara near the village of Listvyanka (the Shaman-stone on the Angara should not be confused with the Shamanka rock on the island) was thrown by father Baikal to stop his disobedient daughter.
2. During the construction of dams, large areas were flooded - Valentin Rasputin’s novel “Farewell to Matera” is dedicated to this.
3. The Angara River is a character in the fairy tales of the “Baikal storyteller” Vasily Panteleimonovich Starodumov.
4. The action of Alexey Arbuzov’s play “The Irkutsk Story” takes place on the banks of the Angara.
5. Evgeny Yevtushenko's poem "Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station", about the construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Angara River in the city.
6. V. Rasputin. The story "Live and Remember"
7. A. Pakhmutova Song "Girls Dancing on the Deck"

One of the largest and deep rivers Siberia. A powerful water stream more than a kilometer wide flows out of the lake, follows the south of the Central Siberian Plateau and through the Angara Ridge, heads north, but downstream from Ust-Ilimsk turns west. Near the mouth above the city of Yeniseisk, near the village of Strelka, there is the Strelkovsky rapids, popular among watermen. The Angara basin is 1039 thousand km².

Where does the name Angara come from?

One of the ancient Buryat words, anga, means “open”, “gaping”. Initially, in the Middle Ages, local peoples called the river Ankara Muren. Cossacks and Russian settlers called it Upper Tunguska. For a long time Cossacks on the Yenisei believed that the Upper Tunguska and Angara were different rivers. Among some peoples in the Cis-Baikal region, anga means “gorge”, “cleft”.

Hydrological regime of the Angara

Angara water consumption per year is 143 cubic meters. km. At the source of the river the flow rate is 1,855 m³/s, at the confluence with the Yenisei 4,530 m³/s. Observations by specialists at the Tatarka gauging station, not far from the mouth, for 46 years recorded an annual minimum flow of 3,767 m³/s (1964), and a maximum flow of 5,521 m³/s (1995). In 1966, the May flow was a record 12,600 m³/s. Regulation of the main flow is carried out by reservoirs and waterworks.

Tributaries of the Angara

The Angara has numerous tributaries originating in the surrounding mountains. The flow of the entire Lake Baikal passes through the Angara watercourse, so the largest of the tributaries is the Selenga, which flows into the deepest lake. The Angara basin concentrated up to 6 thousand lake reservoirs. The left tributaries are the Kova, Irkut, Iya, Taseyeva, Belaya, Kitoi, Oka, Mura. The right tributaries are the Ilim, Kata, Osa, Kamenka, Ida, Kuda, Irkineeva.

Economic use of the Angara
Angara is an example large river with a water regime regulated by three reservoirs. In the upper reaches there is a 55-kilometer reservoir of the large Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, then a 570-kilometer reservoir of the giant Bratsk power plant, and then a 300-kilometer Ust-Ilimskoye reservoir. Thus, water regime Hangars are more lake than river.
History of human activity along the Angara
Archaeologists discovered parking lots on the Angara primitive people objects dating back 50 thousand years ago ancient life and petroglyphs. Glaciation 5-6 thousand years ago led to the formation of the Neolithic cave culture, boats, tamed dogs, bows and arrows with jade tips, hunting skis, axes and knives made of stone appeared.

In the Bronze Age, under the Glazkov culture, shamanism arose here. Modern peoples Hangars formed during prolonged mixing different ethnic groups. First of all, these are the Turkic and Mongolian indigenous ethnic group, a small number of peoples, and later the Russian Cossacks from the 17th century.
With quite complex natural conditions The population density in the Angara region is lower than the average density in Russia. The overwhelming majority of people living here, up to 80%, are Russians, the rest of the population is represented by Evenks, Buryats, and small nations. Of the religious beliefs, Orthodoxy predominates here, but the indigenous peoples have retained Buddhism and shamanism. The indigenous population is engaged in traditional activities of hunting, fishing, and reindeer herding.

Settlements on the Angara

More than 70% of the residents of the Angara region live in major cities, Angarsk, Svirsk, Irkutsk, Usolye-Sibirsk, Bratsk, Kodinsk, Ust-Ilimsk, all cities are not millionaires. Large towns and stations railway are Osinovka, Ust-Uda, Balagansk, Meget, Khrebtovy, Zheleznodorozhny, Boguchany, Strelka, Shiversk, Novoangarsk.

Ecology of the Angara

Basic environmental problem for the Angara are industrial wastes with a high concentration of enterprises on its banks. In terms of such flows, the Angarsk basin is right behind the Volga. Recycling water supply for production is rarely used; there is not enough treatment facilities. The river and reservoirs are polluted with oil products, heavy metals, and organic substances. According to the ecological classification, the waters of the Angara are moderately polluted, in some places very dirty.

The Angara is a river in Eastern Siberia, the largest of the right tributaries of the Yenisei and the only river with Lake Baikal as its source. People who are passionate about it are drawn to this river active recreation, including fishing. It flows through the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia.

