| Sukhona Russian:Сухона | |
|---|---|
 The Sukhona in the locality of Opoki | |
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| Location | |
| Country | Russia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Northern Dvina |
• coordinates | 60°43′58″N46°19′41″E / 60.73278°N 46.32806°E /60.73278; 46.32806 |
| Length | 558 km (347 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 50,300 square kilometres (19,400 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 456 cubic metres per second (16,100 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Northern Dvina→White Sea |
TheSukhona (Russian:Су́хона) is a river in the European part of Russia, a tributary of theNorthern Dvina. The course of the Sukhona lies inUst-Kubinsky,Sokolsky,Mezhdurechensky,Totemsky,Tarnogsky,Nyuksensky, andVelikoustyugsky Districts ofVologda Oblast inRussia. It is 558 kilometres (347 mi) long, and the area of its basin 50,300 square kilometres (19,400 sq mi). The Sukhona joins theYug near the town ofVeliky Ustyug, forming theNorthern Dvina, one of the biggest rivers of European Russia.
The biggest tributaries of the Sukhona are theVologda (right), theLezha (right), thePelshma (left), theDvinitsa (left), theTolshma (right), theTsaryova (left), theUftyuga (left), and theGorodishna (right).
According to theMax Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary, the name of the river originates from theRussian and most likely means "a river with a dry (hard) bottom".[2]
The river basin of the Sukhona comprises vast areas in the central and eastern parts of Vologda Oblast, in the south ofArkhangelsk Oblast, and in the north ofKostroma Oblast. In particular, the city ofVologda is located in the river basin of the Sukhona. The basin also includesLake Kubenskoye, one of the biggest lakes of Vologda Oblast. The river basin is bounded from the south by the western part of theNorthern Ridge, which separates the basins of the Sukhona and theKostroma. From the north, the Sukhona river basin is bounded in the western part by theKharovsk Ridge hill chain which separates it from the river basin of theVaga.
The towns ofSokol,Totma, and Veliky Ustyug, as well as the villages and district centersShuyskoye andNyuksenitsa, are located on the banks of the Sukhona.
The source of the Sukhona is in the south-eastern part ofLake Kubenskoye. The Sukhona flows out in the south-eastern direction, accepts the Vologda and the Lezha from the right and turns northeast. Most of the river course runs over hilly landscape with tall banks. The Sukhona freezes up in late October - November and stays under the ice until late April - early May.
The Sukhona is navigable, but there is no passenger navigation except for ferry crossings. The lower course of theKubena and Lake Kubenskoye are navigable as well. The northern part of Lake Kubenskoye, which belongs to the basin of the Sukhona, is connected byNorthern Dvina Canal with the town ofKirillov and theSheksna, thus connecting the basins of theWhite Sea and theVolga. In the 19th century, the canal and Lake Kubenskoye were the main waterway connecting the Volga with the White Sea. However, in the 1930s theWhite Sea – Baltic Canal was built, and the Northern Dvina Canal lost its significance. The canal is still in operation, serving cargo traffic and occasional cruise ships, which then proceed to Lake Kubenskoye.
The area was populated byFinnic peoples and then colonized by theNovgorod Republic, with the exception wasVeliky Ustyug, which was part ofVladimir-Suzdal Principality. Totma has been first mentioned in the chronicles in 1137, and Veliky Ustyug — in 1207. In the 13th century the Novgorod merchants already reached theWhite Sea. The area was attractive in the first instance because of the fur trading. The main waterway from Novgorod into the Northern Dvina was along theVolga and its tributary, theSheksna, along the Slavyanka into Lake Nikolskoye, then the boats were taken by land to Lake Blagoveshchenskoye, from there downstream along the Porozovitsa intoLake Kubenskoye and further to the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina.[3]
Until the 1700s, Arkhangelsk was the main trading harbour for the sea trade of Russia and Western Europe, and the Sukhona was on the main trading route connecting the central Russia with Arkhangelsk.Peter the Great drastically changed the situation, by foundingSaint-Petersburg in 1703, thus opening the way for the Baltic Sea trade, and by constructing the highway between Saint-Petersburg and Arkhangelsk via Kargopol. The river quickly lost its role as the leading trading route, which was accelerated by the construction of the railway between Vologda and Arkhangelsk between 1894 and 1897.
Authority control databases: National |
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