Poronay
幌内
Map of the Poronay watershed
Location of the mouth of the Poronay within Sakhalin Oblast
EtymologyAinu for "big river"[1]
Native nameПоронай (Russian)
Location
CountryRussia
StateSakhalin Oblast
Physical characteristics
SourceMount Nevel
 • locationEast Sakhalin Mountains
 • coordinates50°22′19.30″N 143°10′56.33″E / 50.3720278°N 143.1823139°E / 50.3720278; 143.1823139
MouthGulf of Patience
 • location
Sea of Okhotsk
 • coordinates
49°13′31.77″N 143°07′23.44″E / 49.2254917°N 143.1231778°E / 49.2254917; 143.1231778
Length350 km (220 mi)
Basin size7,990 km2 (3,080 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • locationPacific Ocean[2]
 • average120 m3/s (4,200 cu ft/s)

The Poronay (Russian: Поронай, Japanese: 幌内川) is the longest river on the island of Sakhalin in Russia. It flows in a southerly direction through Tym, Smirnykhovsky and Poronaysky Districts.

Geography

The river begins on Mt. Nevel in the East Sakhalin Mountains, flows south through the swampy wetlands of the Tym-Poronay Valley, and enters the Sea of Okhotsk in the Gulf of Patience. 10 km (6 mi) before it enters the sea, the river divides into two arms, which flow into the sea 5 km (3 mi) apart from each other. The two branches create a marshy river island in the middle. The town of Poronaysk is located near the western mouth of the river.

The Poronay is crossed by only two bridges, one rail and one road bridge. Both bridges are next to each other, in the middle of the river between the towns of Pobedino and Pervomaysk. The river valley, especially the area between the downstream Poronay and the Deer River (a small river to the east), has many lakes. The Poronay river system is a rich breeding ground for salmon[3] and other anadromous fish, as well as freshwater fish such as Amur pike.[4]

Hydrology

The river is fed by both snowmelt and rain. Average water flow is 120 m³/s. The highest level of flow has been observed in early May, and the lowest in the second half of September. The river usually freezes in the second half of November, while the ice thaws in late April.[3]

List of tributaries

The length of each tributary is given in parentheses:

References

  1. ^ Poronay in the "Dictionary of Modern Geographical Names" (in Russian, retrieved 2012-08-27)
  2. ^ "Государственный водный реестр РФ: Поронай". Archived from the original on 2016-02-06.
  3. ^ a b Poronay Archived 2013-09-22 at the Wayback Machine - an article in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. (In Russian, retrieved 2012-08-28.)
  4. ^ Skopets, Mikhail. "Sakhalin Island, Poronai River, Part 1." Flyfishing Russia. Blog post, 16 August 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
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