The Alakit ( Russian : Алакит ) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia . It is a tributary of the Olenyok with a length of 232 kilometres (144 mi) and a drainage basin area of 11,800 square kilometres (4,600 sq mi).
38-516: The river flows across a lonely, desolate area of Mirninsky and Olenyoksky districts. Currently there are no settlements, but a small village named Alakit was located by the river in its upper course, a little upstream of the mouth of the Yuyose-Delingde, a left tributary. The Daldyn-Alakit kimberlite field is located between the upper Alakit in the west and the Daldyn River by Udachnaya in
76-521: A Samoyed derivation has been proposed, its precise origins remain unclear. Today, the word survives only in Sayan Turkic languages : in Tuvan as xem хем, meaning "river", and in its sister language, Tofa , as hem hем, also meaning "river". These languages are considered to have had close contact with those mentioned above in ancient times. Additionally, there are just over 50 river names containing
114-450: A municipal division , the district is incorporated as Mirninsky Municipal District . Within the municipal district, the two towns and the four settlements are incorporated into six urban settlements, and the three rural okrugs are incorporated into three rural settlements. The town of Mirny serves as the administrative center of both the administrative and municipal district. *Administrative centers are shown in bold The economy of
152-497: Is a compound word of unconfirmed Old Kyrgyz (or inspired by Tuvan language?) ene (эне), meaning "great-grandmother; nanny" + say (сай), meaning "gravel; ford". However, the above considerations, except Vasmer's, remain speculative false etymologies , as they do not refer to the dictionaries of the respective languages. Researchers are encouraged to conduct more detailed studies based on proper contemporary linguistic sources and historical documents . Studies have shown that
190-536: Is an administrative and municipal district ( raion , or ulus ), one of the thirty-four in the Sakha Republic , Russia . It is located in the west of the republic and borders Olenyoksky District in the north and northeast, Nyurbinsky and Suntarsky Districts in the east, Lensky District in the south, and Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai in the west. The area of the district is 165,800 square kilometers (64,000 sq mi). Its administrative center
228-428: Is divided into two towns (administrative divisions with the administrative centers in the towns (inhabited localities) of Mirny and Udachny ), four settlements (administrative divisions with the administrative centers in the urban-type settlements (inhabited localities) of Aykhal , Almazny , Chernyshevsky , and Svetly ), and three rural okrugs ( naslegs ), all of which comprise eight rural localities . As
266-485: Is fed by rain and snow. Owing to the severe climate of the plateau it is frozen between early October and late May. The longest tributaries are the 95 kilometres (59 mi) long Lower Bolshaya Kounda and the 106 kilometres (66 mi) long Upper Bolshaya Kounda from the left, as well as the 127 kilometres (79 mi) long Mastaakh from the right. Mirninsky District Mirninsky District ( Russian : Ми́рнинский район ; Yakut : Мииринэй улууһа , Miiriney uluuha )
304-805: 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). The Yenisey proper, from the confluence of its source rivers the Great Yenisey and Little Yenisey at Kyzyl to its mouth in
342-555: Is found in the 14th-century History of Yuan , vol. 63. These contacts were made by the Chinese as they approached the upper Yenisei River from the south. The characters jian "劔" (or jian "劍") and qian "謙" have been compared to Käm in Orkhon inscriptions from the 8th century. The term Kem كيم is also found in the 13th‒14th-century Oirat Biography in Jami' al-Tawarikh . Furthermore, even in
