Belaia

(Bashkir: Agizel’—literally, “great white river”), a river; the left tributary of the Kama. Located primarily in the Bashkir ASSR (its lower reaches run along the border with the Tatar ASSR). Length, 1,430 km; basin area, 142,000 sq km.

The Belaia River rises to the east of the city of Iremel’ (Southern Urals). In its upper part this river flows between low, swampy banks. Below the settlement of Tirlianskii the river valley abruptly narrows down; in certain sections its slopes are steep and precipitous and covered by forest. Below the mouth of the right tributary of the Nugush River the valley gradually widens as it emerges onto a plain; after the mouth of the Ufa River the Belaia becomes a typical lowland river. Flowing through a broad bottom land, rich in old river channels, the river forms many bends and divides into branches. For most of its length the right bank is usually higher than the left bank. The Belaia is fed primarily by snows. The average annual flow rate at Birsk is 858 cu m/sec.

The Belaia freezes over in mid-November and opens up in mid-April. Its major tributaries are the Nugush, Sim, Ufa, Bir, and Tanyp from the right; and the Ashkadar, Urshak, Dema, Karmasan, Chermasan, Baza, and Siun’ from the left. The Belaia River is the most important water artery in the Bashkir ASSR, and regular transportation is carried on from Ufa. The Belaia is a component of the Moscow-Ufa waterway, along which there are special tourist trips. The cities of Beloretsk, Salavat, Ishimbai, Sterlitamak, Ufa, and Birsk are located on the Belaia River.

or Bol’shaia Belaia, a river in Irkutsk Oblast, RSFSR, and the Buriat ASSR; a left tributary of the Angara, flowing into the Bratsk Reservoir. It rises in the Belye Gol’tsy of East Saian. The Belaia is 359 km long and drains an area of 18,000 sq km; its principal tributaries are the Urik and Malaia Belaia (on the right). In its basin are about 400 lakes with an overall area of 18,500 sq km. It is fed by snow and rain, freezes over in October and November, and opens up again in late April and early May. The Belaia can be used for floating logs. There are nephrite and graphite deposits in its basin.

(known as the Pal’matkina above its confluence with the Essoveem River), a river in Kamchatka Oblast, RSFSR; left tributary of the Penzhina River. Length, 304 km; basin area, 13,800 sq km. Rises in the Koriak plateau, then flows through the Parapol’skii lowland along the Penzhina Range, which it bisects near its mouth. The Belaia is fed by snow and rain.

a river in Krasnodar Krai, RSFSR, a left tributary of the Kuban’; a diversionary point into the Tshchik Reservoir is taken past the estuary. The Belaia is 273 km long, drains an area of 5,990 sq km, and rises in the Glavnyi, or Vodorazdel’nyi, Range of the Greater Caucasus, near mounts Fisht and Oshten. In its lower reaches, it becomes a plains river. It is fed by a mixture of sources. Chief tributaries of the Belaia are the Pshekha and Kurdzhips. The cities of Maikop and Belorechensk and their hydroelectric power stations are located on the Belaia.