Pechora (river)
River in Northwest Russia
title: "Pechora (river)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-the-komi-republic", "rivers-of-nenets-autonomous-okrug", "pechora-basin"] description: "River in Northwest Russia" topic_path: "general/rivers-of-the-komi-republic" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pechora_(river)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary River in Northwest Russia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Pechora |
| name_other | ; Komi: Печӧра; Nenets: Санэроˮ яха |
| name_etymology | The Russian name of the river is a combination of two words in an old local Nenets dialect, "pe" & "chora". Literally it means "forest dweller".{{cite web |
| access-date | 2012-03-31 |
| image | Берега Печоры. Якша.jpg |
| image_size | 270 |
| map | Pechora-en.svg |
| map_size | 270 |
| map_caption | Pechora catchment area and tributaries |
| mapframe | yes |
| mapframe-zoom | 4 |
| subdivision_type1 | Country |
| subdivision_name1 | Russia |
| subdivision_type2 | State |
| subdivision_name2 | Khantia-Mansia, Komi Republic, Nenets Autonomous Okrug |
| subdivision_type5 | Cities |
| subdivision_name5 | Naryan-Mar, Pechora, Ust-Tsilma |
| length | 1,809 km |
| discharge1_location | Barents Sea (near mouth) |
| discharge1_avg | (Period: 1993–2021)150 km3/year |
| (Period: 1984–2018){{cvt | 159 |
| (Period: 1971–2000){{cvt | 4,853.8 |
| discharge2_location | Oksino{{cite web |
| url | http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html |
| title | Pechora River at Oksino |
| publisher | ArcticNet |
| access-date | 2012-03-31 |
| discharge2_min | 643 m3/s{{cite web |
| url | http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html |
| title | Pechora River at Oksino |
| publisher | ArcticNet |
| access-date | 2012-03-31 |
| discharge2_avg | (Period: 1971–2015)4,823 m3/s |
| (Period: 1981–1993){{convert | 4,533 |
| url | http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html |
| title | Pechora River at Oksino |
| publisher | ArcticNet |
| access-date | 2012-03-31 |
| discharge2_max | 17,182 m3/s{{cite web |
| url | http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html |
| title | Pechora River at Oksino |
| publisher | ArcticNet |
| access-date | 2012-03-31 |
| source1 | Ural Mountains |
| source1_location | near Nyaksimvol, Khantia-Mansia |
| source1_coordinates | |
| source1_elevation | 630 m |
| mouth | Arctic Ocean, Pechora Sea / Barents Sea |
| mouth_location | Pechorskaya Guba, Nenets Autonomous Okrug |
| mouth_coordinates | |
| mouth_elevation | 0 m |
| river_system | Pechora River |
| basin_size | 322,000 km2 |
| tributaries_left | Unya, Northern Mylva, Velyu, Lemyu, Kozhva, Lyzha, Izhma, Neritsa, Pizhma, Tsilma, Sula |
| tributaries_right | Ilych, Podcherye, Shchugor, Usa, Laya, Yorsa, Sozva, Shapkina, Kuya |
| :: |
| name = Pechora | name_native = | name_native_lang = | name_other = ; Komi: Печӧра; Nenets: Санэроˮ яха | name_etymology = The Russian name of the river is a combination of two words in an old local Nenets dialect, "pe" & "chora". Literally it means "forest dweller".{{cite web|url=http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_geo/3846/%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0|script-title=ru:Печора|publisher=Географическая энциклопедия |access-date=2012-03-31|language=ru}} | image = Берега Печоры. Якша.jpg | image_size = 270 | image_caption = | map = Pechora-en.svg | map_size = 270 | map_caption = Pechora catchment area and tributaries | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption = | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 4 | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = Russia | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Khantia-Mansia, Komi Republic, Nenets Autonomous Okrug | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = Cities | subdivision_name5 = Naryan-Mar, Pechora, Ust-Tsilma | length = 1,809 km | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location=Barents Sea (near mouth) | discharge1_avg = (Period: 1993–2021)150 km3/year (Period: 1984–2018)159 km3/year (Period: 1971–2000)4,853.8 m3/s | discharge2_location= Oksino{{cite web | url = http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html | title = Pechora River at Oksino | publisher = ArcticNet | access-date = 2012-03-31 | discharge2_min = 643 m3/s{{cite web | url = http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html | title = Pechora River at Oksino | publisher = ArcticNet | access-date = 2012-03-31 | discharge2_avg = (Period: 1971–2015)4,823 m3/s (Period: 1981–1993)4,533 m3/s{{cite web | url = http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html | title = Pechora River at Oksino | publisher = ArcticNet | access-date = 2012-03-31 | discharge2_max = 17,182 m3/s{{cite web | url = http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/Points/P7565.html | title = Pechora River at Oksino | publisher = ArcticNet | access-date = 2012-03-31 | source1 = Ural Mountains | source1_location = near Nyaksimvol, Khantia-Mansia | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = 630 m | mouth = Arctic Ocean, Pechora Sea / Barents Sea | mouth_location = Pechorskaya Guba, Nenets Autonomous Okrug | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = 0 m | progression = | river_system = Pechora River | basin_size = 322,000 km2 | tributaries_left = Unya, Northern Mylva, Velyu, Lemyu, Kozhva, Lyzha, Izhma, Neritsa, Pizhma, Tsilma, Sula | tributaries_right = Ilych, Podcherye, Shchugor, Usa, Laya, Yorsa, Sozva, Shapkina, Kuya | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra =
The Pechora (; Komi: Печӧра; Nenets: Санэроˮ яха) is the sixth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Northwest Russia and into the Arctic Ocean, it lies mostly in the Komi Republic but the northernmost part crosses the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Geography
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Pechora.jpg" caption="Pechora River, light-colored Ural Mountains and part of the Ob River"] ::
The Pechora is 1,809 km long (almost 200 km shorter than the Columbia River) and its basin is 322,000 km2, or about the same size as Finland. By mean annual discharge it ranks third in Europe, after the Volga and Danube. Its discharge is about three quarters that of the Danube and a little more than its sister, the Northern Dvina, and is the largest of any river with no dams in its basin outside of New Guinea.