380-673: Is nearby on the Arctic Ocean's Taymyr Peninsula . The largest tributaries of the Yenisey are, from source to mouth: A significant feature of the Upper Yenisei is Lake Baikal , the deepest and oldest lake in the world. The Brekhovskie Islands (Russian-language article: Бреховские острова ) lie in the Yenisey estuary and have an area of some 1,400,000 hectares. They provide a wetland habitat for rare and endangered birds and are an internationally important nesting and breeding area for several types of waterfowl . The most north-easterly of
418-842: 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
SECTION 10
#1732883537735456-621: Is the town of Mirny . As of the 2010 Census , the total population of the district (excluding its administrative center) was 38,802. The Vilyuy and its tributaries Ulakhan-Botuobuya , Chirkuo , Ulakhan-Vava , Lakharchana , Sen , Chona and Akhtaranda —with the Alymdya and Olguydakh , including the Vakunayka and the Killemtine , are the main rivers in the district. Average January temperature ranges from −32 °C (−26 °F) in
494-526: The Kara Sea , is 3,487 km (2,167 mi) long. From the source of its tributary the Selenga , it is 5,075 km (3,153 mi) long. It has a drainage basin of 2,580,000 km (1,000,000 sq mi). The Yenisey flows through the Russian federal subjects Tuva , Khakassia and Krasnoyarsk Krai . The city of Krasnoyarsk is situated far upstream on the Yenisey, and the industrial city of Norilsk
532-602: The Nganasan word "Jentajea", the Enets "Jeddosi", and the Selkup "N'andesi", all meaning "Yenisei River", might correspond to unidentified Samoyed languages, probably quoted Matthias Castrén 's vocabulary. V. K. Nikonov has proposed that the word could derive from "iondessi" (иондесси), meaning "big river" in Selkup, Khanty , or even Evenki . More recently, some have speculated that "Yenisei"
570-545: The Siberian sturgeon ( Acipenser baerii ). The Yenisey valley is habitat for numerous flora and fauna, with Siberian pine and Siberian larch being notable tree species. In prehistoric times Scots pine , Pinus sylvestris , was abundant in the Yenisey valley c. 6000 BC . There are also numerous bird species present in the watershed, including, for example, the hooded crow , Corvus cornix . The Taimyr herd of tundra reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus sibiricus ),
608-759: The Soviet Union . The first written mention of the Yenisei River dates back to the 7th century in Tang Dynasty China, at the time of contact with Yenisei Kyrgyz of this region. The word Jian shui (劔水, "Jian River") appears in Book of Zhou , vol. 50, and History of the Northern Dynasties , vol. 99, while Jian he (劍河, "Jian River") appears in New Book of Tang , vol. 217. In addition, Qian he (謙河, "Qian River")
646-518: The Sym . In 1862 Paul Theodor von Krusenstern attempted to navigate with two ships from Murmansk through the Kara Sea to the delta of the river Yenissei, but unfortunately was shipwrecked before obtaining success. During World War II , Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire agreed to divide Asia along a line that followed the Yenisey to the border of China and then along the border of China and
684-581: The Taz River . It is believed that the name of the Yenisei River was transmitted, either directly or indirectly, from Samoyed-speaking peoples in the region with whom the Russians had contact. This contact eventually led to the adoption of the name "Yenisei", with a Russian accent. Additionally, by the end of the 16th century, the Yenisei River was already known to Dutch navigators, who referred to it as "Gilissi", "Gelissi", or "Geniscea", among other names. Although
722-552: The Yugh people have lived along the banks of the Yenisey since ancient times, and this region is the location of the Yeniseian language family . The Ket, numbering about 1000, are the only survivors today of those who originally lived throughout central southern Siberia near the river banks. Their extinct relatives included the Kotts, Assans, Arins, Baikots and Pumpokols who lived further upriver to
760-644: The 18th century, Chinese maps show ᡴᡝ᠊ᠮ᠊ᠠ ᠪᡳ᠊ᡵᠠ Kem bira “Kem River” ( the Kangxi Imperial Atlas of China (康煕皇輿全覧図) in 1717), ᡴᡝ᠊ᠮ᠊ᠠ ᡳ ᠪᠣ᠊ᠮ Kem-i bom “Cliffs of the Kem River” ( the Yongzheng Atlas (雍正十排図) in 1727 or 1728), 伊克穆必拉 ( yeke Kem bira ) “Great Kem River” ( the Ch'ien-lung Atlas (乾隆内府輿図) in 1769). The etymology of Käm is not believed to be of Turkic origin, and although
