River Don (Russia) - one of the greatest in the European part of the country.Its catchment area - 422 sq. M.km.According to this index in Europe, second only to Don Danube, Dnieper and Volga.The river is about 1,870 km.
history
River Don in the past was called Tanais.The ancient Greeks invented the legend according to which in this reservoir because of unrequited love drowned man with the same name.Origin of the name "Don" the researchers associated with the Scythian and Sarmatian words «danu», meaning "river water".
Ancient authors often called the Tanais River Don, the Donets.Last time was closer to the civilized world, so, for example, Ptolemy thought Don (Girgis) inflow Seveskogo Donets (Tanais).At the mouth of the river Tanais was founded Greek colony of the same name.
Interesting information Ritter left the book «Vorhalle».It turns out that the Azov Sea in ancient times did not exist, and the Don River empties into the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait.According to the researcher Peytingeru, at the source of the Don is an inscription that says that it is "Tanais River, which separates Europe from Asia."
Normans in their sagas named Don Vanakvislem.Count Potocki gathered on the river a lot of legends and myths.Dmitry Donskoy in 1380 defeated the Tartar army on the Kulikovo field, in a place where the river empties into the Don Nepryadva, for which he received his resounding nickname.
known that from time immemorial, at the mouth of the Don was located city Tana.It was built by colonists from Greece and was subordinate to the Kingdom of the Bosporus.This flourishing trade city belonged to the Genoese, the Venetians.Only in 1475, Tan was conquered by the Turks and renamed Azov (Asofe).After that, all commercial and embassy affairs of the Russian state with Constantinople and the Crimea were carried out mainly on the river Don.
Don - the cradle of the Russian fleet: the military, emerged through the efforts of Peter the Great in 1696, and trade, which appeared under Catherine II in 1772.
Source
River Don in the Tula region originates.Its source - Urvanka small stream flowing into the park of the city of Novomoskovsk.At the site of the beginning of the river is set symbolic monument called 'The source of the Don. "Waters in this architectural complex has an artificial origin, it is powered from the local water supply system.
Previously, it was believed the source of the river lake, Ivan, but it is with Don usually not reported.The beginning of the river is sometimes called Shatskikh reservoir, which is located north of Novomoskovsk, Tula Region, but it is separated from the Don railway dam.
Character bed and
Don Valley is a typical lowland river valleys and the nature of the channel.The river changes direction four times, skirting several geological obstacles.Its bed has a longitudinal profile and weak, declining to the mouth of the slope, the value of which is 0.1 degrees.The general direction of flow of the Don - from north to south.Almost all the way down the river surrounded by the developed valley has a wide floodplain and a great variety of bags.In the lower reaches of the Don reaches a width of 12-15 km.In the vicinity of the town of Kalach-on-Don river valley compressed spurs Volga and Central Russian Upland.In this small area of the river floodplain is absent.
River Valley has an asymmetric structure.The right bank of the Don is quite high in some places it reaches 230 meters, the left - and the low-lying flat.The river is calm and slow.No wonder the river called "Quiet Don".Local Cossacks respectfully called the river "Don-father."Researchers believe hydrographers, one of the oldest river in the European part of Russia.
mouth of the Don River Don
flows into the Sea of Azov - Taganrog Bay.Starting from the city of Rostov-on-Don, the river creates a delta, covering an area of 540 square meters.km.At this point, the river bed is divided into a plurality of ducts and hoses.The largest of them - Egurcha, Perevoloka, Kuterma Much, Much Kalancha, Old Don, Donets Dead.
mode
For large catchment Don differs relatively low water content.This is due to the fact that the river basin is located entirely within the steppe and forest steppe zones.Don conductivity is much lower than that of the Northern Rivers region (Pechora, Northern Dvina), is about 900 m3 / s.
Water regime is also typical of the Don rivers running in the steppe and forest-steppe climatic zones.The river mostly snow (70%), as well as underground and rain.Don has a high spring tide, while the rest of the year, its level is quite low.Since the end of spring until the next rise and flood flow and water levels are falling.
magnitude of water level fluctuations in Don throughout significant and is 8-13 meters.The river spreads much in the floodplain, especially in the lower reaches.Usually Don two waves of floods.The first occurs during receipt of melt, snow water from the lower part of the river (Cossack or cold water), the second is due to the inflow from the upper Don (warm water).When snowmelt is delayed, the two waves merge, and then the flood is more powerful, but less long.