West of its lower course is the Timan Ridge. East of the basin along the west flank of the Urals is the Yugyd Va National Park. Also in the basin is the Virgin Komi Forests, the largest virgin forest in Europe. In the far northeast of the basin on the Usa River is the large coal center of Vorkuta. The river was once an important transportation route, especially for those travelling to northwest Siberia. Today a railroad runs southwest from Vorkuta to Moscow.
Along the Pechora
The river rises in the Ural Mountains in the south-eastern corner of the Komi Republic. This area is part of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve. On the other side of the Urals are the headwaters of the Northern Sosva. The river flows south, then west and turns north near Yaksha which is the head of navigation for small boats. A portage led south to the Kama basin. To the east is the upper Vychegda, a tributary of the Northern Dvina. The river flows past Komsomolsk-na-Pechore to Ust-Ilych where the Ilych joins from the east, then Northwest to Troitsko-Pechorsk (1,359 km from the mouth), north to Vuktyl and Ust-Shchuger where the Shchugor joins from the east. The river then flows north to Pechora town, where the railway from Vorkuta crosses, then north to Ust-Usa where the Usa joins from the east (the Usa was once an important river route into Siberia). The Pechora then curves northwest, west, and west southwest. The Izhma joins from the south. It then flows further west to Ust-Tsilma (425 km from the mouth) where the Pizhma joins from the southwest and the Tsilma joins from the west. Before modern times people traveled up the Tsilma and portaged to the Pyoza to reach the White Sea. Then the Pechora turns north and crosses the arctic Arctic Circle and the border of the Nenets Okrug; Pustozyorsk; Naryan-Mar, the Nenets capital and a port at the head of the Pechora delta; Pechora Bay; Pechora Sea; and finally the Barents Sea.
Hydrology
The monthly average discharge of the river was recorded between 1981 and 1993 in the village of Oksino, located 141 km upstream from the mouth. The values are presented in the diagram below (metric units, m3/s). Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.8) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.3) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.8,0.9)
ImageSize = width:500 height:300 PlotArea = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:20000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:10000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:2000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
BarData= bar:Jan text:Jan. bar:Fév text:Feb. bar:Mar text:Mar. bar:Avr text:Apr. bar:Mai text:May. bar:Jun text:Jun. bar:Jul text:Jul. bar:Aoû text:Aug. bar:Sep text:Sep. bar:Oct text:Oct. bar:Nov text:Nov. bar:Déc text:Dec.
PlotData= color:barra width:30 align:left
bar:Jan from:0 till: 926 bar:Fév from:0 till: 743 bar:Mar from:0 till: 643 bar:Avr from:0 till: 778 bar:Mai from:0 till: 11829 bar:Jun from:0 till: 17182 bar:Jul from:0 till: 7530 bar:Aoû from:0 till: 3543 bar:Sep from:0 till: 4303 bar:Oct from:0 till: 3670 bar:Nov from:0 till: 1972 bar:Déc from:0 till: 1277
PlotData= bar:Jan at: 926 fontsize:S text: 926 shift:(-10,5) bar:Fév at: 743 fontsize:S text: 743 shift:(-10,5) bar:Mar at: 643 fontsize:S text: 643 shift:(-10,5) bar:Avr at: 778 fontsize:S text: 778 shift:(-10,5) bar:Mai at: 11829 fontsize:S text: 11829 shift:(-10,5) bar:Jun at: 17182 fontsize:S text: 17182 shift:(-10,5) bar:Jul at: 7530 fontsize:S text: 7530 shift:(-10,5) bar:Aoû at: 3543 fontsize:S text: 3543 shift:(-10,5) bar:Sep at: 4303 fontsize:S text: 4303 shift:(-10,5) bar:Oct at: 3670 fontsize:S text: 3670 shift:(-10,5) bar:Nov at: 1972 fontsize:S text: 1972 shift:(-10,5) bar:Déc at: 1277 fontsize:S text: 1277 shift:(-10,5)
Canal projects to the Kama River
Before the arrival of the railroad to the Pechora, an important way of travel to the region was via a portage road, from Cherdyn in the Kama basin to Yaksha on the Pechora.
A project for a Pechora–Kama Canal along the same general route was widely discussed in the 1960s through 1980s, this time not as much for transportation, but for the diversion of some of the water of the Pechora to the Kama, as part of a grand Northern river reversal scheme. However, no construction work was carried out on the route of the proposed canal, other than a triple nuclear explosion in 1971, which excavated a crater over 600 m long.
Literary reference
The Pechora was the source of the name of Pechorin – protagonist of the 1839 novel A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov, a well-known work of Russian literature.
References
- Pechora in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
References
- (2023). "Structure and variability of the Pechora plume in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea". Frontiers in Marine Science.
- (2021). "Recent changes to Arctic river discharge". Nature Communications.
- "Northern Europe".
- (2021). "Changing freshwater contributions to the Arctic". Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.
- "Fragmentation and Flow Regulation of the World's Large River Systems".
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