Kukhtuy

{{Short description|River in Far East Russia}}

{{Infobox river

| name = Kukhtuy

| other_name = Кухтуй

| image = Kukhtuy 2020-07-12-23 59 Sentinel-2 L2A.jpg

| image_caption = Last stretch of the Kukhtuy Sentinel-2 image

| mouth = Sea of Okhotsk

| mouth_location = Okhotsk estuary

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

| source1_location = Suntar-Khayata

| source1_coordinates = {{coord|61|54|01|N|143|01|57|E|source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:RU}}

| source1_elevation = {{convert|1617|m|abbr=on}}

| mouth_elevation = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}

| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|59|23|50|N|143|14|43|E|source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:RU}}

| length = {{convert|348|km|abbr=on}}

| discharge1_avg = {{convert|90|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}

| basin_size = {{convert|8610|km2|abbr=on}}

| pushpin_map = Russia Khabarovsk Krai

| pushpin_map_caption= Mouth location in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

}}

The Kukhtuy ({{langx|ru|Кухтуй}}) is a river in Okhotsky District, Khabarovsk Krai, Russian Far East. It has a drainage basin of {{convert|8610|km2|mi2}} and a length of {{convert|348|km|abbr=on}}.{{GVR|285394|Река Кухтуй}}[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Operational_Navigation_Chart_D-8,_4th_edition.jpg 1,000,000 scale Operational Navigation Chart; Sheet D-8]

The river is navigable in its lower reaches.

Course

The Kukhtuy river has its source at an elevation of {{convert|1617|m|abbr=on}} in the Suntar-Khayata range.

It flows relatively straight southwards through a mountainous area. The Yudoma Range rises on the right side and the Kukhtuy Range on the left side of its valley and its course is roughly parallel to rivers Okhota to the west and Ulbeya to the east.[https://water-rf.ru/%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%8A%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82%D1%8B/1759/%D0%9A%D1%83%D1%85%D1%82%D1%83%D0%B9 Kukhtuy - Water of Russia]

South of the 61st parallel the river valley widens and the Kukhtuy meanders across a widening floodplain with many bogs and small lakes. Finally it flows into the Sea of Okhotsk on the northeastern side of the estuary of Okhotsk town.Google Earth

The main tributary of the Kukhtuy is the {{convert|178|km|mi}} long Gusinka (Гусинка) that joins it from the left. The river freezes around late October and stays frozen until mid May.

File:Sette-Daban & Suntar-Khayata ONC D-8.jpg map showing the northern shore of the Sea of Okhotsk.]]

Fauna

The basin of the Kukhtuy is a spawning ground for the coho salmon. Other fish species are also abundant in its waters, such as the Amur whitefish, East Siberian grayling, whitespotted char and round whitefish.

See also

References

{{Reflist}}