Don River covered with ice in the late fall or early winter.In late March the river is opened at the bottom, then ice is broken over the entire length, and in the upper reaches.
River Hydrographic division
Implement opisnie Don River - not an easy task, because the largest it ranks third among all the rivers in the European part of Russia.Hydrographic Don can be divided into three regions: Upper, Middle and Lower.
from the source to the confluence of the Silent Pine Voronezh region flows Upper Don.Here he has a narrow and winding valley, with shoals, channels.
middle portion of the Don - from the mouth of Quiet Pines to Kalach-on-Don.At this point, the river valley is expanding strongly.Middle Don completed reservoir built near the village Tsimlyanskaya.
Lower Don flows from the town of Kalach-on-Don to the mouth.For Tsimlyansk reservoir river has a wide (12 to 15 km) and a spacious valley floodplain.Don depth in some places reaches fifteen meters.
The largest rivers are tributaries Voronezh, Ilovlya, Bear, Hopper, Bityug, Manych, Sal, Seversky Donets.
use
distance 1590 km from the mouth to the city of Voronezh Don River is navigable.The largest ports are located in the city of Azov, Rostov-na-Donu, Volgodonsk, Kalach-on-Don, Liski.
In the vicinity of Kalach Don approaches the Volga - is located about 80 kilometers away.Two great Russian river linked the Volga-Don shipping canal, construction of which was made possible after the creation of Tsimlyansk reservoir.
near the village Tsimlyanskaya built the dam crest length of 12.8 km.Hydraulic works raises the level of the river is 27 meters and forms Tsimlyanskoe reservoir, stretching from the village to the city of Volgodonsk Golubinskaya.The capacity of the reservoir - 21.5 km3, area - 2600 km2.When working hydroelectric dam.Water from the reservoir irrigated Tsimlyansk Salsk steppe and steppe areas other Volgograd and Rostov regions.
below Tsimlyanskaya HPP, a distance of about 130 kilometers, the depth of the river Don is supported by hydro dams and gateways: Kochetov, Constantine and Nicholas.The oldest and most famous of them - Kochetov.It is located 7.5 kilometers below the point where the River Don receives influx Northern Donets.Hydro has been erected in the years 1914-1919 and rebuilt in 2004-2008.
needed for navigation in Don depth below the Kochetov hydro is supported by a systematic excavation of the river from the bottom (dredging).
Fauna Basin
Don River is rich in fish.Among the smaller species found chub, rudd, roach, perch.In addition, in the river are found the large and medium-sized species of fish: pike, catfish, perch, bream.However, due to the pollution of the river strong and recreational fisheries Don load is constantly decreasing.
On the banks of the river, in the marshes, inhabited water frog, fire-bellied toads, newts and ordinary comb.The inhabitants of the place where the River Don, are water and ordinary snakes, water turtle and the green toad.The last live not only along the river, but also in meadows, native to the basin.
intensive plowing fields around Don has led to the fact that in this area have disappeared, such species as marmots, antelopes, antelopes, wild horses.Back in the 60-70s of the last century from the tributaries of the river could be seen marmots, deer, wild boars and muskrat.Now, in the Don basin live rodents: mouse, gopher, large jerboa, river beaver.Are found as small predators: forest and steppe polecats, weasels, mink and river otters.The basin live bats.
Over the past 100-150 years, the number of birds nesting near the river, greatly reduced.Gone swans, geese, eagles, golden eagles, peregrine falcon, honey buzzard, osprey, white-tailed.Recreation on the river Don traditionally associated with duck hunting.Among survived until the birds - sandpipers and ducks, crows, great reed warbler.Less common storks, herons and demoiselle.During the season you can see the flight of birds goose, gray goose and others.
Flora
known that Peter has mobilized the forest on the banks of the Don for the construction of the ships used in the Russian-Turkish battles.By the twentieth century, the vast majority of grasslands in the basin has been plowed.A variety of trees remained in the vicinity of floodplain wetlands: alder buckthorn, alder sticky, white birch, willow.Along the river are growing Potentilla marsh loosestrife kistetsvetny, sedge, marsh horsetail, reeds.
