Around the Bend and Beyond the Urals Quiz

Answer: Ural River

The Ural River was also formerly known as the Yaik. The 1,509 miles of the river flow through both Russia and Kazakhstan. The origin of the river is near Mount Kruglaya in the Ural Mountains and its mouth leads into the Caspian Sea. The river has a basin of over 89,000 square miles.

Found at the southern end of the Ural Mountains, Magnitogorsk is described as the "place where Europe and Asia meets". It is also the location of the largest iron and steel works in Russia. To the southeast is the city of Orsk, which was founded in 1735. The city is an important industrial center for the region. Orenburg is located where the Sakmara and Ural rivers merge. Orenburg is a major railroad center for Russia.

Answer: Ob River

The Ob River has a basin of over 1.1 million square miles. It runs 2,300 miles and is the seventh longest river in the world. The Ob is formed by the confluence of the Biya and Katun Rivers. The mouth of the river empties in the Gulf of Ob, which itself touches the Arctic Ocean.

Located where the Ob and Barnaulka merge is the city of Barnaul. Although people have lived at this location for thousands of years, the modern city dates to 1730. Novosibirsk is the largest city in Siberia and the third-largest city in Russia. It was built at the time the Trans-Siberian Railway was preparing to cross the Ob River. Founded in 1909, Nizhnevartovsk has seen rapid growth since the 1960s. It was founded as a servicing point for steamships operating on the Ob River.

Answer: Amur River

Forming part of the border between Russia and China in northeastern Asia, The Amur River is also known as the Heilong jiang or "Black Dragon River". It is 1,755 miles long. The river forms at the union of the Shika and Algun Rivers in Manchuria. The mouth of the Amur is at the Straits of Tartary near the Sakhalin Islands.

Blagoveshchensk lies across the Amur River from the Chinese city of Heihe. Trade with China is a major focus of the city. Khabarovsk is the largest city in Russia's Far East. Dating to the eighth century, in more recent times it became an important stop along the Trans-Siberian Railway. If I had given the third city's name as Komsomolsk-on-Amur, this question would have been a bit too easy. The city became a regional center for manufacturing in the 20th century. It is an important center for aircraft manufacturing.

Answer: Lena River

Flowing from the Baikal Mountains to the Arctic Ocean, the Lena River is 2,668 miles long. The drainage area of the river is just under one million square miles. It is possible that Lenin (born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov) may have gotten his pseudonym from the Lena River during his exile in Siberia. It is the longest river in Russia.

The town of Kirensk was founded by the Cossacks in the 17th century. Kirensk serves as a port where larger ships transfer their goods to smaller ships going further upriver. Yakutsk is considered the coldest large city in the world with a year round temperature below freezing. It is a twin city of Fairbanks, AK. Vitim lies at the confluence of the Vitim River with the Lena. It was founded in the seventeenth century as a trading fort.

Answer: Vilyuy River

The Vilyuy River is a main tributary of the Lena. It has a length of 1,650 miles and a basin of almost half a million square miles. The river is first mentioned in Russian historical records in the seventeenth century. The river originates on the Central Siberian Plateau.

Vilyuysk was founded in the seventeenth century as a winter settlement for the Cossacks. A hospital to treat leprosy was founded there in 1897. Suntar is the administrative center of Suntarsky District. It has a subarctic climate. Nyurba was founded in 1930 and has its own airport. Mining and processing of diamonds is its primary industry.

Answer: Volga River

The Volga is the longest river in Europe at 2,194 miles. It flows from the Vaidai Hills to the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a basin of over one half million square miles. The river is an important source of both water for irrigation and hydroelectric power. Ship locks near many of the dams allow for ships to navigate most of the Volga.

The Golden Horde founded the city of Kazan during the Middle Ages and it has a name that means "cauldron". Kazan has some of the oldest trolley and tram systems in Russia. Saratov was founded in the sixteenth century as a fortress to help protect Russia's frontier. Astrakhan lies on the upper Volga Delta and has had city status since the 18th century. The city is an important center of fish processing for Russia.

Answer: Nizhnyaya Tunguska River

Though the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River has a basin of close to 200,000 square miles, it flows through cold, thinly populated territory. The river flows for 1,857 miles from the Central Siberian Plateau to the Yenisei River. The river serves as a trade route for this remote part of Russia. Hunting and the fir trade also plays an important role in the area's economy.

Tura is the administrative center for Evelensky District. It has a subarctic climate. Turukhansk was one of the first Russian settlements in Siberia. During the period of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, the town was often the destination for political prisoners. Yerbogachen can have temperature fluctuations during the course of the year of well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the capital of Katangsky District.

Answer: Irtysh River

The Irtysh River flows through four countries: Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, and Russia. The river flows from the Altai Mountains to a confluence with the Ob River over the course of 2,640 miles. The Irtysh has a basin size of 634,000 square miles. Passenger and cargo ships use the river during the ice-free season.

Omsk is one of the largest Russian cities east of the Ural Mountains. The city served as a capital for anti-Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War. The Russian settlement of Tobolsk dates to the 16th century. The oil and petrochemical industries play an important role in the city's economy. Khanty-Mansiysk lies on the Irtysh shortly before it meets the Ob. The city is an important worldwide center for skiing and alpine skiing.

Answer: Dnieper River

The Dnieper run for 1,400 miles and has a basin just under 200,000 square miles. It flows through Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine between the Valdai Hills and the Black Sea. Most of the length of the Dnieper is navigable to large ships. Several hydroelectric dams are also located along its length.

Dorogobuzh dates back at least to the 12th century. During World War II, it was briefly occupied by the German Army. Smolensk is even older, dating back to the ninth century. Located within the city is St. Michael's, one of the oldest surviving churches in Russia. Kardymovo was founded in the 19th century. Industries in the town include beer production and plastic production.

Answer: Yenisei River

The Yenisei flows through Mongolia and Russia for 2,167 miles. From the Khangai Mountains the river flows to the Yenisei Gulf and then the Arctic Ocean. The largest reindeer herd in the world spends the winter grading along the Yenisei. The first full navigation of the Yenisei occurred in 2001.

Kyzyl was founded in the early 20th century. The city claims to be the geographic center of Asia. Abakan is the home of Katanov State University. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Lithuanian rebels were sometimes exiled to Abakan. Krasnoyarsk is one of the largest producers of aluminum in Russia. There are about 30 institutes of higher education in the city.