View source for Yenisei

{{short description|Fifth-longest river in the world}}
{{for-multi|the bandy club Yenisey|Yenisey Krasnoyarsk Bandy Club|the super heavy lift launch vehicle|Yenisei (rocket)|the indigenous people group|Yeniseian people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Yenisey
| native_name = {{native name list
 |tag1=ru|name1=Енисей
 |tag2=tyv|name2=Улуг-Хем
 |tag3=kjh|name3=Ким суғ
 |tag4=evn|name4=Ендэгӣ
 |tag5=nenets|name5=ям'}}
| name_other = 
| name_etymology = from either [[Yenisei Kyrgyz|Old Kyrgyz]] {{lang|otk|Эне-Сай}} (''Ene-Sai'', 'mother river') or [[Evenki language|Evenki]] {{lang|evn|Ионэсси}} (''Ionəssi'', 'big water')<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LGcyAAAAIAAJ&q=%D0%98%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%8D%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8|title=Избранное : стихотворения, поэмы|first=Александр Андреевич|last=Прокофьев|date=30 August 1990|publisher="Худож. лит-ра", Ленинградское отд-ние |isbn=9785280009615|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SkRyAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA51 |title=Реки, моря и океаны. Вся вода на Земле|first=Светлана|last=Мирнова|date=5 September 2017|publisher=Litres|isbn=9785457593909|via=Google Books}}</ref>

<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->| image = Слияние рек Енисей.jpg
| image_size = 
| image_caption = The confluence of the rivers Kaa-Khem and Piy-Khem near [[Kyzyl]]
| map = Yeniseirivermap.png
| map_size = 
| map_caption = The Yenisey basin, including [[Lake Baikal]]
| pushpin_map = 
| pushpin_map_size = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 2
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[Mongolia]], [[Russia]]
| subdivision_type2 = 
| subdivision_name2 = 
| subdivision_type3 = Region
| subdivision_name3 = [[Tuva]], [[Krasnoyarsk Krai]], [[Khakassia]], [[Irkutsk Oblast]], [[Buryatia]], [[Zabaykalsky Krai]]
| subdivision_type4 = 
| subdivision_name4 = 
| subdivision_type5 = Cities
| subdivision_name5 = [[Kyzyl]], [[Shagonar]], [[Sayanogorsk]], [[Abakan]], [[Divnogorsk]], [[Krasnoyarsk]], [[Yeniseysk]], [[Lesosibirsk]], [[Igarka]], [[Dudinka]]
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->| length = {{convert|3,487|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name="Yenisey River"/>
| width_min = {{convert|90|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="Yenisey River"/>
| width_avg = 
| width_max = {{convert|5,000|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="The Yenisei River">{{cite web|url=https://www.bestourism.com/items/di/7760?title=Manchac-Swamp&b=332|title=The Yenisei River}}</ref><ref name="Yenisey River">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Yenisey-River|title=Yenisey River}}</ref>
| depth_min = {{convert|5|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="Yenisey River"/>
| depth_avg = {{convert|14|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="The Yenisei River"/>
| depth_max = {{convert|66|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="The Yenisei River"/>
| discharge1_location = [[Igarka]], Russia  (Basin size {{convert|2,440,000|km2|abbr=on}};<ref name="Station: Igarka"/> {{convert|2,442,735|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name="online.ucpress.edu">{{cite journal|url=https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article/9/1/00098/117201/Changing-freshwater-contributions-to-the-ArcticA|doi=10.1525/elementa.2020.00098 |title=Changing freshwater contributions to the Arctic |year=2021 |last1=Stadnyk |first1=Tricia A. |last2=Tefs |first2=A. |last3=Broesky |first3=M. |last4=Déry |first4=S. J. |last5=Myers |first5=P. G. |last6=Ridenour |first6=N. A. |last7=Koenig |first7=K. |last8=Vonderbank |first8=L. |last9=Gustafsson |first9=D. |journal=Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=00098 |s2cid=236682638 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021EleSA...9...98S }}</ref>)
| discharge1_min = {{convert|3,120|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Station: Igarka"/>
| discharge1_avg = (Period of data: 1971–2015){{convert|19,499|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="online.ucpress.edu"/>
{{convert|18,050|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Station: Igarka">{{cite web|url=http://www.grdc.sr.unh.edu/html/Polygons/P2909150.html|title=Station: Igarka|work=Yenisei Basin|publisher=UNH / GRDC|access-date=31 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023631/http://www.grdc.sr.unh.edu/html/Polygons/P2909150.html|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
(Period of data: 1999–2008) {{convert|636|km3/year|m3/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="River Discharge">{{cite web|url=https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2018/river-discharge-2/|title=River Discharge|date=25 September 2018 }}</ref>
| discharge1_max = {{convert|112,000|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Station: Igarka"/>
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->| source1 = [[Ka-Hem|Mungaragiyn-Gol]]
| source1_location = ridge [[Dod-Taygasyn-Noroo]], [[Mongolia]]
| source1_coordinates = {{coord|50|43|46|N|98|39|49|E|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|3,351|m|abbr=on}}
| source2 = The most distant source: Yenisey-Angara-Selenga-Ider system
| source2_location = [[Khangai Mountains]]
| source2_coordinates = {{coord|47|54|47|N|97|57|1|E|}}
| source2_elevation = {{convert|2,850|m|abbr=on}}
| mouth = [[Yenisey Gulf]]
| mouth_location = [[Arctic Ocean]], Russia
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|71|50|0|N|82|40|0|E|region:CN_type:river_source:dewiki|display=title,inline}}
| mouth_elevation = 
| progression = 
| river_system = 
| basin_size = {{convert|2,554,482|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} to {{convert|2,580,000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}<ref name="Yenisey River"/>
| tributaries_left = 
| tributaries_right = [[Angara]], [[Podkamennaya Tunguska]], [[Nizhnyaya Tunguska]]
| custom_label = 
| custom_data = 
| discharge2_location = [[Dudinka]], Russia (Basin size {{convert|2,540,000|km2|abbr=on}})
| discharge2_avg = (Period of data: 1999–2008) {{convert|673|km3/year|m3/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="River Discharge"/>
| discharge3_location = [[Yenisey Gulf]] (near mouth)
| discharge3_min = {{convert|2,700|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="The Yenisei River"/>
| discharge3_avg = (Period of data: 1984–2018){{convert|637|km3/year|m3/s|abbr=on}}
(Period of data: 1940–2017) {{convert|588|km3/year|m3/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="River Discharge"/>
{{convert|620|km3/year|m3/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="Yenisey River"/>
| discharge3_max = {{convert|190,000|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="The Yenisei River"/>
| extra = 
}}

