Tsipa

Tsipa 

a river in the Buriat ASSR; left tributary of the Vitima River (Lena basin). The upper course is called the Verkhniaia Tsipa, and the middle course is referred to as the Nizhniaia Tsipa. The Tsipa River is 692 km long and drains an area of 42,200 sq km. It rises in the Ikat Range and flows along an intermontane trough, crossing Lake Baunt. The river then cuts through the Babanty Mountains; the lower course is on the Vitim Plateau. Fed primarily by snow, the Tsipa has a mean flow rate of 270 cu m per sec. The river freezes in October, and the ice breaks up in May or, sometimes, June. The upper course is frozen solid for three to 5½ months. The Tsipa’s principal right tributaries are the Tsipkan, Amalat, and Aktragda.