The Lielupe ( in Latvian

literally ''Literally'' is an English adverb. It has been controversially used as an intensifier for figurative statements. History The first known use of the word ''literally'' was in the 15th century, or the 1530s, when it was used in the sense of "in ...

: ''Large River'', lt, Lielupė, german: Kurländische Aa) is a river in central Latvia. Its length is (the length would reach if the Mēmele River were counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area of its drainage basin is .Aquastat information for Latvia
/ref> The average fall of the Lielupe is about () and its average flow is , although a maximum of has been reached during floods.

Physical geography

Lielupe river at Jelgava by Igors Jefimovs

The Lielupe begins at the confluence of the Mēmele and Mūsa rivers near

Bauska Bauska () is a town in Bauska Municipality, in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia. Bauska is located from the Latvian capital Riga, 62 km (38.5 mi) from Jelgava and from the Lithuanian border on the busy European route E67. The t ...

. For the upper part of its course, the river flows through a dolomite valley with a few small rapids, until it reaches

Mežotne Mežotne (german: Mesothen) is a town in Latvia 10 km west of Bauska and 40 km south of the capital of Latvia, Riga. It lies in the historical region of Zemgale on the left bank of the Lielupe river near the Lithuanian border. Mežo ...

, where it widens and deepens over the flat Zemgale Plain. For many years the Lielupe would frequently overflow its shallow banks and flood surrounding fields and villages, particularly during the spring thaw. Today many parts of the Lielupe's banks are contained with earthen dikes to prevent disastrous floods. Much of the Lielupe is covered in river grasses. At its lower reaches, the river flows parallel to the coast line of the Gulf of Riga; the city of

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 49,325 in 2019 ...

stretches for almost between the river and the sea. Eventually Lielupe flows into the Baltic Sea, while the Buļļupe branch (german: Kurische Aa) flows into the Daugava River. The modern mouth of the river appeared in 1755. Before then the Buļļupe was the Lielupe's main channel. About 50-55% of the water discharge of the river is from melted snow. The Lielupe is navigable for a range of , the longest continuous range among Latvian rivers. Municipalities along the river include

, Jelgava,

Kalnciems Kalnciems () is a village in Jelgava Municipality in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Located on the left bank of the Lielupe, 5 km south of the A9 motorway. Distance to Jelgava 24 km, to Riga - 49 km. Because of the dolomite and c ...

and Riga. The Lielupe also gives its name to a railway station and a neighbourhood in the city of Jūrmala.

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries to the river Lielupe (from source to mouth): *Left:

Mūša Mūša ( lv, Mūsa; German: Muhsse) is a river in Northern Lithuania and Southern Latvia ( Zemgale region). At its confluence with the river Nemunėlis ( lv, Mēmele) in Latvia, near city Bauska, the river Lielupė is formed. The river is 164 ...

(Mūsa), Īslīce, Svitene, Sesava, Vircava, Platone, Svēte (Švėtė) *Right:

Nemunėlis Nemunėlis () is a river in northern Lithuania and southern Latvia. It originates 6 km south of Rokiškis. It is 191 kilometres long (75 km in Lithuania, 76 km on the Latvia–Lithuania border and 40 km in Latvia) before its ...

(Mēmele), Garoze,

Iecava , native_name = , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = Iecavas luterāņu baznīca.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = Lutheran church in Iecav ...

References

External links

Information about Lielupe river basin
{{Authority control Rivers of Latvia Gulf of Riga Geography of Riga Jūrmala