1. Etymology and name in various languages
    Other toponyms and pronunciations 

2. Geography
    Tributaries of the Dnieper  Rapids  Canals  Fauna 

3. Reservoirs and hydroelectric power

4. Regions and cities
    Regions  Cities 

5. Navigation

6. In the arts
     Literature    Visual arts   Popular culture 

7. Ecology

8. See also

9. References and footnotes

10. External links

The Dnieper ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|d|n|iː|p|ər}},^[2] {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|n|iː|p|ər}}^[3]; {{Lang-ru|Днепр|translit=Dnepr}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|nʲ|ɛ|p|ər}};^[4] {{Lang-be|Дняпро/Днепр|translit=Dnyapro/Dnepr}}; {{Lang-uk|Днiпро|translit=Dnipro}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|(|d|)|n|iː|p|r|oʊ}};^[5]) is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, and flowing through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and Belarus and the fourth-longest river in Europe.

The total length is approximately {{convert|2200|km|mi|abbr=on}}^[6] with a drainage basin of {{convert|504000|km²|mi2}}.

The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations. The Dnieper is an important navigable waterway for the economy of Ukraine and is connected via the Dnieper–Bug Canal to other waterways in Europe.

In antiquity, the river was known to the Greeks as the Borysthenes and was part of the Amber Road.

Etymology and name in various languages

The name Dnieper may be derived either from Sarmatian {{lang|xsc|Dānu apara}} "the river on the far side" or from Scythian {{lang|xsc|Dānu apr}} (Dānapr) "deep river." By way of contrast, the name Dniester either derives from "the close river" or from a combination of Scythian Dānu (river) and Ister, the Thracian name for the Dniester.^{[7] [8]}

In the three countries through which it flows it has essentially the same name, albeit pronounced differently:

• {{lang-ru|Днепр}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Dnepr}}, {{IPA-ru|dnʲepr|}}) older {{lang-ru|Днѣпръ}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|Dnepr}}, {{IPA-ru|dnʲepr|}});^[9];
• {{lang-be|Дняпро}} ({{lang|be-Latn|Dnyapro}}, {{IPA-be|dnʲaˈprɔ|}}) or Днепр^[10] ({{lang|be-Latn|Dnyepr}}, {{IPA-be|dnʲɛpr|}});
• {{lang-uk|Дніпро}} ({{lang|uk-Latn|Dnipro}}, {{IPA-uk|dnʲiˈprɔ|}}) or Дніпер^[11] ({{lang|uk-Latn|Dniper}}, {{IPA-uk|ˈdnʲiper|}}) older {{lang-uk|Днѣпръ}} ({{lang|uk-Latn|Dnipr}}, {{IPA-uk|ˈdnʲipr|}}).

Other toponyms and pronunciations

• The late Greek and Roman authors called it {{lang|el|Δάναπρις}} - {{lang|el-Latn|Danapris}} and {{lang|la|Danaper}} respectively
• Old East Slavic name used at the time of Kievan Rus' was {{lang|sla|Slavuta}} or {{lang|sla|Slavutych}}
• The Huns called it Var,^[12]
• Bulgars - Buri-Chai.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}
• The name in {{lang-crh|Özü}}^[13], hence Ochakiv (formerly Özü-cale, Dnieper fortress)

The river is mentioned both by the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC as {{lang|el-Latn|Borysthenes}} ({{lang|el|Βορυσθένης}}).^[14]{{Bcn|date=March 2019}}

Geography

The total length of the river is variously given as {{convert|2145|km|mi}}^[6] or {{convert|2201|km|mi|abbr=on}},^{[15][16][17][18]} of which {{convert|485|km|mi|abbr=on}} are within Russia, {{convert|700|km|mi|abbr=on}} are within Belarus,^[6] and {{convert|1095|km|mi|abbr=on}} are within Ukraine. Its basin covers {{convert|504000|km²|mi2}}, of which {{convert|289000|km²|mi2|abbr=on}} are within Ukraine,^[19] {{convert|118360|km²|mi2|abbr=on}} are within Belarus.^[6]

The source of the Dnieper is the sedge bogs (Akseninsky Mokh) of the Valdai Hills in central Russia, at an elevation of {{convert|220|m|abbr=on}}.^[19] For {{convert|115|km|mi|abbr=on}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

On the Dnieper to the south of Komarin urban-type settlement, Braghin District, Gomel Region the southern extreme point of Belarus is situated.^[20]

Tributaries of the Dnieper

The Dnieper has many tributaries (up to 32,000) with 89 being rivers of 100+ km.^[21] The main ones are, from its source to its mouth:

• Drut (R)
• Berezina (R)
• Sozh (L)
• Prypiat (R)
• Teteriv (R)

• Irpin (R)
• Desna (L)
• Stuhna (R)
• Trubizh (L)
• Ros (R)

• Tiasmyn (R)
• Supiy (L)
• Sula (L)
• Psyol (L)
• Vorskla (L)

• Samara (L)
• Konka (L)
• Bilozerka (L)
• Bazavluk (R)
• Inhulets (R)

Many small direct tributaries also exist, such as, in the Kiev area, the Syrets (right bank) in the north of the city, the historically significant Lybid (right bank) passing west of the centre, and the Borshahivka (right bank) to the south.

