Ob << ob, awb, or ohb >> River is one of the chief rivers of Russia in Asia. It rises in the Altai Mountains of western Siberia and flows northwest for 2,268 miles (3,650 kilometers) before it empties into the Kara Sea through the Gulf of Ob (Obskaya Guba). The river drains about 1,130,000 square miles (2,930,000 square kilometers).
The navigable waterways of the Ob and its tributaries total about 19,000 miles (30,600 kilometers). The lower part of the river is 2 to 4 miles (3 to 6 kilometers) wide, and the Gulf of Ob averages about 35 miles (55 kilometers) in width. It is blocked with ice from October to June. In summer, the Ob River is an important water route for shipping grain, dairy products, livestock, wool, and meat. Most of these products move to the railways for shipment to the western part of Russia, but some are exported by way of the Arctic Ocean.
