River · Kazakhstan, Russia
Tobol
The Tobol is the main tributary of the Irtysh. It begins at the edge of the Ural Mountains in Kazakhstan, flows north into Russia and joins the Irtysh at the old Siberian city of Tobolsk.
Picture credit: Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii (Public domain) · alexandergroshev (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Tobol?
The river starts here: Eastern slope of the Southern Urals, Kazakhstan–Russia border.
It ends in the Irtysh River at Tobolsk, Russia.
Countries on the river: Kazakhstan, Russia.
The story behind it
The Tobol starts as two small streams on the eastern slope of the Southern Urals, right at the border between Kazakhstan and Russia. It flows past the Kazakh city of Rudny, where a reservoir supplies water to the iron-ore industry, and then past Kostanay. Then the Tobol crosses into Russia, passes the city of Kurgan and winds through the flat lowlands of Western Siberia. Other rivers such as the Iset, the Tura and the Tavda join it on the way. In winter the ice comes: the Tobol is frozen from November to April, and in spring, when the snow melts, the water rises high. More than 400 years ago, traders and settlers used the river as a route to the east. At its mouth stands Tobolsk, founded in 1587, with the only stone kremlin, or fortress, in Siberia. From there, its water travels on through the Irtysh and the Ob to the Kara Sea.
Questions children ask
How long is the Tobol?
The Tobol is about 1 591 kilometres long. The area that drains into it covers about 426 000 square kilometres, more than the whole of Germany.
Where does the water of the Tobol end up?
The Tobol flows into the Irtysh at Tobolsk. The Irtysh then joins the Ob, which carries the water all the way to the Kara Sea.
Does the Tobol freeze in winter?
Yes, the Tobol is frozen from November to April. When the snow melts in spring, the river swells and the water rises high.
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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