| Kem | |
|---|---|
 Kem river during the flood season | |
  | |
| Native name | Кемь (Russian) |
| Location | |
| Country | Russia |
| Region | Krasnoyarsk Krai |
| District | Bolshemurtinsky District,Kazachinsky District,Pirovsky District,Yeniseysky District |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 57°06′06″N92°38′02″E / 57.10167°N 92.63389°E /57.10167; 92.63389 |
| Mouth | Yenisey |
• coordinates | 58°31′04″N92°05′44″E / 58.51778°N 92.09556°E /58.51778; 92.09556 |
| Length | 356 km (221 mi) |
| Basin size | 8,940 km2 (3,450 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | 141 km from the mouth |
| • average | 12.86 m3/s (454 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Yenisey→Kara Sea |
Kem (Russian:Кемь) is a river inKrasnoyarsk Krai,Siberia,Russia.[1] It is a left bank tributary of theYenisey.[1]
The name of the river Kem comes from the ancient word "kem" or "hem" that has a meaning of "great river".[2] This toponymy is very popular and widespread from Siberia up toKarelia andFinland.[2]
The river flows across theWest Siberian Plain through the districts ofBolshemurtinsky,Kazachinsky,Pirovsky, andYeniseysky District before discharging into the Yenisei River close to the town ofYeniseysk at 2045 kilometers before the mouth.[2] The Kem is 356 kilometres (221 miles) long.[1] Itsdrainage basin covers a total area of 8,940 square kilometres (3,452 square miles).[1] The most important tributaries of the Kem are the Tyya (Russian:Тыя) at the 97 kilometer from the mouth and the Belaya (Russian:Белая) at the 115 kilometer from the mouth. Both major tributaries are on the left side. The source of the Kem is located inBolshemurtinsky District where it rises as a small creek in theEast Siberian taiga.[3] Due to the tributary rivers, towards the mouth river reaches 45 meters of width.[3]
The Kem flows mostly through theplain andvegetation grows directly up to the river shores and water.[3] The bottom of the river is covered with a lot ofclay and sandy-clay and a river water is generally not clear.[3] The upper reaches of the river flows through the mixed type taiga covered withconifers (larch,fir,spruce,cedar),birch andaspen, as well as through the areas that are categorized as a standardmixed forest.[3] Due to the tributary rivers, towards the mouth the river reaches 45 meters of width.[3]
Kem's Biological Reserve is located on the 16 000 hectares of the land that stretched along the banks of the river.[4] In 1963 the project of restoration of population ofbeavers started here with 20 individuals of this species being brought in the region.[4]