798-735: The Soviet government began to greatly increase effort to produce diamonds on its own territory, due in part to some other diamond-producing nations being unwilling to sell to the USSR. Expeditions were organized in the basins of the Yenisei River and in the Ural Mountains . The Ural expedition proved the more successful, finding small, but commercially viable deposits. An additional government decree signed by Stalin in 1946 announced further exploration for diamonds, with expeditions mounted from Irkutsk into
SECTION 20
#1732883537735836-650: The Turks and the Chinese and other legends. There are also examples of Uyghur poetry, though most have survived only in Chinese translation. Wheat from the Yenisey was sold by Muslims and Uighurs during inadequate harvests to Bukhara and Soghd during the Tahirid era. Russians first reached the upper Yenisey in 1605, travelling from the Ob, up the Ket , portaging and then down the Yenisey as far as
874-432: The Yenisey basin are relatively widespread Euro- Siberian or Siberian species, such as northern pike ( Esox lucius ), common roach ( Rutilus rutilus ), common dace ( Leuciscus leuciscus ), Siberian sculpin ( Cottus poecilopus ), European perch ( Perca fluviatilis ) and Prussian carp ( Carassius gibelio ). The basin is also home to many salmonids (trout, whitefish , charr , graylings, taimen and relatives) and
912-596: The area was rich in iron, salt deposits, and precious stones. He described a nest of blue clay in the area between the Vilyuy and Malaya Bituobiya Rivers, but as kimberlites had not yet been discovered there was no official attention. Around the beginning on the 20th century, a number of scientists and geologists noted similarities between parts of the Central Siberian Plateau and areas in South Africa , where exploitation of primary diamond deposits had already begun. In 1937,
950-666: The district is mostly based on mining. Natural resources include diamonds, oil, gas, and brown coal. Diamond mining is mostly carried out by ALROSA company and its subsidiaries. Mirninsky District is connected with Yakutsk by the means of the Vilyuy Highway . As of the 1989 Census , the ethnic composition was as follows: Yenisei River 18,050 m /s (637,000 cu ft/s) (Period of data: 1940–2017) 588 km /a (18,600 m /s) The Yenisey ( / ˌ j ɛ n ɪ ˈ s eɪ / YEN -iss- AY ; Russian : Енисе́й , pronounced [jɪnʲɪˈsʲej] )
988-489: The east. The Alakit is a right tributary of the Olenyok. It originates in a small lake of the northeastern side of the Central Siberian Plateau . The river flows roughly northwestwards or northwards all along its course. In some stretches it forms meanders and there are lakes near its channel in certain sections of its course. Finally it meets the right bank of the Olenyok 1,868 km (1,161 mi) from its mouth. The river
1026-632: The exact spelling varied, these are phonetically similar to "Yenisei". In particular, the modern Dutch pronunciation of "Geniscea" as [xɛnisə] is quite close to "Yenisei". The term "Yenisei" (Енисей) appeared in Russian literature slightly later, around 1600, in the form that is still used today. Unlike in Dutch, the Russian spelling has been relatively stable since the 17th century, with only minor variations such as "Yeniseya" (Енисея) or "Yenisya" (Енися). The etymology of "Yenisei" remains unclear. Renowned linguist Max Vasmer , for instance, has suggested that
1064-624: The future Tsar Nicholas II on his voyage to Siberia, and later conveyed Vladimir Lenin to prison. Engineers attempted to place river steamers in regular service on the river during the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The boats were needed to bring in the rails, engines and supplies. Captain Joseph Wiggins sailed the Orestes with rail in 1893. However, the sea and river route proved very difficult with several ships lost at sea and on