The '''Yenisey''' or '''Yenisei'''<ref name=":0" /> ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|j|ɛ|n|ɪ|ˈ|s|eɪ}} {{respell|YEN|iss|AY}}; {{langx|ru|Енисе́й}}, {{IPA|ru|jɪnʲɪˈsʲej|pron}}){{efn|Also romanised as ''Jenisej'';<ref name="Hammond">{{cite encyclopedia | title = Yenisei River | encyclopedia = Hammond Quick & Easy Notebook Reference Atlas & Webster Dictionary | publisher = Hammond|isbn= 0843709227 | date = April 2006| page = 31}}</ref> {{langx|mn|Горлог мөрөн|Gorlog mörön}}, {{IPA|mn|ˈɢɔrɮɔɢ ˈmɵrɵŋ|pron}}; {{langx|bua|Горлог мүрэн|Gorlog müren}}; {{langx|tyv|Улуг-Хем|Ulug-Xem}}; {{langx|kjh|Ким суғ|Kim suğ}}.}} is the [[list of rivers by length|fifth-longest]] river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the [[Arctic Ocean]].

Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through [[Lake Baikal]] and the [[Krasnoyarsk Dam]] before draining into the [[Yenisey Gulf]] in the [[Kara Sea]]. The Yenisey divides the [[Western Siberian Plain]] in the west from the [[Central Siberian Plateau]] to the east; it drains a large part of central [[Siberia]]. Its delta is formed between the [[Gyda Peninsula]] and the [[Taymyr Peninsula]].

