Kama (river)

The Kama (Russian: Ка́ма, IPA: [ˈkamə]; Tatar: Чулман/Çulman; Udmurt: Кам) is a 1,805 kilometres (1,122 mi) long[1][2] river in Russia. It has a drainage basin of 5,800 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi).[2] It is the longest left tributary of the Volga and the largest one in discharge. At their confluence, in fact, the Kama is even larger than the Volga.

For the river in Afghanistan historically known as the Kama, see Kunar River.
Kama
Map of the Volga's watershed with the Kama's watershed highlighted
Location
CountryRussia
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationUdmurtia
 • elevation360 m (1,180 ft)
MouthVolga River
 • coordinates
55°21′50″N 49°59′52″E
Length1,805 km (1,122 mi)
Basin size507,000 km2 (196,000 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average4,100 cubic metres per second (140,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionVolga→ Caspian Sea

It starts in the Udmurt Republic, near Kuliga, flowing northwest for 200 kilometres (120 mi), turning northeast near Loyno for another 200 kilometres (120 mi), then turning south and west in Perm Krai, flowing again through the Udmurt Republic and then through the Republic of Tatarstan, where it meets the Volga.

The Kama River in the city of Perm

Before the advent of railroads, important portages connected the Kama with the basins of the Northern Dvina and the Pechora. In the early 19th-century the Northern Ekaterininsky Canal connected the upper Kama with the Vychegda River (a tributary of the Northern Dvina), but was mostly abandoned after just a few years due to low use.

The Kama featured in the 2013 Russian film The Geographer Drank His Globe Away, in the climactic rapids scene.

Dams and reservoirs

The Kama is dammed at several locations:

Tributaries

The largest tributaries of the Kama are, from source to mouth:[2]

  • Crossing of the rivers Chusovaya (tributary) and Kama
  • View in Yelabuga
  • A Russian truss bridge by Lavr Proskuryakov. Early colour photograph, taken ca. 1912.

References
  1. "Definition of Kama River in English". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  2. «Река КАМА», Russian State Water Registry

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