The water resources of the Dnieper basin compose around 80% out of all Ukraine.^[21]

Rapids

Dnieper Rapids were part of trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, first mentioned in the Kiev Chronicle{{clarify|date=April 2018}}. 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 (although some sources cite a fewer number of them), 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 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 Dnieper–Donbas Canal;
• The Dnieper–Kryvyi Rih Canal;
• The Kakhovka Canal (south-east of the Kherson region);
• The Krasnoznamianka Irrigation System in the south-west of the Kherson region;
• The North Crimean Canal—will largely solve the water problem of the peninsula, especially in the arid northern and eastern Crimea;
• The Inhulets Irrigation System.

Fauna

The river is part of the Quagga mussel's native range.^[22] The mussel has been accidentally introduced around the world where it has become an invasive species.^[22]

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.^[21]

The first constructed was the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station (or DniproHES) near Zaporizhia, built in 1927–1932 with an output of 558 MW.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}^[23] It was destroyed during World War II, but was rebuilt in 1948 with an output of 750 MW.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

Regions and cities

Regions

• Smolensk Oblast, Russia
• Vitebsk Region, Belarus
• Mogilev Region, Belarus
• Gomel Region, Belarus

• Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine
• Kiev Oblast, Ukraine
• Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine
• Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine

• Poltava Oblast, Ukraine
• Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine
• Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine
• Kherson Oblast, Ukraine

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 (in Russia) to its mouth (in Ukraine):

• Dorogobuzh, Russia
• Smolensk, Russia
• Orsha, Belarus
• Shklow, Belarus
• Mogilev, Belarus
• Bychaw, Belarus
• Rahachow, Belarus
• Zhlobin, Belarus
• Rechytsa, Belarus
• Kiev, Ukraine
• Ukrayinka, Ukraine
• Kaniv, Ukraine

• Cherkasy, Ukraine
• Kremenchuk, Ukraine
• Horishni Plavni, Ukraine
• Kamianske, Ukraine
• Dnipro, Ukraine
• Zaporizhia, Ukraine
• Marhanets, Ukraine
• Nikopol, Ukraine
• Enerhodar, Ukraine
• Kamianka-Dniprovska, Ukraine
• Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine
• Kherson, Ukraine

Navigation

Almost {{convert|2000|km|abbr=on}} of the river is navigational (to the city of Dorogobuzh).^[21] The Dnieper is important for the transport and economy of Ukraine{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}: its reservoirs have large ship locks, allowing vessels of up to {{convert|270|x|18|m|ft}} to access as far as the port of Kiev and thus create an important transport corridor.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} 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.^[25] River navigation is interrupted each year by freezing in winter, and severe winter storms.

In the arts

Literature

The River Dnieper has been a subject of chapter X of a story by Nikolai Gogol A Terrible Vengeance (1831, published in 1832 as a part of the Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka short stories collection). 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.

Popular culture

• The river is one of the symbols of the Ukrainian nation^[26] and is mentioned in the national anthem of Ukraine.
• There are several names that connect the name of the river with Ukraine: Overdnieper Ukraine, Right-bank Ukraine, Left-bank Ukraine, and others. Some of the cities on its banks — Dnipro, Dniprorudne, Kamianka-Dniprovska — are named after the river.
• The Zaporozhian Cossacks lived on the lower Dnieper and their name refers to their location "beyond the rapids".^[27]
• The river is referred to as Dnipro, in the song "Hey, Dnipro, Dnipro".{{cn|date=December 2018}}
• The folk metal band Turisas have a song called "The Dnieper Rapids" on their 2007 album The Varangian Way.^[28]
• Leon Bolier featured a track called "Dnipro" in his debut 2-CD album Pictures. The track is said to be inspired by his visit to Kiev in May 2008.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
• Roberto Bolaño's novel 2666 features the Dnieper as a significant feature of the village of Hans Reiter.
• Beat laureate Spencer Hash spent childhood summers observing tide patterns in the Dnieper. {{cn|date=December 2018}} It provides the backdrop for most of his 1998 novel Embassy.

Ecology

Nowadays the Dnieper River suffers from anthropogenic influence and obtain numerous emissions of pollutants.^[29] The Dnieper is close to the Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant radioactive dumps (near Kamianske), and susceptible to leakages of radioactive waste. The river is also close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station (Chernobyl Exclusion Zone) that is located next to the mouth of the Prypiat River.

See also

• {{Portal-inline|size=tiny|Dnieper|Dnieper River}}
• Threat of the Dnieper reservoirs
• List of rivers of Russia
• List of rivers of Belarus
• List of rivers of Ukraine
• Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks

References and footnotes

External links

• Volodymyr Kubijovyč, Ivan Teslia, Dnieper River at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
• Site about Dnieper—objects over the river, photos, facts
• Dnieper river charts

• "Комсомольская правда" об угрозах плотины Киевской ГЭС и водохранилища  
• "Аргументы и факты" о реальных угрозах дамбы Киевского водохранилища и ГЭС  
• "Известия" о проблематике плотины Киевского водохранилища и ГЭС  
• Эксперт УНИАН об угрозах дамбы Киевского водохранилища  

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