Ussuri
river in Russia and China
The Ussuri ( oo-SOOR-ee; Russian: Уссури [ʊsˈsurʲɪ]) or Wusuli (Chinese: 乌苏里; pinyin: wūsūlǐ [ǔsǔlî]) is a river that runs through Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais, Russia and the southeast region of Northeast China in the province of Heilongjiang. It rises in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, flowing north and forming part of the Sino-Russian border (which is based on the Sino-Russian Convention of Peking of 1860), until it joins the Amur as a tributary near Khabarovsk. It is approximately 897 km (557 mi) long. The Ussuri drains the Ussuri basin, which covers 193,000 km2 (75,000 mi2). Its waters come from rain (60%), snow (30–35%), and subterranean springs. The average discharge is 1,620 m3/s (57,000 cu ft/s), and the average elevation is 1,682 metres (5,518 ft).
Names
The Ussuri has been known by many names. In Manchu, it was called the Usuri Ula or Dobi Bira (River of Foxes) and in Mongolian the Üssüri Müren. Ussuri is Manchu for soot-black river.
History
The Ussuri has a reputation for catastrophic floods.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Ussuri” is river in Russia and China. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Ussuri, river and Russia, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “river in Russia and China” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q207777. VIAF identifies the subject as 256970562. The Library of Congress control number is sh86006359. Authority coordinates are 43.734, 134.425. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1860.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ussuri”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ussuri primary sources, Ussuri archive and Ussuri research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ussuri”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ussuri” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.