It is the central one of three large Siberian rivers that flow into the [[Arctic Ocean]] (the other two being the [[Ob (river)|Ob]] and the [[Lena River|Lena]]). The maximum depth of the Yenisey is {{convert|200|ft|m|order=flip}} and the average depth is {{convert|45|ft|m|order=flip}}.

==Geography==
[[File:Operational Navigation Chart D-6, 6th edition.jpg|left|thumb|Map including the Yenisey River]]

The Yenisey proper, from the confluence of its source rivers the [[Great Yenisey]] and [[Little Yenisey]] at [[Kyzyl]] to its mouth in the [[Kara Sea]], is {{convert|3487|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} long. From the source of its tributary the [[Selenga]], it is {{convert|5075|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=bse>[http://bse.sci-lib.com/article037454.html Енисей], [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]</ref> It has a drainage basin of {{convert|2580000|km2|sp=us|abbr=on}}.<ref name=gvr>{{GVR|17010300112116100000014|Река Енисей}}</ref> The Yenisey flows through the Russian [[Federal subjects of Russia|federal subjects]] [[Tuva]], [[Khakassia]]{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} and [[Krasnoyarsk Krai]]. The city of [[Krasnoyarsk]] is situated far upstream on the Yenisey,<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/08/a-year-on-the-yenisei-river/100580/|title=A Year on the Yenisei River|last=Alan Taylor|date=23 August 2013|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=8 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626035425/http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/08/a-year-on-the-yenisei-river/100580/|archive-date=26 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> and the industrial city of [[Norilsk]] is nearby on the Arctic Ocean's [[Taymyr Peninsula]].

===Tributaries===
The largest tributaries of the Yenisey are, from source to mouth:<ref name=gvr/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/175644/|title=Yenisei River|last=C Michael Hogan|date=13 May 2012|publisher=[[Encyclopedia of Earth]]|access-date=23 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517053251/http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/175644/|archive-date=17 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Little Yenisey]] (left)
* [[Great Yenisey]] (right)
* [[Khemchik]] (left)
* [[Kantegir]] (left)
* [[Abakan (river)|Abakan]] (left)
* [[Tuba (river)|Tuba]] (right)
* [[Mana (Russia)|Mana]] (right)
* [[Bazaikha]] (right)
* [[Kacha (river)|Kacha]] (left)
* [[Kan (river)|Kan]] (right)
* [[Angara]] (right)
* [[Kem (Yenisey)|Kem]] (left)
* [[Bolshoy Pit]] (right)
* [[Sym (river)|Sym]] (left)
* [[Dubches]] (left)
* [[Podkamennaya Tunguska]] (right)
* [[Bakhta (river)|Bakhta]] (right)
* [[Yeloguy]] (left)
* [[Nizhnyaya Tunguska]] (right)
* [[Turukhan]] (left)
* [[Kureyka]] (right)
* [[Khantayka]] (right)
* [[Bolshaya Kheta]] (left)
* [[Tanama (river)|Tanama]] (left)
{{div col end}}

==Lake Baikal==
{{Main|Lake Baikal}}
A significant feature of the Upper Yenisei is [[Lake Baikal]], the deepest and oldest lake in the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nick C. Davidson |title=The Wetland Book |chapter=Yenisei River Basin and Lake Baikal (Russia) |year=2018 |pages=1477–1484 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-94-007-4001-3_276 |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-4001-3_276 |isbn=978-94-007-4000-6 |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref>

==Brekhovskie Islands==
The Brekhovskie Islands (Russian-language article: ''[[:ru:Бреховские острова|Бреховские острова]]'') lie in the Yenisey estuary and have an area of some 1,400,000 hectares. They provide a wetland habitat for rare and endangered birds and are an internationally important nesting and breeding area for several types of [[waterfowl]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/698|title=Brekhovsky Islands in the Yenisei Estuary|website=ramsar.org|publisher=Ramsar Sites Information Service|access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref> The most north-easterly of the islands, Nosonovskij Ostrov ("Nose Island") was visited by [[Fridtjof Nansen]] in 1913.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nansen |first=Fridtjof |author-link=Nansen  |date=1914 |title=Through Siberia, the Land of the Future |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924021571710/page/80/mode/2up |location=London |publisher=William Heinemann |page=80}}</ref>

