The largest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean, dividing the flat west of Siberia from the mountainous east.
Length
3,487 km
Source
Mongolia / Sayan Mountains
Mouth
Arctic Ocean (Kara Sea)
Continent
Asia
Countries
Mongolia & Russia
Did you know?
The Yenisei discharges more water than any other Russian river, draining a basin larger than most countries.
Little-known fact
It roughly marks a great divide in Siberia: flat marshy plains to the west, rising plateau and mountains to the east.
Highlights
- Largest Arctic-bound river system
- Russia's greatest discharge
- Divides western and eastern Siberia
Life in the Yenisei
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Northern pike
A long, torpedo-shaped ambush predator that lurks among weeds across the cool rivers and lakes of the north.
Eurasian otter
A sleek, playful hunter whose return to a river is a sign the water has run clean again.
Waterbirds
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here