Dnieper


Etymology and name in various languages

The name Dnieper may be derived either from Sarmatian Dānu apara "the river on the far side" or from Scythian Dānu apr "deep river." By way of contrast, the name Dniester either derives from "the close river" or from a combination of Scythian Dānu and Ister, the Thracian name for the Dniester.

Names in local languages

In the languages of the three countries it flows through it has essentially the same name, albeit with different pronunciations:
The river is mentioned both by the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC as Borysthenes.

Geography

The total length of the river is variously given as or, of which are within Russia, are within Belarus, and are within Ukraine. Its basin covers, of which are within Ukraine, are within Belarus.
The source of the Dnieper is the sedge bogs of the Valdai Hills in central Russia, at an elevation of. For of its length, it serves as the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Its estuary, or liman, used to be defended by the strong fortress of Ochakiv.
On the Dnieper to the south of Komarin urban-type settlement, Braghin District, Gomel Region the southern extreme point of Belarus is situated.

Tributaries of the Dnieper

The Dnieper has many tributaries with 89 being rivers of 100+ km. The main ones are, from its source to its mouth:
Many small direct tributaries also exist, such as, in the Kiev area, the Syrets in the north of the city, the historically significant Lybid passing west of the centre, and the Borshahivka to the south.
The water resources of the Dnieper basin compose around 80% out of all Ukraine.

Rapids

were part of trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, first mentioned in the Kiev Chronicle. The route was probably established in the late eighth and early ninth centuries and gained significant importance from the tenth until the first third of the eleventh century. On the Dnieper the Varangians had to portage their ships round seven rapids, where they had to be on guard for Pecheneg nomads.
Along this middle flow of the Dnieper, there were nine major rapids, obstructing almost the whole width of the river, about 30–40 smaller rapids, obstructing only part of the river, and about 60 islands and islets.
After the Dnieper hydroelectric station was built in 1932, they were inundated by Dnieper Reservoir.

Canals

There are a number of canals connected to the Dnieper:
The river is part of the quagga mussel's native range. The mussel has been accidentally introduced around the world, where it has become an invasive species.

Estuary

The city of Kherson is nearest to the Dnieper river estuary. There are no large-scale port facilities here.

Ecology

Nowadays the Dnieper River suffers from anthropogenic influence and obtain numerous emissions of pollutants. The Dnieper is close to the Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant radioactive dumps, and susceptible to leakages of radioactive waste. The river is also close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station that is located next to the mouth of the Prypiat River.

Navigation

Almost of the river is navigational. The Dnieper is important for the transport and economy of Ukraine: its reservoirs have large ship locks, allowing vessels of up to to access as far as the port of Kiev 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 Kiev, the Dnieper receives the water of the Pripyat River. This navigable river connects to the Dnieper-Bug canal, the link with the Bug River. Historically, a connection with the Western European waterways was possible, but a weir without any ship lock near the town of Brest, Belarus, has interrupted this international waterway. Poor political relations between Western Europe and Belarus mean there is little likelihood of reopening this waterway in the near future. River navigation is interrupted each year by freezing in winter, and severe winter storms.

Reservoirs and hydroelectric power

From the mouth of the Prypiat River to the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station, there are six sets of dams and hydroelectric stations, which produce 10% of Ukraine's electricity.
The first constructed was the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station near Zaporizhia, built between 1927 and 1932 with an output of 558 MW. It was destroyed during World War II, but was rebuilt in 1948 with an output of 750 MW.
LocationDamReservoir areaHydroelection stationDate of construction
KievKiev ReservoirKiev Hydroelectric Station1960–1964
KanivKaniv ReservoirKaniv Hydroelectric Station1963–1975
KremenchukKremenchuk ReservoirKremenchuk Hydroelectric Station1954–1960
KamianskeKamianske ReservoirMiddle Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Plant1956–1964
ZaporizhiaDnieper ReservoirDnieper Hydroelectric Station1927–1932; 1948
KakhovkaKakhovka ReservoirKakhovka Hydroelectric Station1950–1956

Regions and cities

Regions

Cities

Major cities, over 100,000 in population, are in bold script.
Cities and towns located on the Dnieper are listed in order from the river's source to its mouth :
Arheimar, a capital of the Goths, was located on the Dnieper, according to the Hervarar saga.

In the arts

Literature

The River Dnieper has been a subject of chapter X of a story by Nikolai Gogol A Terrible Vengeance. It is considered as a classical example of description of the nature in Russian literature. The river was also described in the works of Taras Shevchenko.

Visual arts

The River Dnieper has been a subject for artists, great and minor, over the centuries. Major artists with works based on the Dnieper are Arkhip Kuindzhi and Ivan Aivazovsky.

Films

The River Dnieper makes an appearance in the 1964 Hungarian drama film The Sons of the Stone-Hearted Man, where it appears when two characters are leaving Saint Petersburg but get attacked by wolves.

Image gallery

Popular culture