The Venta (Latvian pronunciation , Lithuanian , , ,
Livonian ''Vǟnta joug'') is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in north-western
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and western
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 source is near
Kuršėnai
Kuršėnai (; Samogitian: ''Koršienā''; yi, קורשאַן ''Kurshon''; german: Kurschenen; pl, Kurszany; lv, Kuršēni) is the twenty-fifth largest city in Lithuania. According to the 2020 estimate, it had 10,829 residents.
History
The tow ...
in the Lithuanian
Šiauliai County
Šiauliai County ( lt, Šiaulių apskritis) is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Šiauliai. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Šiauliai County rem ...
. It flows into the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
at
Ventspils
Ventspils (; german: Windau, ; see other names) is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It ...
in Latvia.
On the territory of Lithuania along the Venta are cities
Užventis
Užventis (, Samogitian: ''Ožvėntis'', pl, Użwenty, yi, אוזשווענט ''Uzhvent'') is a city in the Kelmė district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-west of Kelmė. River Venta flows through the city.
History
In 1923, 1 ...
,
Kuršėnai
Kuršėnai (; Samogitian: ''Koršienā''; yi, קורשאַן ''Kurshon''; german: Kurschenen; pl, Kurszany; lv, Kuršēni) is the twenty-fifth largest city in Lithuania. According to the 2020 estimate, it had 10,829 residents.
History
The tow ...
,
Venta,
Viekšniai
Viekšniai ( Samogitian: ''Vėikšnē'', yi, וועקשנע ''Vekshne'', pl, Wieksznie) is a city in the Mažeikiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located south-east of Mažeikiai.
Notable people
* Mykolas Biržiška
Mykolas Birž ...
and
Mažeikiai
Mažeikiai (; Samogitian: ''Mažeikē''; lv, Mažeiķi) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 43,547, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania. The city is the administrative center of M ...
. In Latvia, the cities of
Kuldīga
Kuldīga () (german: Goldingen) is a town in the Courland region of Latvia, in the western part of the country. It is the center of Kuldīga Municipality with a population of approximately 13,500.
Kuldīga was first mentioned in 1242. It join ...
,
Piltene
Piltene (; pl, Piltyń, german: Pilten) is a town in northwestern Latvia. The population in 2020 was 909.
The ruins of Piltene Castle are located in Piltene.
Population
Population (Year): 40,000 (1795)
History
*1220: King Valdemar II of Den ...
and
Ventspils
Ventspils (; german: Windau, ; see other names) is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It ...
are located on the Venta river.
Venta has the widest waterfall in Europe —
Venta Rapid
Venta Rapid ( lv, Ventas rumba) is a waterfall on the Venta River in Kuldīga, Latvia. It is the widest waterfall in Europe at , and becomes as wide as during spring floods. The height of the falls varies from depending on the level of water i ...
.
Basin system
River has only one tributary longer than 100 km, the
Abava
The Abava is a river in Latvia and the largest tributary of the Venta. It flows through Tukums, Talsi and Kuldiga districts. Fifty percent of the basin is covered by forests.
Its valley was submitted for inclusion in the UNESCO World Herita ...
. Other major tributaries include the
Virvyčia (99.7 km) and the
Varduva
Varduva is a river in northwestern Lithuania. Its length is . It is a left tributary of Venta; their confluence is on the Lithuania–Latvia border. Its origins and upper reaches are located within the Žemaitija National Park. Its largest trib ...
(96 km), which flows into the Venta at the
Latvia–Lithuania border.
Smaller tributaries include the
Avižlys
Avižlys is a river of Akmenė district municipality, Šiauliai County, northern Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europ ...
, which runs for 20 kilometers and flows into the Venta River
and the 30 kilometre
Uogys
Uogys is a river of Telšiai County and Šiauliai County, northern Lithuania. It flows for 30 kilometres and has a basin area of 85 km².
It is a left-bank tributary of the Venta River.
See also
* Avižlys, another left-bank tributary of ...
which joins the Venta less than 1 km upstream of the Avižlys at
Akmenė district municipality,
Šiauliai County
Šiauliai County ( lt, Šiaulių apskritis) is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Šiauliai. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Šiauliai County rem ...
, northern Lithuania.
See also
*
Ventas rumba
Venta Rapid ( lv, Ventas rumba) is a waterfall on the Venta River in Kuldīga, Latvia. It is the widest waterfall in Europe at , and becomes as wide as during spring floods. The height of the falls varies from depending on the level of water i ...
References
External links
Rivers of Lithuania
Rivers of Latvia
Venta River basin
International rivers of Europe
{{Latvia-river-stub