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Changing Faces of the Amur River
Through history, the Amur River has played different roles. In its not too distant past, it played the role of a dividing line between China and Russia. This historical fact is evidenced by the cultural mix of people one can find in Khabarovsk where Chinese people have traversed the border for centuries for trading and other purposes. And as history tends to repeat itself, while visiting the local markets and stores at present, you will find Chinese goods dominating what is available. Moreover, Chinese laborers are used in the construction of many new building and the reconstruction of old ones. As Khabarovsk was and is an important center for heavy industry and a trading point for goods and foodstuffs for the more outlying regions on the Amur River, it has played an important role in facilitating transportation to these regions. Usually through the summer months, May-October, the river resembles a very busy interstate highway. The Amur River also serves a more socio-economic role in that its verdant shores are used by literally thousands of residents for their dacha's. Small and medium sized river boats, also used for foreign travelers ply the water and stop at various intervals. While on the boat, tea and ice-cream is served and every one enjoys the ambiance of the ship and its passengers. In the evening returning from the dacha's, you are most likely to find the ship transformed into a flower garden with everyone carrying as many flowers home as possible.
The river is also a place where millions of years ago, a current of molten lava flowed out of the depths of the earth from the crater of a now non-existent volcano. It congealed, cracked and finally undermined the river, disintegrating and forming a multitude of boulders. Rock carvings were discovered on these rocks and revealed a mysterious world of prehistoric art. Many archeologists, such as the famous American Orientalist Berthold Laufer have researched this area called Sikachi-Alyan. But most of all the Amur River plays a role in the formation of an incredible biodiversity, encompassing a richness of flora and fauna that is unparalleled. Current economic hardship and perhaps greed has intruded into its fragile balance. World Wildlife Fund is very active in this area to create and nurse a protective shield around its most fragile parts that need to be conserved so that the Amur River territories past and present can be preserved for future generations. Facts The Amur River is the largest un-dammed river of the world and most important waterway in the Russian Far East. The union of the Argun and Shilka Rivers has formed the Amur River. For 1,000 miles the river provides a natural boundary between Russia to the North and the People's Republic of China to the south. It then flows some 650 miles northeastward to the Tartar Strait, an arm of the Pacific Ocean that connects the Sea of Japan with the Sea of Ohotsk. The Amur River territories include diverse landscapes of desert, steppe, tundra and taiga from Northeast Asia.
The Amur River eco-region is the highest in terms of richness in bio-diversity (after the Mississippi River) in the northern hemisphere. It contains a unique mix of subtropical and northern flora and fauna. - www.wwffreshwater.org/regional/russia-amur.html The Amur valley and its flood lands are the nesting area for 95 percent of the world population of Oriental White stork, 65% of red-crowned cranes and 50% of White-naped Cranes. To the north the Amur's principal tributaries are the Zoya, the Bureya, and the Amgun rivers, to the south its main tributaries are the Sungari and the Ussuri, which constitutes another portion of the border between Russia and China. The Amur River including its headwaters is 2,700 miles long. Known to the Chinese as the River of the Black Dragon, the Amur reaches its highest point in mid summer during the monsoon rains. From May to November, when the river is free of ice, the Amur is navigable for its entire length. History Russia became first interested in the Amur Region on or about 1640, when explorers penetrated westward to the Sea of Ohotsk. Chinese troops, however restricted Russian efforts to settle the region, and the Treaty of Nerchinsk, signed in 1689, gave the territory to China. In 1849, Captain Gennadi Nevelskoy of the Russian Navy explored the Amur mouth and realized that the river could be of great commercial value. The treaty of Aaigun signed in 1858, gave the left bank of the Amur to Russia. Today the Amur River provides an important waterway for several industrial centers, such as Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk and Komsomolsk. Native People For years the Amur River was the main route of communications connecting the forest of the Siberian interior, the Pacific coastland and even the remote shores of the Arctic Ocean. Migrations from people of China and the Central Asia steppe brought agriculture, animal husbandry, metal ware and pottery to the Russian Far East. The native people who inhabited the lower Amur River valley were a mixture of various Tungus and Manchu tribes from the interior, Nivkh and probably Ainu migrants, from Sakhalin and the Amur estuary. Except for the Nivkh, all native people of the Amur Valley speak closely related languages of Tungus-Manchu stock. They share the same general name for themselves, nani ("local People") and a number of clan names and clan groups cross ethnic lines. Presently those nations are known as Nanai (pop. 12,000), Ulchi (pop. 3,200), Udegai (pop. 1,900), Oroch (pop.900) and Negidal (pop. 600). Another 1,500 Nanai and 4,000 Oroch live on the Chinese side of the Amur River.
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