Tunguska

The Lower Tunguska winds through the forested interior of the Central Siberian Plateau, receiving tributaries from the surrounding hills before turning west to the Yenisei. Rocky stretches interrupt its course, and deep valleys cut across the layered plateau. The river freezes for much of the year; during the spring thaw its waters rise dramatically. Evenki communities knew this extensive river country before Russian expeditions entered it in the seventeenth century.