The Zalău () is a right

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the river Crasna in northwestern

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It flows through the town

Zalău Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: (; or , , ) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2021, its estimated population was 52,359. History Ancient times Zalău is situated in the area inhabited by "Free Dacians", away from the h ...

. It discharges into the Crasna in

Sărmășag Sărmășag (; ) is a commune in Sălaj County, Crișana, Romania. Geography and climate The commune's altitude is low, between 160m and 379m. The climate is continental, the average temperature in January is -3 °C, in July 21.1 °C. ...

. Its length is and its basin size is .

Hydronymy

There are several hypotheses which have been made regarding the origin of the river's name (or of the town with the same name located on the upper reach of the river): * the name is derived from the word "silaj", meaning belt in the language spoken by the Eurasian Avars * the name is derived from the expression "sil es agz", meaning bed of elm trees in Hungarian * the name is a Hungarian transcription of the "Zillenmarkt", the German name of

city.Municipiul Zalău
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Tributaries

The tributaries of the Zalău are: *left: Valea Miței, Panic, Siciu, Lescuț *right: Guruslău

References

Rivers of Romania Rivers of Sălaj County {{Sălaj-river-stub