Translated from Buryat anga means “gaping”, “opened”, “open”, as well as “gulley”, “cleft”, “gorge”. In historical sources, the Angara River was first mentioned in the 13th century under the name Ankara-Muren. Initially, the lower reaches of the river from the confluence of the Ilim tributary had a different name - Upper Tunguska.

The area of ​​the Angara basin is 1,040 thousand square meters. km, including without the Lake Baikal basin 468 thousand sq. km. The Angara begins from Baikal as a wide stream as much as 1100 m wide and flows first to the north. Several reservoirs were built on the Angara:

• from the source to the city of Irkutsk - the Irkutsk Reservoir.
• in the north-west of the Irkutsk region on the Angara there is the Bratsk reservoir, on which stands the famous Bratsk hydroelectric power station.
• after the bend on the Angara, below the Bratsk reservoir, Ust-Ilimskoye is located.

Then the river turns west - to the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where near Lesosibirsk it flows into.

At the confluence of the Yenisei River the Angara twice wider than the great Siberian river flowing into the Arctic Ocean. But it so happened historically that the water stream was called the Yenisei. Not only is it narrower, but it also has muddy water, and our beauty has the purest water, and every pebble is visible on the river bottom. After reunification, the single water stream continues to flow - to the right pure water, and on the left it is cloudy. Only after Lesosibirsk do Baikal and Yenisei waters begin to mix, and the border between them blurs. There are no further differences, and the Yenisei, which has spilled into its entire immense expanse, carries mighty waters to the distant North.

Where to swim in the Hangar in winter

After active intervention into the fantasy of nature by human hands, expressed in the form of the construction of the Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power stations, the Angara River below these hydroelectric power stations does not freeze, because the waters heated up during the summer in the reservoirs do not have time to cool down in these areas, and there is an influx of heat from the hydroelectric power station energy from technological equipment.

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The source of the river also does not freeze, despite the fact that Baikal itself is covered in ice. It’s just that water flows into the Angara not from the very surface of the lake, but from some depth, where the water temperature is of course above 0°C, plus fast current. Apparently, this is why waterfowl fly here for the winter, i.e. For some, the south is on the Angara.

Bird's winter cottage on the Angara

In general, in northern Asia this is the only permanent wintering ground for birds. Here they spend the winter mainly:

• black and white goldeneyes,
• long-nosed,
• ordinary mergansers,
• long-tailed ducks.

In fact, there are not so many birds at the source of the Angara - by the beginning of December 1200 - 1500 birds gather, by the end of the month - at least 2000.

Until 1956, i.e. Before the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station reservoir, there were several times more birds.

Experts have still not come to a single and confident opinion on the issue of the emergence of the Angara. According to scientific research the river appeared relatively recently, at least by geological standards. It is believed that before the formation of the Angara, the flow from Lake Baikal followed a different path. Some researchers report that the source of the Angara was formed approximately 15-20 thousand years ago, although other experts call a later age. A lot of uncertainty in short. We paid attention to the phrase “the source of the Angara”, i.e. the source somehow formed on its own, and then the river looked for its own path separately.

It is also believed that the Angara was formed due to an earthquake that destroyed the earth's crust in the Primorsky Range region. Others adhere to the version that Baikal rose - the water had to flow somewhere. An interesting hypothesis is the existence in ancient times of other rivers in the place of the river bed. For example, such rivers could be: the ancient Selenga, Barguzin or Upper Angara. Selenga is called the most suitable option in this hypothesis.

According to an ancient Siberian legend, the Angara fled from the harsh father of Baikal towards the Yenisei. The shaman-stone was thrown by Baikal so that the disobedient daughter would stop. This stone today is located in the very center of the source of the Angara, next to the village.

Shipping on the Angara

The Angara River is navigable in the summer months. There is no single waterway from Baikal to the Yenisei. In total there are 4 sections isolated from each other.

• The first section from Irkutsk to Baikal along the Irkutsk reservoir.
• The second section from Irkutsk to the Bratsk hydroelectric power station. It is the longest and is 610 km.
• The third section is the waters of the Ust-Ilimsk reservoir from Bratsk to Ust-Ilimsk. Its length is 290 km.
• And the last section stretches from the Yenisei River to the Boguchansky rapids. Its length is 440 km.

Thus, you cannot swim from Irkutsk to Krasnoyarsk by water.

The Angara River occupies a special place in art; it can be found in the fairy tales of Vasily Starodumov and in the novel by Valentin Rasputin. Today the Angara River is coming a large number of tourists to see its natural attractions, as well as listen to the legends and stories associated with it. In its vicinity you can often meet a group of local residents gathered for a picnic.

The Angara is one of the largest rivers in Eastern Siberia. It flows in the Irkutsk region and Krasnoyarsk region, the right tributary of the Yenisei. In historical sources, Angara was first mentioned in the 13th century under the name Ankara-Muren. The name "Angara" comes from the Mongolian word "anga" - mouth, gorge. According to scientists, the Angara at its source resembles a mouth, an open mouth, greedily and continuously absorbing the waters of Lake Baikal.

