Krasnoyarsk - Geography

Geography

The total area of the city, including suburbs and the river, is 348 square kilometers (134 sq mi).

The Yenisei River flows from west to east through the city. Due to the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric dam 32 kilometers (20 mi) upstream, the Yenisei never freezes in winter and never exceeds +14 °C (57 °F) in summer through the city. Near the city center, its elevation is 136 meters (446 ft) above sea level. There are several islands in the river, the largest of which are Tatyshev and Otdyha Isles, used mainly for recreation.

To the south and west, Krasnoyarsk is surrounded by forested mountains averaging 410 meters (1,350 ft) in height above river level. The most prominent of them are Further south are Nikolayevskaya Sopka (notable for its ski jumping tracks), Karaulnaya Gora and Chornaya Sopka, the latter being an extinct volcano. The gigantic rock cliffs of the Stolby Nature Reserve rise from the mountains of the southern bank of the Yenisei, the western hills form the Gremyachaya Griva crest extending westwards up to the Sobakina River, the north is generally plain, except for the Drokinskaya Sopka hill, with forests to the northwest and agricultural fields to the north and east.

The major rivers in the Krasnoyarsk city area are Yenisey, Mana, Bazaikha and Kacha, the latter flowing throughout the historical center of the city. Due to the nature of the terrain, a few natural lakes exist in the Krasnoyarsk neighborhood.

The forests close to the city are mostly pine and birch; further out, aspen becomes dominant in many areas. The moss-covered fir and Siberian pine replaces other wood in the mountains westward of the Karaulnaya River, in about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) to the west from the city, the forests to the south are mostly pine, fir and aspen.