==Flora and fauna==
The Yenisey [[Drainage basin|basin]] (excluding Lake Baikal and lakes of the [[Khantayka]] headwaters) is home to 55 native fish species, including two [[Endemism|endemics]]: ''[[Gobio sibiricus]]'' (a [[Gobioninae|gobionine]] [[cyprinid]]) and ''[[Thymallus nigrescens]]'' (a [[Thymallus|grayling]]).<ref name="FEOW">Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (2008). ''[http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/yenisei Yenisei.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116170105/http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/Yenisei |date=16 January 2017 }}'' Retrieved 16 July 2014.</ref> The grayling is restricted to [[Khövsgöl Nuur]] and its tributaries.<ref name=FEOW/> Most fish found in the Yenisey basin are relatively widespread Euro-[[Siberia]]n or Siberian species, such as [[northern pike]] (''Esox lucius''), [[common roach]] (''Rutilus rutilus''), [[common dace]] (''Leuciscus leuciscus''), [[Siberian sculpin]] (''Cottus poecilopus''), [[European perch]] (''Perca fluviatilis'') and [[Prussian carp]] (''Carassius gibelio''). The basin is also home to many [[salmonids]] (trout, [[Freshwater whitefish|whitefish]], [[Salvelinus|charr]], graylings, [[taimen]] and relatives) and the [[Siberian sturgeon]] (''Acipenser baerii'').<ref name=FEOW/>

The Yenisey valley is habitat for numerous flora and fauna, with [[Siberian pine]] and [[Siberian larch]] being notable tree species. In [[prehistoric]] times [[Scots pine]], ''Pinus sylvestris'', was abundant in the Yenisey valley {{circa|6000 [[Anno Domini|BC]]}}.<ref>Stein, Ruediger et al. 2003. ''Siberian river run-off in the Kara Sea'', Proceedings in Marine Sciences, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 488 pages</ref> There are also numerous bird species present in the watershed, including, for example, the [[hooded crow]], ''Corvus cornix''.<ref>C. Michael Hogan. 2009. [http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307 ''Hooded Crow: Corvus cornix'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed, N. Stromberg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126090957/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307 |date=26 November 2010 }}</ref>

===Taimyr reindeer herd===
The Taimyr herd of tundra [[reindeer]] (''Rangifer tarandus'' ''sibiricus''), the largest reindeer herd in the world,<ref name="NOAA2013">{{Cite journal|title=Migratory Tundra Rangifer |first1=D.E. |last1=Russell |first2=A. |last2=Gunn |journal=Arctic Report Card |institution=NOAA Arctic Research Program |date=20 November 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Kolpashikov">{{cite journal|last1=Kolpashikov|first1=L.|first2=V. |last2=Makhailov|first3=D. |last3=Russell|date=2014|title=The role of harvest, predators and socio-political environment in the dynamics of the Taimyr wild reindeer herd with some lessons for North America|journal=Ecology and Society |volume=20|issue=1|jstor=26269762 }}</ref> migrates to winter grazing ranges along the Yenisey.<ref name="Baskin_1986">{{citation |title=Differences in the ecology and behaviour of reindeer populations in the USSR |first=Leonid M. |last=Baskin |url=http://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/viewFile/667/634 |access-date=7 January 2015 |journal=Rangifer |series=Special Issue |number=1 |year=1986 |volume=6 |pages=333–340 |doi=10.7557/2.6.2.667 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211412/http://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/viewFile/667/634 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref>{{rp|336}} It had an estimated 800,000-850,000 individuals as of 2010, but has peaked at over one million.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kolpasсhikov |first1=Leonid |last2=Makhailov |first2=Vladimir |last3=Russell |first3=Don |date=23 January 2015 |title=The role of harvest, predators, and socio-political environment in the dynamics of the Taimyr wild reindeer herd with some lessons for North America |url=https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss1/art9/ |journal=Ecology and Society |language=en |volume=20 |issue=1 |doi=10.5751/ES-07129-200109 |issn=1708-3087|doi-access=free |hdl=10535/9749 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==Navigation==
[[File:Jenissej 82.37757E 70.72558N.jpg|thumb|left|The Jenissej river gulf]]
River steamers first came to the Yenisei River in 1864 and were brought in from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom across the icy Kara Sea. One was the steamer ''Nikolai''. The steamship ''[[The Thames (steamship)|Thames]]'' attempted to explore the river, overwintered in 1876, but was damaged in the ice and eventually wrecked in the river. Success came with the steamers ''Frazer'', ''Express'' in 1878 and, the next year, ''Moscow'' hauling supplies in and wheat out. The ''Dalman'' reached Yeniseisk in 1881.