River flow

Length 1779 km(before the creation of the Irkutsk and Bratsk reservoirs - 1826 km). Pool area 1039 thousand. km 2, including A. itself (without the Lake Baikal basin) 468 thousand. km 2. It flows out of Lake Baikal, a stream whose width is 1.1 km and depth up to 1.9 m. The average water flow at the source is 1920 cubic meters. m/sec, or about 61 cubic meters. km per year. The river flows north, then west. In the upper reaches, as a result of the construction of the Irkutsk and Bratsk hydroelectric power stations, it was mainly turned into reservoirs, forming for 56 km upper pool of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station and 524 km the main part of the Bratsk Reservoir. From Bratsk to the confluence of the river. Irkineeva (265 km) A. flows in the area of ​​distribution of traps, the valley is bead-shaped, with a width from 0.8-1.5 km to 3-5 km.. In the mouth area, crossing the Yenisei Ridge, it forms the Strelkovsky threshold; valley width up to 3-5 km near the city of Motygino it increases to 10 km. It flows into the Yenisei 83 km above the city of Yeniseisk.

The main tributaries of the river: on the right - Ilim, Chadobet, Irkineeva; on the left - Irkut, Kitoy, Belaya, Oka, Iya, Taseyeva.

Ice regime of the Angara

Before the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, the level regime of the Angara was very unique. In summer, due to heavy rainfall, and in winter, due to the accumulation of bottom ice and slush in narrow places of the channel, the height of the water rise reached 9 m. In connection with the creation of the Irkutsk and Bratsk reservoirs, the level regime of the Angara changed. Levels increased during the off-season and decreased during flood periods due to the distribution of water over a large area. A distinctive feature of the Angara is that it is located in relatively harsh climatic conditions, but freeze-up occurs later on it than on other rivers of Siberia and even the European part of Russia. This is explained by the fast flow and the influx of relatively warm deep waters from Lake Baikal. The beginning of freeze-up in the lower reaches is at the end of October - the 1st half of November, on the Bratsk reservoir in November - December. At the source of the river, on the rapids and tailwaters of hydroelectric power stations for dozens of km wormwood. Opens in the 1st half of May; There is no spring flood on the river above Ilim.

After the construction of the Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power stations, the Angara below these hydroelectric power stations does not freeze, since the waters in the reservoirs heated up during the summer do not have time to cool down in these areas, and warm waters with GSE they are doing their job. The source of the river also does not freeze, the relatively warm subglacial water of Baikal (water masses are drawn into the Angara from Baikal not from its very surface, but from some depth, where the water temperature is above 0°C) and the fast flow make the source non-freezing even in the harshest winters . Waterfowl fly here for the winter. This is the only permanent wintering site in northern Asia. Among the birds wintering here, black-and-white goldeneyes, long-nosed and common mergansers, and long-tailed ducks predominate. The birds appear on the wintering grounds in November. By the beginning of December, 1200 - 1500 ducks gather at the source of the Angara River, and by the end of the month - at least 2000.
Since 1956, after the formation of the reservoir of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, the size of the polynya has decreased from 10 - 15 to 3 - 4 km. Due to a sharp reduction in the size of the polynya and an increase in its depth, the number of wintering birds decreased from ten thousand to 2 - 3.5 thousand.
The shallow water source provides food for ducks in winter. Every evening they fly to the Baikal hummocks to spend the night, and during the day they swim in the ice hole.

Energy potential of the river, hydroelectric power station cascades

The high degree of water flow in the Angara throughout the year, the constant flow rates, and the large drop give grounds to evaluate it as a river with huge reserves of hydropower resources. On the Angara it is possible to build a cascade of hydroelectric power stations with a total capacity of 15 million kW, which can produce 90 billion kWh of electricity, that is, as much as the Volga, Kama, Dnieper and Don combined can provide. The Irkutsk, Bratsk, and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power stations were built on the Angara. As a result of this, the Angara turned into a chain of reservoirs and a deep-water lake-river highway. Average annual consumption at the Irkutsk hydroelectric station 1700 m 3 /sec, at Bratskaya HPP 2900 m 3 /sec, near the mouth 4500 m 3 /sec.
The creation of a cascade of hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs introduced fundamental changes to the hydrobiological regime of the Angara, greatly complicated the natural connection of the river with Lake Baikal, and led to a significant transformation in the species composition of flora and fauna. The largest left-side tributaries of the Angara are the Irkut, Kitoi, Belaya, Oka, Uda, Biryusa; The right-hand tributaries are small - Ushakovka, Kuda, Ida, Osa, Uda, Ilim. Regular shipping is possible from Irkutsk to Baikal and to the Bratsk hydroelectric station. Main piers: Irkutsk, Angarsk, Balagansk, Bratsk.

Facts about the Angara River

The maximum width of the river is about 1.4 km. Maximum depth - 5-7 m.
The river flow speed along the fairway is from 4 to 8 km/h (1-2 m/s). At high level Lake Baikal speed is greater.
The difference in the river from source to mouth is 380 m.
The Angara carries about 60 km³ per year from Baikal, and already discharges about 120 km³ per year into the Yenisei.
The Angara current speed varies within 1.0-2.5 m/s.