Dniester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dniester, Dnister, Nistru Дністер, Днестр |
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| Origin | Ukrainian Carpathians |
| Mouth | Black Sea |
| Basin countries | Ukraine, Moldova |
| Length | 1,362 km (846 mi) |
| Source elevation | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) |
| Avg. discharge | 310 m³/s (10,949 ft³/s) |
| Basin area | 72,100 km² (27,838 mi²) |
The Dniester (Ukrainian: Дністер, translit. Dnister; Romanian: Nistru) is a river in Eastern Europe.
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[edit] Geography
It rises in Ukraine, near Drohobych close to the border with Poland, and flows toward the Black Sea. For a short while it marks the border of Ukraine and Moldova, after which it separates Moldova and Transnistria for 398 km. It leaves this region and becomes the Moldova-Ukraine border again, then flows through Ukraine to the Black Sea, where its estuary forms the Dniester Liman.
In its lower half, the western bank is high and hilly while the eastern one is low and flat. The river represents the de facto end of the Asian steppe. Its most important tributaries are Răut and Bîc.
Before World War II the Dniester formed part of the boundary between Romania and the Soviet Union. During the war, battles were fought on the left bank of the river between German and Romanian forces against Soviet troops.
[edit] Tributaries
The Stryi River is one of its tributaries. Tributaries on the right side are the Reut River, the Ikel River, the Byk River, and the Botna River. Tributaries on the left side are Zolota Lypa River (140 km), Koropets River, Dzhuryn River, Seret River (250 km), Zbruch River (245 km), Smotrych River (169 km), Ushytsia River (112 km), Kalius River, Liadova River, Murafa River (162 km), Rusava River, Yahorlyk River (173 km), and the Kuchurhan River (123 km).[1]
[edit] Names
The name Dniester derives from Sarmatian *Dānu nazdya "the river to the front".[2] (By contrast, the Dnieper River derives from "the river to the rear".) The older name, Tyras, is from Scythian, meaning "rapid".
In Russian, it is known as Днестр, translit. Dnestr, in Yiddish: Nester - נעסטער; in Turkish, Turla and during antiquity, it was called Tyras in Latin and Danastris in Greek. Classical authors have also referred to it as Danaster.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Encyclopedia of Ukraine - Dniester River
- ^ Mallory, J.P. and Victor H. Mair. The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West. London: Thames & Hudson, 2000. p. 106
[edit] External links
- Dniester watershed resource maps (PDF) - Land cover and use variables, basin indicators, biodiversity information and indicators.
- Dniester.org
- Dniester photo gallery