Imperial Russia placed river steamers on the massive river in an attempt to free up communication with land-locked Siberia. One, ''St. Nicholas'' took the future [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar Nicholas II]] on his voyage to Siberia, and later conveyed Vladimir Lenin to prison.

Engineers attempted to place river steamers in regular service on the river during the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The boats were needed to bring in the rails, engines and supplies. Captain [[Joseph Wiggins]] sailed the ''Orestes'' with rail in 1893. However, the sea and river route proved very difficult with several ships lost at sea and on the river. Both the Ob and Yenisey mouths feed into very long inlets, several hundred kilometres in length, which are shallow, ice bound and prone to high winds and thus treacherous for navigation. After the completion of the railway, river traffic reduced to only local service as the Arctic route and long river proved much too indirect a route.

The first recreation team to navigate the Yenisey's entire length, including its violent upper [[tributary]] in Mongolia, was an Australian-Canadian expedition completed in September 2001.  [[Ben Kozel]], Tim Cope, [[Colin Angus (explorer)|Colin Angus]] and Remy Quinter were on this team.  Both Kozel and Angus wrote books detailing this expedition,<ref>Five Months in a Leaky Boat: A River Journey Through Siberia, Kozel, 2003, Pan Macmillan</ref> and a documentary was produced for National Geographic Television.

A [[canal inclined plane]] was built on the river in 1985 at the [[Krasnoyarsk Dam]].<ref name="ShipliftsPianc1989">
{{cite book
| isbn = 978-2-87223-006-8
| url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=hv48DrHv_l4C&q=%22Ship+lifts%22+China
| title       = Ship lifts: report of a Study Commission within the framework of Permanent ..
| publisher   = [[PIANC]]
| year        = 1989
| access-date  = 14 December 2011
| author      = Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses.
}}
</ref>

==History==
Nomadic tribes such as the [[Ket people]] and the [[Yugh people]] have lived along the banks of the Yenisey since ancient times, and this region is the location of the [[Yeniseian languages|Yeniseian language family]]. The Ket, numbering about 1000,  are the only survivors today of those who originally lived throughout central southern Siberia near the river banks. Their extinct relatives included the Kotts, Assans, Arins, Baikots and Pumpokols who lived further upriver to the south. The modern Ket lived in the eastern middle areas of the river before being assimilated politically into Russia during the 17th through 19th centuries.<ref>{{cite web
|last=Vajda
|first=Edward G.
|url=http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ea210/ket.htm
|title=The Ket and Other Yeniseian Peoples
|access-date=27 October 2006
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406214043/http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ea210/ket.htm
|archive-date=6 April 2019
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

Some of the earliest known evidence of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] origins was found in the Yenisey Valley in the form of [[stelae]], stone [[monoliths]] and memorial tablets dating from between the seventh and ninth centuries AD, along with some documents that were found in China's [[Xinjiang region]]. The written evidence gathered from these sources tells of battles fought between the Turks and the [[Chinese people|Chinese]] and other legends. There are also examples of [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] poetry, though most have survived only in Chinese translation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Halman |first1=Talah |title=A Millenium of Turkish Literature |pages=6}}</ref>

[[File:Le Tour du monde-08-p204.jpg|thumb|right|The schooner {{MV|Iermak}} and the {{MV|Embryo}} on their ill-fated 1862 voyage of exploration to the gulf of the Yenissei under Krusenstern]]
Wheat from the Yenisey was sold by Muslims and Uighurs during inadequate harvests to Bukhara and Soghd during the [[Tahirid]] era.<ref name="Blanchard2001">{{cite book|author=Ian Blanchard|title=Mining, Metallurgy and Minting in the Middle Ages: Asiatic supremacy, 425-1125|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zo2UVs_Sr68C&pg=PA271|year=2001|publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag|isbn=978-3-515-07958-7|pages=271–272|access-date=25 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109163955/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zo2UVs_Sr68C&pg=PA271|archive-date=9 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Russians first reached the upper Yenisey in 1605, travelling from the Ob, up the [[Ket (river)|Ket]], portaging and then down the Yenisey as far as the [[Sym River|Sym]].<ref name="Fisher1943">{{cite book
  | last = Fisher
  | first = Raymond Henry
  | title = The Russian Fur Trade, 1550-1700
  | publisher = University of California Press
  | year = 1943
}}</ref>

