The Dnieper River is the largest natural site in Ukraine. But it flows through the territory of Russia and Belarus. Its length is 2201 kilometers. Almost half of this figure is the length of the river bed in Ukraine. The Dnieper basin is 504 thousand square kilometers. This is one of the most beautiful objects created by nature. Many poets sang it in their works. Therefore, many tourists come to admire its beauties.
The beginning of the river is located in the north of the Valdai Upland. This is the Smolensk region of Russia. The Dnieper flows into the Black Sea, into the Dnieper estuary, which is located in Ukraine. The river basin includes many tributaries (more than 15 thousand). The largest of them are Berezina, Pripyat, Vop, Ros, Ingulets, Orel, Samara, Psel, Drup, Teterev and some others.
The channel of the Dnieper is winding. In the course of its course, it forms rifts, sleeves, channels, shallows and islands. Conventionally, this river is divided into three parts. The first is the upper course, which stretches 1320 kilometers from the source to the city of Kiev. The second is the channel from Kiev to Zaporozhye (555 kilometers). And finally, the third part is the lower one, with a length of 326 kilometers. This section of the channel is located in the territory from Zaporozhye to the mouth of the river.
The greatest width that the Dnieper River has is 18 kilometers. The delta area is 350 km. This is the main supplier of water in Ukraine. The Dnieper is a mostly flat river. Her course is calm and measured, but sometimes it forms a whirlpool with reverse water flow. The depth of the river is diverse. Sometimes riffles occur, where it is about half a meter. In places, the relief of the channel forms pits, where the depth reaches 20-30 meters.
From ancient times, the Dnieper River was referred to under other names. Initially, the historian Herodotus called it Borisfen, which means "water flowing from the north." Then Roman historians gave it the name Dinapris, which became the basis for the modern name.
This river is a source of life for many areas and cities. In the old days, people settled on its shores in order to have access to rich water resources. So settlements were formed, and then cities. Since ancient times, the Dnieper has been of great importance as an important trade route. But in our time, it is one of the main factors of the economy and transport. Throughout its channel reservoirs were built, which are equipped with locks, allowing vessels to freely reach the port of Kiev. Famous dams were built on the Dnieper: Zaporozhye and DneproGES.
Climatic conditions and features of the nature of the river became prerequisites for the good development of aquatic vegetation. There are many breeds of fish in it. The Dnieper channel forms numerous bays, shallows and islands, which attract fishing lovers here.
A variety of flora and fauna, magnificent natural places and beaches in their beauty have become a place of pilgrimage not only for fishermen, but also for ordinary tourists. Among the aquatic inhabitants you can find bream, perch, pike perch, pike, carp, catfish and sturgeon. The Dnieper River is not only a world heritage, it is also a unique natural creation that must be preserved for posterity in its original form.