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Sunzha
The Sunzha in Grozny
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Location
Country	North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya, Russia
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Greater Caucasus, North Ossetia
Mouth	Terek
• coordinates	43°26′27″N 46°08′05″E / 43.44083°N 46.13472°E / 43.44083; 46.13472
Length	278 km (173 mi)
Basin size	12,000 km (4,600 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Terek→ Caspian Sea

The Sunzha (Russian: Су́нжа, IPA: [ˈsunʐə]; Chechen: Соьлжа, romanized: Sölƶa, IPA: [sɥølʒə]; Ingush: Шолжа, romanized: Sholʒə) is a river in North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya, Russia, a tributary of the Terek. It flows northeast inside the great northwest bend of the Terek River and catches most of the rivers that flow north from the mountains before they reach the Terek. It is 278 kilometres (173 mi) long, and has a drainage basin of 12,000 square kilometres (4,600 sq mi). The Sunzha rises on the Northern slope of the Caucasus Major. Its major tributaries are the Assa and Argun. With a turbidity of 3,800 grams per cubic metre (6.4 lb/cu yd), it carries 12.2 million tons of alluvium per year. It is used for irrigation. Cities that lie on the Sunzha include Nazran, Karabulak, Grozny (the capital of Chechnya), and Gudermes. During the First and Second Chechen Wars, the destruction of petroleum reservoirs caused the Sunzha to become polluted with petroleum.

Nomenclature

The origin of the name of the river is disputed. The most probable of versions say Sunzha has come from Mongol-Turkic languages in the deformed type. It is known that Mongols called it Suinchie, Russians Sevenz and in the Chechen language its name got corrective type Solchzha.

There is also other version that before Sunzha Chechens called the river Okhi «Oh'-hi, Оhhи» that means «downwards the river».

See also

• Valerik (river) – historically notable tributary of Sunzha

References

1. Lepiev A.S., Lepiev İ.A., Türkçe-Çeçençe sözlük, Turkoyŋ-noxçiyŋ doşam, Ankara, 2003
2. "Река Сунжа in the State Water Register of Russia". textual.ru (in Russian).
3. John Daniszewski (March 11, 2001). "Chechens Find a Way to Live Off the Land--Through Oil". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2001. Retrieved September 28, 2007.

v t e Rivers of Russia by drainage basin
Barents Sea and White Sea (Arctic Ocean)	Iokanga Kem Malaya Belaya Mezen Nautsiyoki Niva Northern Dvina Pinega Sukhona Uftyuga Vaga Vychegda Yomtsa Yug Onega Pechora Usa Ponoy Varzuga Voronya
Baltic Sea	Luga Oredezh Narva Plyussa Neman Šešupė Neva Izhora Mga Okhta Tosna Pregolya Angrapa Instruch Lava Sestra Western Dvina Polota Kasplya Mezha
Lake Peipus	Velikaya Kukhva
Lake Ladoga	Svir Pasha Oyat Syas Volkhov Tigoda Vishera Vuoksi Volchya
Lake Ilmen	Lovat Polist Kunya Msta Berezayka Peretna Uver Pola Shelon
Lake Onega	Andoma Suna Vodla Vytegra
Black Sea	Dnieper Desna Vyazma Don Temernik Manych Sal Donets Khopyor Osered Bityug Voronezh Kuban Bolshaya Laba Mius Mzymta Yeya
Caspian Sea	Kuma Podkumok Sulak Andi Koysu Terek Malka Sunzha Ural Ilek Sakmara Volga Aktay Anish Bolshaya Kokshaga Bolshoy Cheremshan Bolshoy Irgiz Bezdna Chapayevka Dubna Ilet Kama Kashinka Kazanka Kerzhenets Kostroma Kotorosl Kudma Malaya Kokshaga Maly Irgiz Medveditsa Mologa Nerl Nyomda Oka Rutka Samara Selizharovka Sheksna Shosha Sogozha Sok Suda Sura Sviyaga Tereshka Tsivil Tvertsa Unzha Uzola Vetluga Vazuza Yeruslan
Arctic Ocean, east of the Urals	Alazeya Buor-Yuryakh Rassokha Amguema Anabar Bolshaya Kuonamka Malaya Kuonamka Suolama Udya Bogdashkina Chaun Chegitun Chondon Buor-Yuryakh Nuchcha Gusinaya Indigirka Allaikha Badyarikha Bolshaya Ercha Byoryolyokh Chibagalakh Druzhina Elgi Khastakh Kuydusun Kyuyente Moma Nera Selennyakh Shandrin Shangina Uyandina Ioniveyem Khatanga Kheta Kotuy Khroma Uryung-Ulakh Kolyma Anyuy Ayan-Yuryakh Bakhapcha Balygychan Beryozovka Buyunda Debin Korkodon Kulu Omolon Popovka Ozhogina Sededema Seymchan Sugoy Taskan Tenka Yasachnaya Zyryanka Kyuyol-Yuryakh Lena Aldan Batamay Begidyan Belyanka Biryuk Bolshoy Patom Buotama Byosyuke Chaya Chechuy Cherendey Chuya Derba Dzhardzhan Dyanyshka Eyekit Ichera Ilga Khanchaly Khoruongka Kenkeme Kirenga Kuta Kyuelenke Kyundyudey Linde Lungkha Lyapiske Lyutenge Markha Markhachan Menda Menkere Molodo Motorchuna Muna Myla Namana Natara Nuora Nyuya Olyokma Peleduy Pilyuda Sinyaya Sitte Sobolokh-Mayan Suola Tamma Tayura Tikyan Tuolba Tutura Tympylykan Tyugyuene Uel-Siktyakh Undyulyung Ura Vilyuy Vitim Nadym Ob Aley Barnaulka Biya Chaya Chulym Irtysh Kazym Kasmala Katun Ket Kievsky Yogan Parabel Sob Synya Tom Tromyogan Tym Vasyugan Vakh Vatinsky Yogan Olenyok Alakit Arga-Sala Beyenchime Birekte Buolkalakh Bur Khorbusuonka Kelimyar Kuoyka Kyuyutingde Merchimden Siligir Ukukit Omoloy Arga-Yuryakh Kuranakh-Yuryakh Ulakhan-Kyuegyulyur Palyavaam Pegtymel Pur Pyasina Sellyakh Sundrun Maly Khomus-Yuryakh Taz Khudosey Tolka Uele Volchya Yana Abyrabyt Adycha Baky Bytantay Dulgalakh Oldzho Sartang Tykakh Yenisey Abakan Angara Bakhta Bazaikha Bolshaya Kheta Bolshoy Pit Kacha Kan Kem Khantayka Khemchik Kureyka Mana Nizhnyaya Tunguska Podkamennaya Tunguska Sym Tanama Turukhan Yeloguy
Pacific Ocean/Sea of Okhotsk	Amur Amazar Amgun Anyuy Argun Bureya Gorin Gur Shilka Ussuri Zeya Anadyr Belaya Mayn Tanyurer Yablon Yeropol Arman Avacha Khasyn Bolshaya Gizhiga Inya Kamchatka Khatyrka Iomrautvaam Kikhchik Kukhtuy Okhota Ola Paren Penzhina Belaya Oklan Taui Chyolomdzha Tumen Uda Maya Ukelayat Ulbeya Urak Velikaya Yama Yana
Russia portal Category

• Tributaries of the Terek
• Rivers of North Ossetia–Alania
• Rivers of Ingushetia
• Rivers of Chechnya