In the Timsky district of the Kursk region, the largest tributary of the Seversky Donets River, the Oskol, begins its journey. Its length is more than 470 km, and the water area covers almost 15, 000 square meters. km
River path through two states
Because of this size, many have the question: where is the Oskol River? Let's follow her path. The watercourse begins its movement on the Central Russian Upland (Kursk Region), then flows through the territory of the Belgorod Region (Russia). It is in this place that the borders of another state, Ukraine, begin. Then she continues her journey in the Kharkov region.
origin of name
There are two most common meanings of the name Oskol.
- The river, according to the first version, has characteristic chips on its banks. These are white chalk cliffs. They are formed due to the fact that the waters of the stream wash out chalk deposits on the right bank.
- The second version of the origin of the name is in honor of one of the tribes living in this territory - wasps. Proceeding from this, the word translated from Turkic will mean the following: "wasps" - the name of the tribe, and "count" - the river. That is, literally it turns out "river of wasps."
Description of the Oskol River
The Oskol River has a relatively narrow channel - from 10 to 40 meters. However, in some areas it expands to 300 m. The riverbed snakes steeply, the floodplain is wide, wetlands and even individual lakes (elders) are often found. The flow near the stream is calm, on average, the indicator varies within 0.2 m / s. The bottom of the river has a turbulent character, a frequent occurrence is reaches and rifts. In this regard, the depth here varies significantly from 0.4 m to 10 m (the deepest sections).
The riverbanks also differ: the left is gentle, low, the right, on the contrary, rocky and steep. A slight slope of 0.3 m / km is observed, and at a distance of 600 km from the mouth of the North Donets it slowly flows into its course. The type of food is predominantly snowy at the water stream of the Oskol River. In the cold season, the river is covered with ice (end of November - January). Water is opened in March.
A bit of history
The history of this river is also interesting. In the last century, Oskol fed local residents, but not in the literal sense of the word. Although fish are found here, the main use of the river is the transport route. He was the main connecting element between the nearest areas. Of course, this was before the railroads, but then the Oskol (river) was of considerable importance. Peter I himself, according to some legends, rafted the forest along this water stream to build his fleet.
