Morava (river)

The Morava is a major river in Central Europe.

It is a left tributary of the huge Danube river. This river gives its name to the historical region of Moravia. The river starts on the Králický Sněžník mountain. This mountain is in the north-eastern corner of the Pardubice Region. It sits near the border between the Czech Republic and Poland.

From there, the water flows in a southward direction. The river is quite long at 378 kilometers. About 263 kilometers of the river are in the Czech Republic. This makes it the third longest river in that country.

The river moves through many different types of land. Most of the river basin is made of flat plains. Only seven percent of the basin is made of mountains. The rest is made of highlands. As the river flows, it creates large lowlands. These include the Upper and Lower Morava Valleys. It also forms the Marchfeld in Austria and the Záhorie Lowland in Slovakia.

Because the land is so flat, the river often curves. These curves are called meanders. Sometimes the river leaves behind curved lakes called oxbow lakes. The river is also a blackwater river, which is quite unusual. It eventually flows into the Danube near Devín Castle.

People have lived near the Morava for a very long time. Human settlements were found in the Austrian part 30,000 years ago. People began farming in the valley about 7,000 years ago. The river has also been used as a border for many centuries. It once marked the edge of the Carolingian Empire. Later, it was the border between Austria and Hungary. During the Cold War, it was part of the Iron Curtain.

In July 1997, heavy rain caused a very big flood. This flood affected the northern and eastern parts of the river basin.

Many towns and cities sit along the river's path. In the Czech Republic, you can find Olomouc and Kroměříž. Other cities include Otrokovice, Uherské Hradiště, Veselí nad Moravou, and Hodonín. The city of Brno is also in the river basin.

The river has many smaller rivers that flow into it. The longest one is the Thaya, which is 311 kilometers long. Other tributaries include the Bečva and the Myjava. By 2009, about 2.3 million people lived in the area the river drains. This area is known as the catchment area.

The Morava is a very special place for nature. It is one of the most diverse places in Europe. Scientists have found about 12,000 different species of living things there. This is second only to the Danube Delta. The river connects the Danube Valley to the plains of northern Europe. This helps both animals and humans move through the land. Some parts of the river were changed by people in the 20th century. However, people are now working hard to protect the natural ecosystem. They want to keep the river healthy for the future.