The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern
Central Europe
Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
.
[''Utrata Fachwörterbuch: Geographie - Englisch-Deutsch/Deutsch-Englisch''](_blank)
by Jürgen Utrata (2014). Retrieved 10 Apr 2014. With a length of ,
[Joint Drava River Corridor Analysis Report](_blank)
, 27 November 2014 or , if the length of its Sextner Bach source is added, it is the fifth or sixth longest tributary of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
, after the
Tisza
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa (see below) is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. It was once called "the most Hungarian river" because it used to flow entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national bo ...
,
Sava
The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...
,
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates on the eas ...
,
Mureș and likely
Siret
Siret (; ; ; ; ) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...
. The Drava drains an area of about 40,154 square kilometers.
[ Its mean annual discharge is seasonally to . Its source is near the market town of Innichen, in the ]Puster Valley
The Puster Valley ( ; , ) is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The South Tyrolean municipalities of th ...
of South Tyrol
South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...
, Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. The river flows eastwards through East Tyrol
East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (), is an exclave of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, separated from North Tyrol by parts of Salzburg State and parts of Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', ). It is coterminous with the administrative ...
and Carinthia
Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...
in Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
into the Styria
Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...
region of Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. It then turns southeast, passing through northern Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
and, after merging with its main tributary the Mur, forms most of the border
Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
between Croatia and Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, before it joins the Danube near Osijek
Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
, in Croatia.
Name
In ancient times the river was known as ''Dravus'' or ''Draus'' in Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, and in Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
as Δράος and Δράβος. Medieval attestations of the name include ''Dravis'' ( AD 670), ''Drauva'' (in 799), ''Drauus'' (in 811), ''Trauum'' (in 1091), and ''Trah'' (in 1136). The name is pre-Roman and pre-Celtic, but probably of Indo-European origin, from the root ''*dreu̯-'' 'flow'. The river gives its name to the dravite species of tourmaline
Tourmaline ( ) is a crystalline silicate mineral, silicate mineral group in which boron is chemical compound, compounded with chemical element, elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. This gemstone comes in a ...
.
Carpis
The Carpis (Greek: Κάρπίς) was a river which, according to Herodotus, flowed from the upper country of the Ombricans northward into the Ister (Danube), whence it has been supposed that this river is the same as the Dravus.
Geography
The Drava (along with one of its tributaries, the Slizza) and the Spöl are the only two rivers originating in Italy that belong to the Danube drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
. Its main left tributaries (from the north) are the Isel (contributes 39 m3/s), the Möll
The Möll (; presumably from , "rubble") is a river in northwestern Carinthia in Austria, a left tributary of the Drava. Its drainage basin is .
Course
The river rises in the High Tauern range of the Central Eastern Alps on the Pasterze Glacie ...
(25 m3/s), the (22 m3/s), the Gurk (30 m3/s) and the Lavant (12 m3/s) in Austria, and the Mur (166 m3/s) near Legrad
Legrad () is a village and a municipality in northern Croatia, located north of Koprivnica and east of Ludbreg in the Koprivnica–Križevci County.
In the 2011 census, there were a total of 2,241 inhabitants in the municipality, in the followi ...
at the Croatian–Hungarian border. Its main right tributaries (from the south) are the Gail (45 m3/s) in Austria, the Meža
The Meža (Slovene language, Slovene) or Mieß (German language, German; ) is a river in the Austrian state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia and in Slovenia, a right tributary of the Drava. It is long, of which are in Slovenia. Its catchment area ...
(12 m3/s) and Dravinja (11 m3/s) in Slovenia, and the Bednja (? m3/s) in Croatia.
Mean discharge is for the last station in the country mentioned in the source.[
]
Course
The sources of the Drava are located at the drainage divide
A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a single ...
between the market town of Innichen/San Candido and neighbouring Toblach/ Dobbiaco in the west, where the Rienz
The Rienz (; ) is a river in South Tyrol, Italy. Its source is located at 2,180 m of altitude, in the Dolomites mountains, south of Toblach: near Toblach it enters in the Puster Valley, and, after , it meets the Eisack river in the city of Brixe ...
River rises, a tributary of the Adige
The Adige is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows through most of northeastern Italy ...
/Etsch
The Adige is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows through most of northeastern Italy ...
. At Innichen itself the 16+ km , originating near the Sextener Rotwand, joins the ~2 km long source creek. The river than flows eastwards and after 8 kilometres crosses into East Tyrol in Austria. At Lienz it flows into the Isel, sourced from the glaciers of the Venediger and Glockner Groups. The Isel (average discharge 39 m3/s) is almost three times larger than the Drava (14 m3/s) where they meet and, starting from the source of its tributary under the Rötspitze, the Isel (ca. 64 km) is also longer than the combined Drava and Sextner Bach (ca. 60 km) to that point.[
The river then flows east into Carinthia at Oberdrauburg. The river separates the Kreuzeck range of the ]High Tauern
The High Tauern (plural, pl.; , ) are a mountain range on the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of Salz ...
in the north and the Gailtal Alps
The Gailtal Alps ( or ''Drauzug''), is a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps in Austria. It rises between the River Drava (''Drau'') and the Gail (river), Gail valley (in southwestern Carinthia (state), Carinthia) and through the southe ...
in the south, passes the Sachsenburg narrows and the site of the ancient city of Teurnia
Teurnia (later Tiburnia) was a Roman Empire, Roman city (''municipium''). Today its ruins lie in western Carinthia (state), Carinthia. In Late Antiquity, late antiquity it was also a bishop's see, and towards the end of Roman times it was mention ...