In 1862 [[Paul Theodor von Krusenstern]] attempted to navigate with two ships from [[Murmansk]] through the [[Kara Sea]] to the delta of the river Yenissei, but unfortunately was shipwrecked before obtaining success.<ref name=ptvk1>Naufrage du lieutenant Krusenstern dans les glaces de la mer de Kara (1863, in Le Tour du monde Volume 8 pp.203-208)</ref>

During [[World War II]], [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese Empire]] agreed to [[Axis powers negotiations on the division of Asia|divide Asia]] along a line that followed the Yenisey to the border of China and then along the border of China and the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>[[Gerhard Weinberg|Weinberg, Gerhard L]]. ''Visions of Victory: The Hopes of Eight World War II Leaders'' Cambridge, England, United Kingdom:2005--Cambridge University Press [http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/52548/frontmatter/9780521852548_frontmatter.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917022806/http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/52548/frontmatter/9780521852548_frontmatter.pdf|date=17 September 2011}}</ref>

==Etymology==
[[File:На Енисее напротив Шушенского бора.jpg|thumb|The river flowing through the [[Shushensky Forest]]]]
[[File:Inclined plane at Krasnoyarsk, on the Yenisie River.jpg|thumb|[[canal inclined plane|Inclined plane]] at [[Krasnoyarsk Dam]]]]
The first written mention of the Yenisei River, as "Kem", dates back to the 7th century in [[Tang dynasty]] China, at the time of contact with [[Yenisei Kyrgyz]] of this region. The word ''Jian shui'' (劔水, "Jian River")<ref>令狐徳棻等撰『周書』1971 中華書局; 908.</ref><ref>李延壽撰『北史』1974 中華書局; 3286.</ref> appears in the [[Book of Zhou]], vol. 50, and the [[History of the Northern Dynasties]], vol. 99, while ''Jian he'' (劍河, "Jian River")<ref>宋濂撰『新唐書』1975中華書局; 6148.</ref> appears in the [[New Book of Tang]], vol. 217. In addition, ''Qian he'' (謙河, "Qian River")<ref>宋濂撰『元史』1976中華書局; 1574.</ref> is found in the 14th-century the [[History of Yuan]], vol. 63. These contacts were made by the Chinese as they approached the upper Yenisei River from the south. The characters ''jian'' "劔" (or ''jian'' "劍") and ''qian'' "謙" have been compared to ''Käm'' in [[Orkhon inscriptions]]<ref>Thomsen V. 1896 ''Inscriptions de l'Orkhon.'' la Société de Littérature Finnoise, Helsingfors.: 100, 123, 140.</ref> from the 8th century. The term ''Kem'' كيم is also found in the 13th‒14th-century [[Oirats|Oirat]] Biography in ''the [[Jami' al-Tawarikh]]''.<ref>Хетагуров Л. А., Семенов А. А. 1952 Рашид-Ад-Дин Сборник летописей. Том 1-1 // Ленинград : Издательство Академии Наук СССР с. 118.</ref>
Furthermore, even in the 18th century, Chinese maps show {{ManchuSibeUnicode|ᡴᡝ᠊ᠮ᠊ᠠ<br>ᠪᡳ᠊ᡵᠠ}} {{nobold|''Kem bira''}} “Kem River” (''[[the Kangxi Imperial Atlas of China]]'' (康煕皇輿全覧図) in 1717), {{ManchuSibeUnicode|ᡴᡝ᠊ᠮ᠊ᠠ<br>ᡳ<br>ᠪᠣ᠊ᠮ}} {{nobold|''Kem-i bom''}} "Cliffs of the Kem River" (''[[the Yongzheng Atlas]]'' (雍正十排図) in 1727 or 1728), 伊克穆必拉 (''yeke Kem bira'') "Great Kem River" (''[[the Ch'ien-lung Atlas]]'' (乾隆内府輿図) in 1769).<ref>汪前進(2007)：〈康熙、雍正、乾隆三朝全國總圖的繪製〉（代序），《清廷三大實測全圖集》，外文出版社.</ref>