1102-468: The islands, Nosonovskij Ostrov ("Nose Island") was visited by Fridtjof Nansen in 1913. The Yenisey basin (excluding Lake Baikal and lakes of the Khantayka headwaters) is home to 55 native fish species, including two endemics : Gobio sibiricus (a gobionine cyprinid ) and Thymallus nigrescens (a grayling ). The grayling is restricted to Khövsgöl Nuur and its tributaries. Most fish found in
1140-470: The largest pipes at Udachny and Mirny . Over two hundred kimberlite pipes have since been identified in the Sakha Republic. Mirninsky District was established on January 12, 1965, after large-scale diamond mining was started in the area and associated industries began to grow. Within the framework of administrative divisions , Mirninsky District is one of the thirty-four in the republic. It
1178-525: The largest reindeer herd in the world, migrates to winter grazing ranges along the Yenisey. It had an estimated 800,000-850,000 individuals as of 2010, but has peaked at over one million. River steamers first came to the Yenisei River in 1864 and were brought in from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom across the icy Kara Sea. One was the steamer Nikolai . The steamship Thames attempted to explore
Alakit - Misplaced Pages Continue
1216-541: The region of the Yenisei River . The first officially recorded discovery of diamonds in Yakutia (the present-day Sakha Republic ) was made in 1949 on an expedition along the Vilyuy. Initially, discoveries centered on placer deposits , which did not uncover the enormous primary deposits in the form of kimberlite pipes. The first kimberlite deposit, Zarnitsa mine , was discovered on August 21, 1954. Further exploration in 1955 found over fifteen primary deposits, including
1254-410: The river, overwintered in 1876, but was damaged in the ice and eventually wrecked in the river. Success came with the steamers Frazer , Express in 1878 and, the next year, Moscow hauling supplies in and wheat out. The Dalman reached Yeniseisk in 1881. Imperial Russia placed river steamers on the massive river in an attempt to free up communication with land-locked Siberia. One, St. Nicholas took
1292-518: The river. Both the Ob and Yenisey mouths feed into very long inlets, several hundred kilometres in length, which are shallow, ice bound and prone to high winds and thus treacherous for navigation. After the completion of the railway, river traffic reduced to only local service as the Arctic route and long river proved much too indirect a route. The first recreation team to navigate the Yenisey's entire length, including its violent upper tributary in Mongolia,
1330-407: The south to −40 °C (−40 °F) in the north. July's average temperature ranges from +14 °C (57 °F) to +16 °C (61 °F). The average annual precipitation is about 250–300 millimeters (9.8–11.8 in). The Vilyuy River basin was believed to contain mineral deposits at least as early as the 19th century, with Richard Maack reporting after an expedition to the area that
1368-630: The south. The modern Ket lived in the eastern middle areas of the river before being assimilated politically into Russia during the 17th through 19th centuries. Some of the earliest known evidence of Turkic origins was found in the Yenisey Valley in the form of stelae , stone monoliths and memorial tablets dating from between the seventh and ninth centuries AD, along with some documents that were found in China's Xinjiang region . The written evidence gathered from these sources tells of battles fought between
1406-641: The suffix -kem -кем in the Altai Republic , and the term Kim (Ким) as in Kim suγ (Ким суғ), meaning "Yenisei River" barely exists in Khakas . All of these instances are confined to the region in and around the present-day Republic of Tuva . Meanwhile, in the 17th century, Russians reached the lower part of the Yenisei River from the northwest; along the way, by 1600, the Tobolsk Cossacks built Fort Mangazeya by
1444-500: Was an Australian-Canadian expedition completed in September 2001. Ben Kozel , Tim Cope, Colin Angus and Remy Quinter were on this team. Both Kozel and Angus wrote books detailing this expedition, and a documentary was produced for National Geographic Television. A canal inclined plane was built on the river in 1985 at the Krasnoyarsk Dam . Nomadic tribes such as the Ket people and
#734265