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 Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. 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 to ...

. 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 Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...

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 Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia ( lv, Rīgas līcis, et, Liivi laht) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main con ...

; 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 , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

. 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 Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duch ...

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 an ...

and

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

. 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 i ...

(Mēmele), Garoze, Iecava

References

External links

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