Kazan
Kazan is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 61.78°, -101.41°
About Kazan
The Kazan River (Inuktitut Harvaqtuuq, Inuktitut syllabics ᓴᕐᕙᖅᑑᖅ; meaning "strong rapids", "the big drift" or "place of much fast flowing water"), is a Canadian Heritage River located in Nunavut, Canada. The Dene name for the river was Kasba-tue meaning "white partridge river." The name was apparently changed to Kazan in the late 19th century due to the influence of Order of Mary Immaculate missionaries. The river headwaters are in northern Saskatchewan at Kasba Lake, and it flows north for about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) before emptying into Baker Lake (64°09′00″N 95°30′00″W), on the opposite side of the mouth of the Thelon River. Along its course the river flows through several lakes, including Ennadai Lake and Yathkyed Lake, over the Kazan Falls (25 metres (82 ft)), down a red sandstone gorge and through both boreal forest and tundra. It is the last section of the river, below Ennadai Lake, that is above the timber line and is designated a Canadian Heritage River.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Kazan River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kazan in Depth
History
The abundance of wildlife along and close to the river attracted both the Caribou Inuit and the Chipewyan Sayisi Dene for about 5,000 years. Originally, the Caribou Inuit did not live in the area but returned to the coast for the winter. In the 18th century, Dene use of the area declined and Caribou Inuit, especially the Harvaqtuurmiut ("people of the Harvaqtuuq") and Ihalmiut bands, began to live along the river year round. Remnants of Ihalmiut campsites, and those of the Dene may be found along the river. Although the Inuit today no longer live along the river, they do still travel it to hunt and fish.
The first European to visit the area was Samuel Hearne in 1770 at Yathkyed Lake.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kazan River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kazan: Key Facts
| Length | 817 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 71,500 km² |
| Source | Ennadai Lake |
| Mouth | Baker Lake |
| Drainage system | Hudson Bay drainage basin |
| Tributaries | Kunwak River |
Facts from Wikidata Q719436 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Kazan: Quick Answers
- Where is Kazan?
- Kazan is located in Canada, at 61.7769° N, 101.4131° W.
- Are there dams on the Kazan?
- No dam on the Kazan is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.