Maya (river)

The Maya (Мая; Маайа, Maaya) is a river in Khabarovsk Krai and Sakha, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Aldan of the Lena basin. The length of the river is 1053 km. The area of its basin 171000 km2.

The Maya was part of the river route from Yakutsk to the Okhotsk Coast. From the Mati either the Lama Portage or the Alanchak Portage led to the Ulya and the coast. Near the southernmost point was the settlement of Nelkan from which a track led over the mountains to Ayan. From Ust-Maya there was a horse-track to Yakutsk. Eastbound boats that reached Ust-Maya from the Lena were replaced by smaller boats to continue up the Maya.

Course
Its course is approximately V-shaped. The upper Maya runs about 125 mi southwest parallel to the coast between the Dzhugdzhur mountains and the Yudoma Plateau. About 50 mi from its source the 167 km long Mati river joins its right bank from the south. The Maya flows west for perhaps 40 mi and receives the Maimakan River from the southwest. From here the river flows basically north about 200 mi, receives the Yudoma from the east and joins the Aldan at Ust-Maya.

The Maya freezes up in late October and stays under the ice until May. The river is navigable up to 500 km upstream from its mouth. The Yudoma-Maya Highlands are located in the basin of the Maya.

Tributaries
The 765 km long Yudoma from the right is one of the biggest tributaries of the Maya. Other important tributaries are the 421 km long Maymakan, the 246 km long Batomga and the 233 km long Severny Uy from the left, as well as the 171 km long Ingili from the right.