| Vakunayka | |
| Other Name: | Вакунайка |
| Pushpin Map: | Russia Sakha Republic#Russia Irkutsk Oblast |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth location in Yakutia, Russia |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 60.6689°N 110.0844°W |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 61.7394°N 109.6069°W |
| Progression: | Chona → |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Length: | 362km (225miles) |
| Basin Size: | 10100km2 |
The Vakunayka (Russian: Вакунайка; Yakut: Вакунайка) is a river in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is a right hand tributary of the Chona, and is 363km (226miles) long, with a drainage basin of 10100km2.
There are no permanent settlements by the Vakunayka. The Russian Geographical Society organized an expedition in 1853 - 55 to survey the orography, geology and population of the Vilyuy and Chona basins.[1]
The river begins in the Central Siberian Plateau. It flows first westwards for a relatively short stretch, then it bends and heads roughly northwards across the middle part of the plateau, in the border area between Irkutsk Oblast and Yakutia. Parts of its floodplain are marshy. Finally the Vakunayka joins the right bank of the Chona 300km (200miles) from its mouth in the Vilyuy Reservoir. The river is fed by snow and rain and freezes between October and late May.[2]
The main tributaries of the Vakunayka are the 196km (122miles) long Killemtine and the 80km (50miles) long Mukoki on the right.[3] [4]
