Pechora

River in northern Russia, rising on the western slopes of the northern Urals and flowing north to the Barents Sea; length 1,800 km/1,125 mi. In total, the Pechora drains an area of some 322,000 sq km/124,324 sq mi. The river, whose chief ports are Pechora and Naryan-Mar, is navigable for most of its length, and is used during the ice-free months (June-September) for transporting coal (widely mined in the region), timber, and furs.

In 1994 the Pechora was severely polluted by an oil spill from a leaking pipeline near Vsinski in the Komi region.