Danube River Facts
Danube River Facts
Danube River Facts
The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, flowing 1,785 miles from Germany to Ukraine into the Black Sea. The Danube River is a major water source in Europe and is Eastern Europe's chief source. The Danube River originates in the Germany's Black Forest where the Breg and Brigach Rivers converge. The Danube River's watershed is 315,445 square miles in size and the average discharge is 6,600 cubic meters per second. The Danube River got its name from the Proto-Indo-European word 'dānu' which has been used for naming several old European rivers.
Interesting Danube River Facts:
Some of the earliest human cultures lived in the vicinity of the Danube River - in its basin.
The Danube is the second longest river in Europe after the River Volga.
The Danube River flows through or along 10 countries including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania.
The Danube River flows through several countries' capital cities including Vienna, Belgrade, Budapest, and Bratislava.
The Danube passes through many other European cities including Ulm, Ingolstadt, Regensburg, Linz, Gyor, Danaujvaros, Vukovar, Novi Sad, Zemun, Pancevo, Drobeta Turnu-Severin, and Vidin.
The Danube River's tributaries include Iller, Lech, Altmuhi, Naab, Regen, Isar, Inn, Enns, Morova, Raba, Vah, Hron, Ipel, Sio, Drava, Vuka, Tisza, Sava, Timis, Great Morava, Caras, Jiu, Iskar, Olt, Osam, Arges, lalomita, Siret, and Prut.
Approximately 20 million people rely of the Danube River for their drinking water.
The Danube River was once extremely important for fisherman but this has declined since the Middle Ages. Some regions are still very active but there are also a variety of endangered species in the Danube River such as sturgeon species.
Tourism along the Danube River is diverse with natural places of interest including the Wachau Valley, Hungary's Gemenc, Germany's Nationalpark Donau-Auen, Croatia's, Kopački rit, Romania and Serbia's Iron Gate, Romania's Danube Delta, and Bulgaria's Srebarna Nature Reserve.
The Danube River is often used for leisure boating and travel cruises, with as many as 70 cruise ships between Vienna and Budapest alone.
There is a bike trail along the Danube River called the Danube Bike Trail. It is divided into four sections along the river including Donaueschingen-Passau, Passau-Vienna, Vienna-Budapest, and Budapest-Black Sea. It begins and ends where the Danube River begins and ends.
The Danube River is a graveyard for many German ships. During World War II the Germans sunk their ships to avoid allowing the Soviets to gain control of them.
The Danube River is considered to be one of the most important shipping routes in Europe. Its size will accommodate the largest shipping vessels when necessary.
It is estimated that there are more than 5000 species of animals, birds, and plants in the Danube's delta.
Approximately one-third of the Danube River passes through Hungary's borders.
In 1991 the Danube River was designated a UNESCO Heritage Site.
There have been more than 700 dams constructed on the Danube River's tributaries in various European countries.
The Danube River has been featured in songs, novels, legends, and movies.
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