Dnieper River
The
Dnieper River (also:
Dnepr,
Dniapro, or
Dnipro) is a river (2,290 km length) which flows from
Russia through
Belarus and then
Ukraine.
In all three countries it has essentially the same name, albeit pronounced differently, ; ; . The river is mentioned by the
Ancient Greek historian
Herodotus in the
fifth century BC as
Borysthenes; the late
Greek and
Roman authors called it
Danapris and
Danaper respectively. Its
Old Slavic name used at times of
Kievan Rus' was
Slavutich "the Slavic (river)".
The Dnieper finds its source in the
Valday Hills of central Russia, and runs south eventually flowing into the
Black Sea. 115 kilometres of its length serves as a natural border between Belarus and Ukraine. Approximately the last 800 kilometres of the river is a chain of nearly consecutive reservoirs.
These reservoirs are:
Kiev (922 km²),
Kaniv (582 km²),
Kremenchuk (2,252 km²),
Dniprodzerzhynsk (567 km²),
Zaporizhzhia (410 km²), and
Kakhovka (2,155 km²). The dams forming these are used to generate hydroelectric power, providing around ten percent of Ukraine's electricity.
The Dnieper is connected with the
Western Bug by the
Dnieper-Bug Canal. Its estuary, or
liman, used to be defended by the strong fortress of
Ochakov.
The name
Dnieper is derived from
Sarmatian Dānu apara "the river to the rear".
[Mallory, J.P. and Victor H. Mair. The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West. London: Thames and Hudson, 2000. p. 106]The Dnieper river is important for the transport and economy of Ukraine: the river's reservoirs have all been equipped with large ship locks, allowing vessels of up to 270×18 metres to access even the port of
Kiev and thus creating a perfect transport corridor. The river is used by passenger vessels too: inland cruises on the rivers Danube and Dnieper have been a growing market in recent decades.
Upstream from Kiev the Dnieper receives the water of the
Pripyat river. This navigable river connects to the Dnieper-Bug canal, the link with the Polish river Bug. 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 interesting international waterway. The political relation between Western Europe and Belarus does not allow for much hope of reopening of this direct inland shipping link any time soon.
NoorderSoft Waterways DatabaseThe river is very famous for its dams, which were often touted as achievements of Soviet Industry. The most famous one was the
Dnieper Hydroelectric Station or (DneproGES) near
Zaporizhia, which was built in 1927-1932 with an output of 558 MW. The
Second World War completely destroyed the station and in 1948 it was rebuilt (using concentration camp labour-
GULAG) and its capacity output increased to 750 MW.
The Kremenchuk Hydroelectric Station was the second one built in 1954"60, the Kiev Hydroelectric Station followed 1960"64, the Dneprodzerzhinsk Hydroelectric Station in 1956"64, and the Kanev Hydroelectric Station 1963"75 completed the Cascade of Dams.
From the source to the mouth.
*
Dorogobuzh, Russia
*
Smolensk, Russia
*
Orsha, Belarus
*
Škloŭ, Belarus
*
Mogilev, Belarus
*
Bychaŭ, Belarus
*
Rahačoŭ, Belarus
*
Žłobin, Belarus
*
Rečyca, Belarus
*
Kiev (
Kyiv), Ukraine
*
Kaniv, Ukraine
*
Cherkasy, Ukraine
*
Kremenchuk, Ukraine
*
Dniprodzerzhyns'k, Ukraine
*
Dnipropetrovs'k, Ukraine
*
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
*
Marhanets', Ukraine
*
Nikopol', Ukraine
*
Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine
*
Kherson, Ukraine
Arheimar, a capital of the
Goths, was located on the Dniepr, according to the
Hervarar saga.
|
Satellite image of the Dnieper and its tributaries. |
In
orographic sequence.
*
Druć (R)
*
Berezina (R)
*
Sozh (L)
*
Prypiat (R)
*
Teteriv (R)
*
Irpin (R)
*
Desna (L)
*
Stuhna (R)
*
Trubizh (L)
*
Ros (R)
*
Tiasmyn (R)
*
Supiy (L)
*
Sula (L)
*
Pslo (L)
*
Vorskla (L)
*
Samara (L)
*
Konka (L)
*
Bilozerka (L)
*
Bazavluk (R)
*
Inhulets (R)
*
Threat of the Dnieper reservoirs*
Dnieper River at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
