Viatka

a river in Kirov Oblast, RSFSR, and in the Tatar ASSR (lower course); right tributary of the Kama. It is 1,314 km long and its basin area is 129,000 sq km. The Viatka rises in the Upper Kama Plateau in the north of the Udmurt ASSR. It is characterized by drastic changes in the direction of its flow (from north to southwest, then to southeast) and great meandering all along its course. A typical plains river, it flows mostly through a large valley with gentle slopes. In the lower course, the valley widens and narrows every 1-5 km. The river has many shoals. The Viatka is fed mainly by snow. The mean annual discharge is 890 cu m per sec. The Viatka freezes in the first half of November and thaws in the second half of April. The largest tributaries are the Kobra, Letka, Velikaia, Moloma, and Pizhma on the right and the Cheptsa, Bystritsa, Voia, and Kil’mez’ on the left. The Viatka is abundant in such fish as the bream, the roach, the tench, the sichel (Pelecus cultratus), the sheatfish, the pike, the perch, and the pike-perch. The river is used for floating timber. There is regular navigation until the city of Kirov (700 km from the mouth) and in the spring until the landing of Kirs (more than 1,000 km). The main landings are Kirov, Kotel’nich, Sovetsk, and Viatskie Poliany.