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Danube

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

The Danube is a huge and important river in Europe.

Danube basin
Danube basin

It is the second-longest river on the continent, following only the Volga in Russia. The river begins its long journey in the Black Forest of Germany.

Bregquelle 01
Bregquelle 01

From its start, it flows southeast for about 2,850 kilometers. It eventually empties into the Black Sea through the Danube Delta. This delta sits in Romania and Ukraine.

DanubedeltaSulinaarm2
DanubedeltaSulinaarm2

The river is a vital part of the landscape for many different people.

Water moves through the river in a specific way. The river starts at a place called Donaueschingen in Germany.

Donauquelle Donaueschingen im Sommer
Donauquelle Donaueschingen im Sommer

Here, the rivers Brigach and Breg join together to form the Danube. As it travels, many other rivers flow into it. These are called tributaries. Some of these include the Inn, the Drava, and the Tisza.

Szeged-tisza3
Szeged-tisza3

The river basin is very large and covers 800,000 square kilometers. This area includes parts of nine extra countries. It provides water for about 83 million people.

History has always been tied to this flowing water. In ancient times, the Danube was a frontier for the Roman Empire.

Danube Iron Gorge La Cazane
Danube Iron Gorge La Cazane

People have used the river as a trade route for a very long time. The river even has many different names in different languages. The ancient Greeks called it the Istros. In Latin, it was known as Danubius. Even today, many modern names come from that old Latin word. This shows how the river has connected people for many centuries.

There are many important facts to know about the Danube. It passes through or marks the border of ten different countries.

Danube Bratislava 6
Danube Bratislava 6

These are Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. The river is famous for passing through four national capitals. These cities are Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade.

Parliament Budapest Hungary
Parliament Budapest Hungary

In the river, you can find many types of fish. These include pike, zander, catfish, and sturgeon. Some fish, like the eel, live near the delta.

Today, the Danube stays very busy and useful. A large part of its length is navigable for boats.

This means ships can travel on it to move goods. There is even a canal that links the Danube to the North Sea. This path connects the river at Kelheim to the Main at Bamberg. People also use the river for drinking water. It is also a great way to make power through hydropower.

The river remains a central part of European life.

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🖼️ Images & Media (32)
File:Danube basin.png
Danube basin.png
File:Bregquelle 01.jpg
Bregquelle 01.jpg
File:Donauquelle Donaueschingen im Sommer.jpg
Donauquelle Donaueschingen im Sommer.jpg
File:Szeged-tisza3.jpg
Szeged-tisza3.jpg
File:Aerial image of Passau.jpg
Aerial image of Passau.jpg
File:Linz Ars electronica center lila DL.jpg
Linz Ars electronica center lila DL.jpg
File:Danube Bratislava 6.jpg
Danube Bratislava 6.jpg
File:Várhegy2.JPG
Várhegy2.JPG
File:Petrovaradinska tvrđava, 12.jpg
Petrovaradinska tvrđava, 12.jpg
File:Kalemegdanska_terasa_Apr_2011.jpg
Kalemegdanska_terasa_Apr_2011.jpg
File:Nikopol-danube.jpg
Nikopol-danube.jpg
File:Cazaresulinaoras2.jpg
Cazaresulinaoras2.jpg

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