Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, a left tributary of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. It is long, and its basin area is . Its source is in the
Făgăraș Mountains
The Făgăraș Mountains ( ro, Munții Făgărașului ; hu, Fogarasi-havasok) are the highest mountains of the Southern Carpathians, in Romania.
Geography
The mountain range is situated in the heart of Romania, at .
The range is bordered in the ...
, in the
Southern Carpathians
The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the P ...
and it flows into the Danube at
Oltenița
Oltenița () is a city in Călărași County, Muntenia, Romania, on the left bank of the river Argeș, where its waters flow into the Danube.
Geography
The city is located in the southwestern part of the county; it stands across the Danube fro ...
mouth
In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...
is .
The main city on the Argeș is
Pitești
Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
. Upstream, it is retained by the
Vidraru Dam
Vidraru Dam is a dam in Romania. It was completed in 1966 on the Argeș River and creates Lake Vidraru. The arch dam was built with the primary purpose to produce hydroelectricity. The dam's height is 166 metres, the arch length 305 meters and it c ...
, which has created
Lake Vidraru
Lake Vidraru ( ro, Lacul Vidraru) is an artificial lake in Romania. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Vidraru Dam on the Argeș River.
It lies in the shadow of the Făgăraș Mountains. .
Vidraru Lake is a reservoir lake create ...
. Its upper course, upstream of Lake Vidraru, is also called ''Capra''.
Name
The river is believed to be the same as Ὀρδησσός ''Ordessus'', a name mentioned by
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
historian
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...
. The etymology of Argeș is not clear. Traditionally, it was considered that it is derived from the ancient name, through a reconstructed term, *''Argessis''. The capital of Dacian leader
Burebista
Burebista ( grc, Βυρεβίστας, Βοιρεβίστας) was the king of the Getae and Dacian tribes from 82/61BC to 45/44BC. He was the first king who successfully unified the tribes of the Dacian kingdom, which comprised the area locat ...
was named ''Argedava'', but it appears that it has no link with the name for the river.Alexandru Madgearu, "Români și pecenegi în sudul Transilvaniei", in Zeno-Karl Pinter, Ioan-Marian Țiplic, Maria-Emilia Țiplic (eds.), ''Relații interetnice în Transilvania, Sec. VI-XIII'', Editura Economică, Bucharest, p. 117. .
An alternate etymology derives the name of the river from a
Pecheneg
The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პაჭ ...
word, transliterated into
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
as ''argiș'' (meaning "higher ground"). The earliest recorded variants of the name, referring to the city of
Curtea de Argeș
Curtea de Argeș () is a municipality in Romania on the left bank of the river Argeș, where it flows through a valley of the Southern Carpathians (the Făgăraș Mountains), on the railway from Pitești to the Turnu Roșu Pass. It is part of ...
(lit. "The Court on the Argeș"), also suggest a derivation from this word: ''Argyas'' (1369), ''Argies'' (1379), ''Arghiș'' (1427), the river probably taking the name of the city.
Localities
The following localities are situated along the river Argeș, from source to mouth:
Căpățânenii Ungureni
Arefu is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Arefu, Căpățânenii Pământeni (the commune center) and Căpățânenii Ungureni.
In Popular Culture
* In the game Fallout 3
''Fallout 3'' is a ...
Arefu
Arefu is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Arefu, Căpățânenii Pământeni (the commune center) and Căpățânenii Ungureni.
In Popular Culture
* In the game Fallout 3
''Fallout 3'' is a ...
Corbeni
Corbeni is a Commune in Romania, commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Berindești, Bucșenești, Corbeni, Oeștii Pământeni, Oeștii Ungureni, Poienari, Rotunda and Tulburea.
References
Communes ...
Albeștii de Argeș
Albeștii de Argeș is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, ...
,
Curtea de Argeș
Curtea de Argeș () is a municipality in Romania on the left bank of the river Argeș, where it flows through a valley of the Southern Carpathians (the Făgăraș Mountains), on the railway from Pitești to the Turnu Roșu Pass. It is part of ...
