Tunguska (
tʊn-gūs'kə), name of three eastern tributaries of the
Yenisei River, Siberian Russia. The rivers cut across the swampy forests of E central Siberia, draining the
Tunguska Basin. Furthest north is the
Lower Tunguska, Rus.
Nizhnyaya Tunguska (
nyēzh'nyīŭ tʊn-gūs'kə), c.1,590 mi (2,600 km) long. It rises in the Central Siberian Plateau N of Lake Baykal and flows past Tura to join the Yenisei at Turukhansk. Flowing generally west, it is navigable (May-October) for c.1,100 mi (1,770 km). The
Stony Tunguska, Rus.
Podkamennaya Tunguska (
pŭtkä'myĭnīŭ tʊn-gūs'kə), c.980 mi (1,580 km) long, rises west of the headwaters of the Lower Tunguska. It flows generally NW past Baykit; there are rapids in its lower course.
Upper Tunguska, Rus.
Verkhnyaya Tunguska (
vĕrk'nyəyə tʊn-gūs'kə), is the name given to the lower course of the
Angara River. It flows generally west and joins the Yenisei at Strelka. The area of the three rivers is the home of the
Tungus.
