Oka River

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Oka (Ока́) is a large river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the Oblasts of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod. Its length exceeds 1500 km (932 miles).

The name of the river originates in Finno-Ugric languages spoken in the area before the Slavic expansion, probably Meshcheran language, meaning "river" (compare Finnish joki). Historically, the river gave its name to the Upper Oka Principalities, situated upstream from Tarusa. One of the largest Russian cities, Nizhny Novgorod, was founded to protect the Oka's confluence with the Volga. The Russian capital Moscow sits on one of the Oka's tributaries—the Moskva River.

See also

• Shukhov tower on the Oka River

Main tributaries

• Ugra
• Zhizdra
• Upa
• Protva
• Nara
• Moskva
• Pra
• Osyotr
• Pronya
• Para
• Moksha
• Tyosha
• Klyazma

Cities and towns on the Oka

• Oryol
• Kaluga
• Serpukhov
• Protvino
• Pushchino
• Kolomna
• Ryazan
• Murom
• Navashino
• Dzerzhinsk
• Nizhny Novgorod

In culture

River appears in popular song of Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division which was formed nearby in 1943. It was written by Leon Pasternak.

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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 22:15:32 PDT (GMT -0700)
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