The etymology of ''Käm'' is not believed to be of [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] origin,<ref>Hambis L. 1956 "Notes sur Käm, nom de l'Yenissei supérieur". ''Journal Asiatique'', vol. 244, 281‒300.</ref> and although a [[Samoyedic languages|Samoyed]] derivation has been proposed,<ref>Vásáry I. 1971 "Käm, an Early Samoyed Name of Yenisey", L. Legeti (ed.) ''Studia Turcica'', Budapest: Akademiai Kiado, 469‒482.</ref> its precise origins remain unclear.

Today, the word survives only in [[Siberian Turkic languages|Sayan Turkic languages]]: in [[Tuvan language|Tuvan]] as ''xem'' хем, meaning "river",<ref>Тенишев Э.Р., Тувинско-русский словарь: около 22 000 слов // Москва : Советская энциклопедия. 1968. с. 473.</ref> and in its sister language, [[Tofa language|Tofa]], as ''hem'' hем, also meaning "river".<ref>Рассадин В. И., Словарь тофаларско-русский и русско-тофаларский // Санкт-Петербург : Дрофа. 2005. с. 55.</ref> These languages are considered to have had close contact with those mentioned above in ancient times.<ref>Hambis 1956, 282.</ref><ref>Vásáry 1971, 475.</ref> Additionally, there are just over 50 river names containing the suffix ''-kem'' -кем in the [[Altai Republic]],<ref>Молчанова О. Т., Топонимический словарь Горного Алтая // Горно-Алтайское отделение Алтайского книжного издательства. 1979. С. 55—62.</ref> and the term ''Kim'' (Ким) as in ''Kim suğ'' (Ким суғ), meaning "Yenisei River" barely exists in [[Khakas language|Khakas]].<ref>Чанков Д. И., Русско-хакасский словарь: 31000 слов // Государственное издательство иностранных и национальных словарей. 1961. с. 960.</ref> All of these instances are confined to the region in and around the present-day [[Republic of Tuva]].

Meanwhile, in the 17th century, Russians reached the lower part of the Yenisei River from the northwest; along the way, by 1600, the [[Tobolsk]] [[Cossacks]] built Fort [[Mangazeya]] by the [[Taz River]]. It is believed that the name of the Yenisei River was transmitted, either directly or indirectly, from Samoyed-speaking peoples in the region with whom the Russians had contact. This contact eventually led to the adoption of the name "Yenisei", with a Russian accent.<ref>Müller G. F. 1778 Sammlung rußischer Geschichte des Herrn Collegienraths Müllers in Moscow; S. 517‒518.</ref>

Additionally, by the end of the 16th century, the Yenisei River was already known to [[Dutch people|Dutch]] navigators, who referred to it as "Gilissi", "Gelissi", or "Geniscea", among other names. Although the exact spelling varied, these are phonetically similar to "Yenisei".<ref>Бурыкин А. А. 2011 Енисей и Ангара. К истории и этимологии названий гидронимов и изучению перспектив формирования географических представлений о бассейнах рек Южной Сибири // Новые исследования Тувы. 2011, № 2—3. с. 286.</ref> In particular, the modern [[Dutch language|Dutch]] pronunciation of "Geniscea" as [xɛnisə] is quite close to "Yenisei". The term "Yenisei" (Енисей) appeared in Russian literature slightly later, around 1600, in the form that is still used today.<ref>Бурыкин 2011, с. 282.</ref> Unlike in Dutch, the Russian spelling has been relatively stable since the 17th century, with only minor variations such as "Yeniseya" (Енисея) or "Yenisya" (Енися).<ref>Русско-китайские отношения в XVII веке. Том 1 1608—1683 // Наука. 1969. с. 594.</ref>

The etymology of "Yenisei" remains unclear.