, before it reaches the town of Spittal an der Drau
Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Districts of Austria, Bezirk'') b ...
. Downstream of Villach
Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887.
Together wit ...
, it runs along the northern slopes of the Karawanks
The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks (; , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west direction, the Karawanks chain is o ...
to Ferlach
Ferlach () in the district of Klagenfurt-Land District, Klagenfurt-Land in Carinthia is the southernmost town in Austria. It is known for its centuries-old gunsmith tradition, part of the Austrian intangible cultural heritage since 2010.
Geography ...
and Lavamünd
Lavamünd () is a market town in the district of Wolfsberg (district), Wolfsberg in the Austrian state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia.
The Drava#Hydroelectric power plants, Lavamünd hydroelectric power plant on the Drava River and the Soboth res ...
.
The Drava passes into Slovenia at Gorče
Gorče () is a small settlement on a river terrace above the right bank of the Drava River in the Municipality of Dravograd in the Carinthia region in northern Slovenia, right on the border with Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of ...
near Dravograd
Dravograd (; ) is a small town in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria.
It is the seat of the Municipality of Dravograd. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is part of the traditional ...
, from where it runs for via Vuzenica
Vuzenica (, ) is a major settlement in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Vuzenica. It lies on the right bank of the Drava River and extends south into the Pohorje Hills. The municipality is included in the Carinthia Stati ...
, Muta, Ruše, and Maribor
Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
to Ptuj
Ptuj (; , ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, eighth-largest town of Slovenia, located in the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria (northeastern Slovenia). It is the seat of the City Municipality of Ptuj, Municipality of Pt ...
and the border with Croatia at Ormož
Ormož (; in older sources , , , Prekmurje Slovene: ''Ormošd'') is a town in the traditional region of Prlekija, part of Styria (Slovenia), Styria, in northeastern Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the Drava, Drava River and borders with Croa ...
. The river then passes Varaždin
Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011).
The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...
, Belišće
Belišće () ( sr-Cyrl, Белишће, ) is a town in Croatia, located in the region of Slavonia, Osijek-Baranja County, at the altitude of 93 m. The population of the town is 6,518 (2011), with 10,825 in the municipality. In 2011 census, the maj ...
and Osijek
Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
in Croatia, and Barcs
Barcs (; ; or ) is a border town in Somogy County, Hungary, and the seat of Barcs District. The Drava River marks the southern boundary of the settlement.
Geography
Located at the Croatian border and the River Drava, the town is surrounded by ...
in Hungary. It is navigable for about from Čađavica in Croatia to its mouth.
The hydrological
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...
parameters of Drava are regularly monitored in Croatia at Botovo, Terezino Polje, Donji Miholjac and Osijek.
Discharge
The Drava's mean annual discharge (Q) at Drávaszabolcs
Drávaszabolcs is a village in Baranya county, Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania t ...
(Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, 77.7 rkm). Period from 1995 to 2023.
Hydroelectric power plants
Currently, there are 22 hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power plants on the Drava. The power plants are listed beginning at the headwaters:
The Drava is one of the most exploited rivers in the world in terms of hydropower
Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...
, with almost 100% of its water potential energy being exploited. As the region of the river is a place of exceptional biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
, this raises several ecological concerns, together with other forms of exploitation such as use of river deposits.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
DrauDrava - old river and new sounds
* Condition of Drava in various locations in Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
:
Črneče
- graphs, in the following order, of water level, flow and temperature data for the past 30 days (taken in Črneče by ARSO
Arso may refer to:
* Arso Jovanović (1907–1948), Yugoslav partisan general during World War II
* Arso, Keerom, a district in Papua, Indonesia
** Arso Airport
* Slovenian Environment Agency The Slovenian Environment Agency ( Slovenian: ''Agenci ...
)
Ptuj
- graphs, in the following order, of water level, flow and temperature data for the past 30 days (taken in Ptuj
Ptuj (; , ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, eighth-largest town of Slovenia, located in the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria (northeastern Slovenia). It is the seat of the City Municipality of Ptuj, Municipality of Pt ...
by ARSO
Arso may refer to:
* Arso Jovanović (1907–1948), Yugoslav partisan general during World War II
* Arso, Keerom, a district in Papua, Indonesia
** Arso Airport
* Slovenian Environment Agency The Slovenian Environment Agency ( Slovenian: ''Agenci ...
)
Borl
- graphs, in the following order, of water level, flow and temperature data for the past 30 days (taken in Borl by ARSO
Arso may refer to:
* Arso Jovanović (1907–1948), Yugoslav partisan general during World War II
* Arso, Keerom, a district in Papua, Indonesia
** Arso Airport
* Slovenian Environment Agency The Slovenian Environment Agency ( Slovenian: ''Agenci ...
)
{{Authority control
Rivers of Croatia
Border rivers
Rivers of Styria (Slovenia)
Rivers of Hungary
Rivers of Italy
Rivers of South Tyrol
Rivers of Tyrol (federal state)
Rivers of Carinthia
Tributaries of the Danube
International rivers of Europe
Croatia–Hungary border
Croatia–Slovenia border
Austria–Slovenia border
Natura 2000 in Slovenia
Rivers of Austria