Medveditsa River (Don basin)
| Medveditsa River | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Medveditsa River near Atkarsk | |
| Origin | Volga Uplands |
| Mouth | Don River |
| Basin countries | Volgograd and Saratov Oblast, Russia |
| Length | 745 km (463 mi) |
| Avg. discharge | 69 cubic metres per second (2,400 cu ft/s) |
| Basin area | 34,700 km2 (13,400 sq mi) |
Medveditsa (Russian: Медведица) is a river in Volgograd and Saratov Oblasts in Russia, a left tributary of the Don River. The name means she-bear, and according to legend alludes to the large population of bears in the area in earlier times. It is 745 kilometres (463 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 34,700 square kilometres (13,400 sq mi).
The river has its sources on the Volga Uplands, in the northeastern parts of Saratov Oblast, and flows mainly in a southwestern direction. It joins the river Don in Volgograd Oblast. Its largest tributaries are, from the right: Balanda and Tersa, and from the left: Idolga, Karamysh and Archeda.
The towns of Petrovsk, Atkarsk, Zhirnovsk and Mikhaylovka is situated at the Medveditsa. The river is navigable to Atkarsk.