Dnieper River

For the rocket, see Dnepr rocket. For other uses, see Dnieper (disambiguation).

Dnieper
Russian: Днепр, Dniepr, Ukrainian: Дніпро, Dnipro, Belarusian: Дняпро, Dniapro, Crimean Tatar: Özü Pronunciation: /ˈniːpər/
River
The Dnieper River seen from atop a hill in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Countries	Russia, Belarus, Ukraine
Tributaries
- left	Sozh, Desna, Trubizh, Supiy, Sula, Psel, Vorskla, Samara, Konka, Bilozerka
- right	Drut, Berezina, Prypiat, Teteriv, Irpin, Stuhna, Ros, Tiasmyn, Bazavluk, Inhulets
Cities	Dorogobuzh, Smolensk, Mahilyow, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk
Source	Glaciers
- location	Valdai Hills, Russia
- elevation	220 m (722 ft)
- coordinates	55°52′00″N 33°41′00″E / 55.8666667°N 33.6833333°E / 55.8666667; 33.6833333
Mouth	Dnieper Delta
- coordinates	46°30′00″N 32°20′00″E / 46.5°N 32.3333333°E / 46.5; 32.3333333
Length	2,290 km (1,423 mi)
Basin	516,300 km2 (199,345 sq mi)
Discharge	for Kherson
- average	1,670 m3/s (58,975 cu ft/s)
The Dnieper's drainage basin

The Dnieper River or Dnipro River (pronounced \'nē-pər\ in English; Russian: Днепр, Dnepr, pronounced Dnieper, accent on first syllable; Belarusian: Дняпро, Dniapro, IPA: [dnʲaˈpro], accent on second syllable; Ukrainian: Днiпро, Dnipro, IPA: [dnʲiˈpro], accent on second syllable; Crimean Tatar: Özü) is one of the major rivers in Europe (fourth by length) that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea. Its total length is 2,285 kilometres (1,420 mi), of which 485 km (301 mi) lie within Russia, 595 km (370 mi) within Belarus, and 1,095 km (680 mi) within Ukraine. Its basin covers 504,000 square kilometres (195,000 sq mi), of which 289,000 km² (112,000 sq mi) are within Ukraine.^[1] In antiquity, it was known to the Greeks as the Borysthenes.

Geography

The Dnieper's source is the turf swamps of the Valdai Hills in central Russia, at an elevation of 220 m (722 ft).^[1] For 115 km (71 mi) of its length, it serves as the border between Belarus and Ukraine. It is connected with the Western Bug by the Dnieper-Bug Canal. Its estuary, or liman, used to be defended by the strong fortress of Ochakiv.

Tributaries of the Dnieper

The Dnieper has many tributaries. The main ones, in orographic sequence, are:

Reservoirs and Hydroelectric power

The river is famous for its dams and hydroelectric stations. The most famous was the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station or (DniproHES) near Zaporizhia, built in 1927-1932 with an output of 558 MW. It was destroyed during Second World War, and rebuilt in 1948 with an output of 750 MW. The others are: Kremenchuk (1954–60), Kyiv (1960–64), Dniprodzerzhynsk (1956–64), Kaniv (1963–75). Those dams that used to generate hydroelectric power of ten percent of Ukraine's total electricity, form water reservoirs. The reservoirs are named as Kyiv (922 km² or 356 sq mi), Kaniv (675 km² or 261 sq mi), Kremenchuk (2,250 km² or 870 sq mi), Dniprodzerzhynsk (567 km² or 219 sq mi), Dnieper (420 km² or 160 sq mi), and Kakhovka (2,155 km² or 832 sq mi).

Cities and towns on the Dnieper

Satellite image of the Dnieper and its tributaries.

Cities and towns located on the Dnieper are listed in order from the river's source (in Russia) to its mouth (in Ukraine):

Arheimar, a capital of the Goths, was located on the Dnieper, according to the Hervarar saga.

Navigation

Ships on the Dnieper by Nicholas Roerich

The Dnieper is important for the transport and economy of Ukraine: its reservoirs have large ship locks, allowing vessels of up to 270 by 18 metres (890 ft × 59 ft) to access as far as the port of Kyiv and thus create an important transport corridor. The river is used by passenger vessels as well. Inland cruises on the rivers Danube and Dnieper have been a growing market in recent decades.

Upstream from Kyiv, the Dnieper receives the water of the Pripyat River. This navigable river connects to the Dnieper-Bug canal, the link with the Western Bug river. Historically, a connection with the Western European waterways was possible, but a weir without a ship lock near the town of Brest has interrupted this international waterway. Poor political relations between Western Europe and Belarus mean there is little likelihood of re-opening this waterway in the near future.^[2]

Navigation is interrupted each year by freezing in winter, and severe winter storms.

Etymology

The name Dnieper is derived from Sarmatian Dānu apara "the river on the far side".^[3] (By contrast, the Dniester derives from "the close river".)

In the three countries through which it flows it has essentially the same name, albeit pronounced differently, Russian: Днепр, Dnepr; Belarusian: Дняпро, Dniapro; Ukrainian: Дніпро, Dnipro.

The Dnieper River in Kherson, Ukraine.

The river is mentioned by the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the fifth century BC as Borysthenes (Βορυσθένης), as well as by Strabo; this name is Scythian (cf. Iranian *varu-stāna) and meant "wide land", referring most likely to the Ukrainian steppe. The late Greek and Roman authors called it Δαναπρις - Danapris and Danaper respectively - (dana in Old Persian meant "river"); The name Dnieper probably derives from that Greek word. Its Old East Slavic name used at the time of Kievan Rus' was Slavutaor Slavutych, "the Slavic (river)"; the Huns called it Var, and Bulgars - Buri-Chai.

In Popular Culture

• Folk metal band Turisas have a song called The Dnieper Rapids on their latest album The Varangian Way.^{[citation needed]}
• The river is one of the symbols of Ukrainian statehood and the Zaporizhian Cossacks.^{[citation needed]}
• A few soccer teams are named after it as well as a few cities in Ukraine such as Dnipropetrovsk, Dniprorudne, and Kamianka-Dniprovska.^{[citation needed]} Another city Zaporizhia is named after the region, meaning "beyond the Rapids".^{[citation needed]}
• Trance artist Leon Bolier featured a track called Dnipro in his debut 2CD album Pictures. The track is said to be inspired by his visit to Kiev in May 2008.^{[citation needed]}

See also

The Dnieper River in Dorogobuzh, Russia, before 1917.

• Threat of the Dnieper reservoirs
• List of rivers of Russia
• List of rivers of Ukraine
• Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks

References and footnotes

Find more about Dnieper River on Wikipedia's sister projects:

Definitions from Wiktionary
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Source texts from Wikisource
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Learning resources from Wikiversity

External links

v • d • e Dnieper (Dnepr, Dniapro, Dnipro) River Tributaries1 Drut · Berezina · Sozh · Pripyat · Teteriv · Irpin · Desna · Stuhna · Trubizh · Ros · Tiasmyn · Supiy · Sula · Pslo · Vorskla · Samara · Konka · Bilozerka · Bazavluk · Inhulets Reservoirs Dnieper · Dniprodzerzhynsk · Kakhovka · Kaniv · Kiev · Kremenchuk Hydroelectric stations Dnieper · Dniprodzerzhynsk · Kakhovka · Kaniv · Kiev · Kremenchuk 1 Italics indicate left tributaries