Gizhiga (river)

The Gizhiga (Гижига; Koryak: Вуйвов’эем) is a river in Magadan Oblast, Russian Far East. It is 221 km long, with a drainage basin of 11900 km2.

The name of the river probably originated in the Chukchi "Ḳtig" (Ӄитиг), meaning "frost" or "cold wind". In Koryak it is known as "Vuyvov'eyem" (Вуйвов’эем), meaning "fortress river".

Course
The Gizhiga has its source in the Korbendya Range of the eastern Kolyma Mountains. It flows in a roughly eastern direction about half its course. Then it bends first southeastwards, and then southwestwards in its last stretch, within a floodplain where it divides into multiple sleeves and where there are many small thermokarst lakes. Finally it flows by Gizhiga village into the Gizhigin Bay, at the northern end of Shelikhov Gulf, Sea of Okhotsk.

The main tributaries of the Gizhiga are the 65 km long Akhaveyem, the 157 km long Chyornaya and the 63 km long Irbichan from the left and the 104 km long Turomcha from the right.

Flora and fauna
The main fish species in the Gizhiga river include grayling, pike and Eurasian minnow. Chum salmon, pink salmon and coho salmon come into the river for spawning. Beluga whales are found in the estuary area of the river.