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The Danube ( / ˈdæn.juːb / DAN-yoob; see also other names) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important river, it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire.
- 1,078 m (3,537 ft)
- 2,850 km (1,770 mi)
- 801,463 km² (309,447 sq mi)
- Brigach
- Overview
- Physiography
Danube River, river, the second longest in Europe after the Volga. It rises in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany and flows for some 1,770 miles (2,850 km) to its mouth on the Black Sea. Along its course it passes through 10 countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.
The Danube played a vital role in the settlement and political evolution of central and southeastern Europe. Its banks, lined with castles and fortresses, formed the boundary between great empires, and its waters served as a vital commercial highway between nations. The river’s majesty has long been celebrated in music. The famous waltz An der schönen, blauen Donau (1867; The Blue Danube), by Johann Strauss the Younger, became the symbol of imperial Vienna. In the 21st century the river has continued its role as an important trade artery. It has been harnessed for hydroelectric power, particularly along the upper courses, and the cities along its banks—including the national capitals of Vienna (Austria), Budapest (Hungary), and Belgrade (Serbia)—have depended upon it for their economic growth.
The Danube’s vast drainage of some 315,000 square miles (817,000 square km) includes a variety of natural conditions that affect the origins and the regimes of its watercourses. They favour the formation of a branching, dense, deepwater river network that includes some 300 tributaries, more than 30 of which are navigable. The river basin expands unevenly along its length. It covers about 18,000 square miles (47,000 square km) at the Inn confluence, 81,000 square miles (210,000 square km) after joining with the Drava, and 228,000 square miles (590,000 square km) below the confluences of its most affluent tributaries, the Sava and the Tisza. In the lower course the basin’s rate of growth decreases. More than half of the entire Danube basin is drained by its right-bank tributaries, which collect their waters from the Alps and other mountain areas and contribute up to two-thirds of the total river runoff or outfall.
Three sections are discernible in the river’s basin. The upper course stretches from its source to the gorge called the Hungarian Gates, in the Austrian Alps and the Western Carpathian Mountains. The middle course runs from the Hungarian Gates Gorge to the Iron Gate in the Southern Romanian Carpathians. The lower course flows from the Iron Gate to the deltalike estuary at the Black Sea.
Britannica Quiz
Water and its Varying Forms
The upper Danube springs as two small streams—the Breg and Brigach—from the eastern slopes of the Black Forest mountains of Germany, which partially consist of limestone. From Donaueschingen, where the headstreams unite, the Danube flows northeastward in a narrow, rocky bed. To the north rise the wooded slopes of the Swabian and the Franconian mountains. Between Ingolstadt and Regensburg the river forms a scenic canyonlike valley. To the south of the river course stretches the large Bavarian Plateau, covered with thick layers of river deposits from the numerous Alpine tributaries. The bank is low and uniform, composed mainly of fields, peat, and marshland.
At Regensburg the Danube reaches its northernmost point, from which it veers south and crosses wide, fertile, and level country. Shortly before it reaches Passau on the Austrian border, the river narrows and its bottom abounds with reefs and shoals. The Danube then flows through Austrian territory, where it cuts into the slopes of the Bohemian Forest and forms a narrow valley. In order to improve navigation, dams and protecting dikes have been built near Passau, Linz, and Ardagger. The upper Danube, some 600 miles (965 km) long, has a considerable average inclination of the riverbed (0.93 percent) and a rapid current of two to five miles per hour. Depths vary from 3 to 26 feet (1 to 8 metres). The Danube swells substantially at Passau where the Inn River, its largest upstream tributary, carries more water than the main river. Other major tributaries in the upper Danube course include the Iller, Lech, Isar, Traun, Enns, and Morava rivers.
Jul 13, 2021 · Learn about the Danube River, the second-longest river in Europe, and its course, tributaries, and wildlife. Discover its cultural and historical significance, and how it drains into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta.
Learn about the Danube River, the second longest river of Europe, which flows through 10 countries and 4 capital cities. Discover its sources, mouth, delta, sections, history and economic importance.
Learn about the Danube River, the only major European river to flow from west to east, crossing through 10 countries and supporting diverse wildlife. Discover its geography, ecosystem, history, significance, conservation efforts, and interesting facts.
The Danube is Europe's second longest river after the Volga and the longest river in the European Union. It originates in Germany's Black Forest as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers, which join at the town of Donaueschingen.
The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe, with a length of 2,850 km (1,770 mi). It begins in the Black Forest in Germany and flows east to the Black Sea, forming the Danube Delta on its western coast. From west to east, the Danube passes through or borders ten countries, including four capital cities: The main Danube river.