,
Băiculești
Băiculești is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungar ...
,
Merișani
Merișani is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of nine villages: Borlești, Brăteasca, Capu Piscului, Crâmpotani, Dobrogostea, Malu Vânăt, Merișani, Vărzaru and Vâlcelele.
History
Humans have inhabited the are ...
,
Bascov
Bascov is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bascov, Brăileni, Glâmbocu, Mica, Prislopu Mic, Schiau, Uiasca, and Valea Ursului.
The commune lies on the , an area of foothills leading up to the Sou ...
,
Pitești
Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
,
Găești
Găești () is a town in Dâmbovița County, Muntenia, Romania with a population of 12,767.
History
The name of the town comes from a family of nobles (boyars) who owned most of the lands on which the town is now situated. Their name was Găe ...
Oltenița
Oltenița () is a city in Călărași County, Muntenia, Romania, on the left bank of the river Argeș, where its waters flow into the Danube.
Geography
The city is located in the southwestern part of the county; it stands across the Danube fro ...
.
Hydro energy
The river Argeș and some of its tributaries are used for
hydro energy
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
. The hydroelectrical system consists of several dams, lakes, tunnels and power plants. The lakes built on the Argeș River are: Vidraru, Oiești, Cerbureni, Curtea de Argeș, Zigoneni, Merișani, Budeasa, Bascov, Pitești, Călinești (or Golești), Zăvoiu (near Mătăsaru), Ogrezeni and Mihăilești. There are dams also on its tributaries.
Tributaries
The following rivers are tributaries to the river Argeș (from source to mouth):
*Left tributaries: Braia, Mândra,
Buda
Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
Valea Iașului
Valea Iașului is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hun ...
, Sasu,
Vâlsan
The Vâlsan is a left tributary of the river Argeș (river), Argeș in Romania. It discharges into the Argeș near Merișani.Râul Doamnei
Râul Doamnei is a left tributary of the river Argeș in Romania. Its source is on the eastern slope of Moldoveanu Peak (Făgăraș Mountains), the highest mountain peak in Romania. It discharges into the Argeș just north of Pitești. Its uppe ...
Budișteanca
The Budișteanca is a left tributary of the river Argeș (river), Argeș in Romania. It discharges into the Argeș near Leordeni. It flows through the villages Bujoi, Bârloi, Bogați, Chițești, Schitu Scoicești, Leordeni, Budișteni and Leorde ...
,
Sabar
The sabar is a traditional drum from Senegal that is also played in the Gambia. It is associated with Wolof and Serer people.Dâmbovița, Rasa, and Luica.
*Right tributaries: Paltinul, Lespezi, Modrugaz,
Cumpăna
Cumpăna is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania.
Administration
The commune includes the village with the same name, Cumpăna (historical name: Hașiduluc, tr, Haşiduluk). The village was mentioned under the name ''Hașidu ...
,
Valea lui Stan
The Valea lui Stan is a right tributary of the river Argeș in Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the nor ...
Bascov
Bascov is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bascov, Brăileni, Glâmbocu, Mica, Prislopu Mic, Schiau, Uiasca, and Valea Ursului.
The commune lies on the , an area of foothills leading up to the Sou ...
and
Neajlov
The Neajlov is a river in Romania. It is a right tributary of the river Argeș, which it meets near Gostinari, Giurgiu County. It rises from the higher Romanian Plain, east of Pitești. It is long and its basin area is .Angheluță Vădinean ...
.
See also
*
List of longest rivers of Romania
This is a list of rivers of Romania which entirely or partially flow through Romania.
Longest rivers
The length and drainage area represent only the part of the river within Romania.Battle of the Argeș
The Battle of the Argeș was a battle of the Romanian Campaign of World War I. Taking place on 1 December 1916, the battle was fought along the line of the Argeș River in Romania between Austro-German forces of the Central Powers and Romanian fo ...