River · Russia
Pechora
The Pechora flows from the northern Ural Mountains through the Komi Republic in the far north of Russia. It ends in a wide delta and pours into the Barents Sea, a part of the Arctic Ocean.
Picture credit: k0k00rt (CC BY-SA 3.0) · mpozdeev (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Pechora?
The river starts here: Northern Urals near Mount Koyp, Komi Republic, Russia.
It ends in the Barents Sea (Pechora Bay), through a delta.
Countries on the river: Russia.
The story behind it
The Pechora begins near Mount Koyp in the northern Urals. In its basin lie the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve and the Virgin Komi Forests, the largest untouched forest in Europe. From early November to early May the river is frozen. When it thaws, the ice breaks up first in the upper reaches, and ice jams can pile up. People fish here for Atlantic salmon, whitefish and vendace. Not a single dam blocks the river or any of its tributaries. Loggers float timber down the water, and the land around it holds coal, oil and natural gas. Near the mouth lies Naryan-Mar, the capital of the Nenets region, where even sea-going ships can dock. After that, the river spreads out into a delta about 45 kilometres wide and flows into Pechora Bay.
Questions children ask
How long is the Pechora?
The Pechora is about 1 809 km long. On this journey it flows all the way from the northern Urals to the Barents Sea.
Is there a dam on the Pechora?
No, there is no dam anywhere in its whole basin. That makes the Pechora one of the largest rivers in the world that still flow freely.
When is the Pechora frozen?
The river is usually frozen from early November to early May. In the ice-free months, sea-going ships can sail up to the port of Naryan-Mar, about 110 km from the mouth.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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