Oka River

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oka River
Oka confluence with the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod
Oka confluence with the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod
Mouth Volga River
Basin countries Russia
Length 1,500 km (932 mi)
Avg. discharge 1,300 m³/s
Basin area 245,000 km²
Map of the Volga watershed with the Oka highlighted
Map of the Volga watershed with the Oka highlighted
Oka river between Serpukhov and Kashira cities in Moscow region. Its width there is about 200 m (220 yd).
Oka river between Serpukhov and Kashira cities in Moscow region. Its width there is about 200 m (220 yd).

Oka (Russian: Ока́) is a large river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the Oblasts of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod. Its length exceeds 1500 km (932 miles).

The name of the river originates in Finno-Ugric languages spoken in the area before the Slavic expansion, probably Meshcheran language, meaning "river" (compare Finnish joki). Historically, the river gave its name to the Upper Oka Principalities, situated upstream from Tarusa. One of the largest Russian cities, Nizhny Novgorod, was founded to protect the Oka's confluence with the Volga. The Russian capital Moscow sits on one of the Oka's tributaries—the Moskva River.

Contents

[edit] See also

[edit] Main tributaries

[edit] Cities and towns on the Oka

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] In culture

River appears in popular song of Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division which was formed nearby in 1943. It was written by Leon Pasternak.