Renowned [[linguist]] [[Max Vasmer]], for instance, has suggested that the [[Nganasan language|Nganasan]] word "Jentajea", the [[Enets language|Enets]] "Jeddosi", and the [[Selkup language|Selkup]] "N'andesi", all meaning "Yenisei River", might correspond to unidentified Samoyed languages,<ref>Vasmer M. J. Этимологический словарь русского языка. Том 1 (А—Д) // М. Прогресс. 1964 [1950—1958]. с. 20.</ref> probably quoted [[Matthias Castrén]]'s vocabulary.<ref>Castrén, M. 1855 Wörterverzeichnisse aus den samojedischen Sprachen. S. 52, 83, 141, 238.</ref> V. K. Nikonov has proposed that the word could derive from "iondessi" (иондесси), meaning "big river" in Selkup, [[Khanty languages|Khanty]], or even [[Evenki language|Evenki]].<ref>Никонов В. К., Краткий топонимический словарь. // М. Мысль 1966. с. 136.</ref> More recently, some have speculated that "Yenisei" is a [[compound word]] of unconfirmed [[Old Turkic|Old Kyrgyz]] (or inspired by Tuvan language?) ''ene'' (эне), meaning "great-grandmother; nanny" + ''say'' (сай), meaning "gravel; ford".<ref>[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=SkRyAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA51&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false].</ref>

However, the above considerations, except Vasmer's, remain speculative [[false etymologies]], as they do not refer to the reliable modern dictionaries of the respective languages.<ref>Бурыкин 2011 С. 280—281.</ref> Researchers are encouraged to conduct more detailed studies based on proper contemporary linguistic sources and [[historical documents]].<ref>Бурыкин 2011 С. 279—304.</ref>

==Pollution==
Studies have shown that the Yenisey suffers from contamination caused by radioactive discharges from a factory that produced bomb-grade [[plutonium]] in the secret city of Krasnoyarsk-26, now known as [[Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai|Zheleznogorsk]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/coldwar/siberiaa.htm|title=Wastes of War: Radioactivity Threatens a Mighty River|last=David Hoffman|date=17 August 1998|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=13 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408172559/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/coldwar/siberiaa.htm|archive-date=8 April 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 8 June 2025, a ship towing two barges ran aground and broke apart along a section of the river in [[Kazachinsky District]], [[Krasnoyarsk Krai]], spilling around 30 metric tons of diesel fuel and causing an oil spill reaching up to 50 kilometers along the shoreline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ship Runs Aground in Siberia’s Yenisei River, Spilling 30 Tons of Diesel Into Water |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/09/ship-runs-aground-in-siberias-yenisei-river-spilling-30-tons-of-diesel-into-water-a89384 |access-date=9 June 2025 |work=[[The Moscow Times]] |date=9 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="160px">
Image:Most 777, the bridge over the Yenisei in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, view from the left bank.jpg |The bridge over the Yenisey in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, viewed from the left bank.
Image:Vantovyjj most, the bridge in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, view from the left bank.jpg|Vinogradovsky Most, the bridge in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, viewed from the left bank.
File:Yenisei Ob Kara Sea.jpg|The Yenisey (left) and the Ob flow into Kara Sea (south at top in this view).
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Siberia}}
* [[List of rivers of Russia]]
* [[Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam]]
* [[Yenisey Range]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Yenisei River}}
{{EB1911 poster|Yenisei}}
* [http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/11/yenisei_river_seasons.html Photos of river around Krasnoyarsk area at Boston.com]
* [http://www.hakluyt.com/PDF/Barr_Yenisey.pdf. William Barr, "German paddle-steamers on the Yenisey 1878-84", ''The Journal of the Hakluyt Society'', August 2014.]{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{osmrelation-inline|181988|bullet=no}}

{{Regions of Asia}}
{{Rivers of Russia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yenisei River| ]]
[[Category:Yenisei basin| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of Krasnoyarsk Krai]]
[[Category:Rivers of Khakassia]]
[[Category:Rivers of Tuva]]
[[Category:Rivers of Kyzyl]]
[[Category:Physiographic provinces]]
[[Category:Braided rivers in Russia]]
[[Category:West Siberian Plain]]