Tobol River
A tributary of the Irtysh, the Tobol River rises in the southern Urals of northwest Kazakhstan not far from the Russian border and flows in a roughly northerly direction first across the Turgay Plateau and then, after crossing the border into Russia, across the West Siberian lowland. The river joins the Irtysh not far from the city and port of Tobol'sk.
With a basin of 426,000 square kilometers, the Tobol is some 1,591 kilometers long. Of this the lower 437 kilometers are navigable, the river being used among other things to float timber to the main waterway of the Irtysh. The waters are also regulated to supply industry in the cities of Rudny, Qostanay, Kurgan, and Yalutorovsk.
The river's length and the two distinct geographical areas (the high-altitude dry steppe of the Turgay Plateau and the temperate rain forest of the Siberian taiga) through which it flows give it distinct characteristics. Like other Central Asian rivers, it is fed mainly by snow. This is supplemented in Siberia by rainfall. Its upper (Kazakhstan) course freezes in November, with the melt occurring at the end of April. In this region, the river's greatest flow occurs during May and June. The lower (Siberian) course freezes in October, with the melt at the end of May. Here the greatest flow is in August. In common with other rivers of the region, the Tobol's flow is highly variable. Its average flow at the confluence with the Irtysh is 805 cubic meters per second, but the maximum August flow is 6,350 cubic meters per second.
Further Reading
Allworth, E. (1989) Central Asia: 120 Years of Russian Rule. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Bolshaia Sovetskaia Entsiklopediia. (1978) English ed. New York: Macmillan.
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