The Argeș () is a river in Southern

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, in the Southern Carpathians 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 ...

. Its average

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from ser ...

at the

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. 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 pe ...

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 fo ...

. 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 loca ...

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 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, traditiona ...

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 ...

(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 20 ...

, Căpățânenii Pământeni, Arefu,

Poienarii de Argeș Poienarii de Argeș is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania.Romanian census data, 2002 ...

, Corbeni, Rotunda,

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, ...

, Băiculești, Merișani, Bascov,

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� ...

Bolintin-Deal Bolintin-Deal is a commune located in Giurgiu County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Bolintin-Deal and Mihai Vodă. At the 2011 census, 99.5% of inhabitants were Romanians and 0.4% Roma; the latter formed a higher percentage ...

Adunații-Copăceni Adunații-Copăceni is a commune located in Giurgiu 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 th ...

, and

Hydro energy

The river Argeș and some of its tributaries are used for hydro energy. 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 Mătăsaru is a commune in Dâmbovița 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, Hung ...

), 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 cu Pești, Valea Lupului, Berindești, Valea Iașului, Sasu,

Vâlsan The Vâlsan is a left tributary of the 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 upper ...

, Vrănești, Râncăciov, Cârcinov, Budișteanca, Sabar, Dâmbovița, Rasa, and Luica. *Right tributaries: Paltinul, Lespezi, Modrugaz, Cumpăna,

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 no ...

, Arefu, Bănești (Cicănești),

Valea Danului Valea Danului 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, Hunga ...

, Tutana, Schiau, Bascov and Neajlov.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arges (river) Rivers of Argeș County Rivers of Dâmbovița County Rivers of Ilfov County Rivers of Giurgiu County Rivers of Călărași County Rivers of Romania Tributaries of the Danube

Name

Localities

Hydro energy

Tributaries

See also

References