The Ob River
Ob River, a river in western Siberia. From its source in the Altai Mountains, the Ob flows generally northwestward for nearly 2,300 miles (3,700 km). It empties into the Gulf of Ob, an inlet of the Kara Sea. The Irtysh and Tom rivers are the main tributaries of the Ob. The Ob-Irtysh system is 3,460 miles (5,568 km) long, and is navigable six months of the year for 2,000 miles (3,200 km). The Ob River drains an area of approximately 960,000 square miles (2,486,000 km2).
Major cities and ports include Novosibirsk and Barnaul The hydroelectric station at Novosibirsk, one of the largest in Russia, was the first station of this type to exploit the resources of the river.