Lena

one of the great rivers of Siberia. It rises near Lake Baikal. After forming a sharp angle far to the eastward, it flows into the Arctic Ocean through several mouths in latitude 72 deg. N. Its entire course is 3,000 miles in length. It is navigable through the greater part of its course during the summer. The Lena lies entirely north of the fifty-second parallel. Its plains are open to the Arctic winds of winter, yet it is believed that its basin includes a large area of fertility that may at some time be tapped by railroads and yield an abundance of wheat, rivaling the Canadian Northwest. Yakutsk, near the eastern angle of the river, is the first city on its banks. The delta of the Lena is of interest in connection with the De Long expedition. It is in the valley of the Lena that the ivory of the mammoth has been found in such abundance. See De Long; Siberia