The Don River, 1870 kilometers long, flows throughout the European part of Russia. We owe the name to the Scythian-Sarmatian people, and it is interpreted as "river" or "water".
Don originates in the northern part of the Central Russian Upland near the city of Novomoskovsk, Tula region. The Don River flows into the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov. The direction of the river flow is from north to south, on its way the Don passes several geological barriers and quite rapidly changes the orientation of the flow four times.
Don in history
In ancient times, the Don flowed into the Black Sea, since the Sea of Azov did not yet exist. And then, according to legend, the Don was called the Tanais River. But later it turned out that the name invented by the Greeks referred to another river - the Seversky Donets. Nevertheless, the Don River is one of the oldest rivers in the European part of Russia, it is more than one hundred years old.
In the light of historical events, Don is also mentioned regularly. Already in the period of Kievan Rus, Prince Svyatoslav used the river forattack on the Khazars. Don is also mentioned in the famous Tale of Igor's Campaign.
The Holy River Don is also called by the traveler from Venice Ambrogio Contarini, impressed by the richness of the fish, which allows feeding the people from time immemorial.
Scientists-historians consider the Don the birthplace of the southern fleet of the Russian Empire. The Russian fleet is formed directly on the Don, competitive with the European fleet. The merchant fleet on the Don gained strength much later - during the reign of Catherine II, who established trade with the Crimea. The city of Tana was built on the river. In the Middle Ages, it was known throughout Europe thanks to trade. Until the Turks took possession of the city, renaming it Azov, merchants from Venice stood over the city.
General information
The bed of the Don has insignificant angles of inclination decreasing towards the estuary (mouth) over time, so the flow rate is small. This property was sung by the Don Cossacks. In their songs, the river is called "Don-father", "our quiet Don", thus emphasizing the significance and grandeur. The structure of the Don river valley is asymmetric, but typical for lowland rivers. Three terraces run along the slopes of the plain. The bottom of the valley is rich in alluvium deposits. The right bank is high (up to 230 meters in places) and steep, while the left bank is flat and low.
Snake channel with multiple sandy shallow-bottomed rifts. The river creates a lower reaches from Rostov-on-Don with an area of 540 km2. The river channel is divided into multiple branches and branches, such as Stary Don, Bolshaya Kuterma, Dead Donets, BolshayaKalancha, Egurcha. The river is fed mainly by snow and springs. Normal runoff at the mouth occurs at a speed of 935 m3/s. Navigation is developed from the source of the Don River to the mouth. There is a dam that increases the height of the water by another 30 meters - this is the Tsimlyansk reservoir. A hydroelectric power station was built on it, with the help of which not much electrical energy is obtained. Water in the Tsimlyansk reservoir is of great importance for irrigation of neighboring areas. The Sal steppes especially need it.
Water regime of the Don
The Don basin extends within the boundaries of the steppe and forest-steppe zones, which explains the relatively low water content with a fair catchment area. Typical annual water consumption is 900 m3/s. The relative abundance of water in the river is 5-6 times lower than that of northern rivers such as the Pechora or the Northern Dvina. For the steppe and forest-steppe zones, the water regime of this river is classical. Snow nutrition is up to 70%, while groundwater and rainfall account for a small part. The river is distinguished by a strong spring flood and a low low water in other seasons. In the period from the end of one spring flood to the beginning of another, the height and water costs decrease over time.
Floods in summer are very unique, and in autumn they are not very pronounced. The water level in the river fluctuates greatly along its entire mileage and in some places rises by 8-13 meters. Don extensively spills over the floodplain, especially in the lower reaches. It is characterized by a spill in two waves. The first wave is formed due to the fact that inmelted waters from the lower part of the reservoir are sent to the channel (the locals call them Cossack water), the second wave is formed by waters flowing from the upper Don (warm water). If the snow in the lower part of the basin begins to melt later, then the two waves join, and the flood becomes the most significant, but shorter in duration.
Ice on the river rises in late November - early December. Freezing lasts from 140 days in the upper reaches and 30-90 days in the lower reaches. Ice drift on the Don begins in the lower reaches before the beginning of April and from there it quickly spreads to the upper reaches.
Using the river
Navigation on the Don developed thanks to the actions of people, because it is not the most full-flowing river, and only the presence of a dam and dredging still allows ships to navigate the river.
Vessels go up the Don up to Voronezh, there is also shipping to the city of Liski. In the zone of the city of Kalach, the meander of the Don approaches the Volga by 80 kilometers. There, sections of the river are united by the Volga-Don Canal, commissioned in 1952.
A dam 12.8 kilometers long was created in the area of the Tsimlyanskaya stanitsa, increasing the water level by 27 meters and creating the Tsimlyansky basin with a length from Golubinskaya to Volgodonsk and a capacity of 21.5 km3, with an area of 2600 km2. Near the dam is a hydroelectric power station. The water of the Tsimlyansk basin is used for irrigation and supply of water to the Salsky steppes and other steppe places in the Volgograd and Rostov regions.
River dwellers
67 species of fish live in the Don. Butriver pollution and powerful restoration work have led to a significant reduction in the fish reserves of the river. More typical for the Don are small varieties of fish: perch, vobla, rudd and asp, also called horse-fish. Of the medium and large fish, pike perch, pike, bream, and catfish live in the Don River. But it is worth noting that now large specimens are very rare.
River Flora
There is information about the use of forests from the banks of the Don by Peter I for the construction of ships during the Russian-Turkish wars. Also, by the twentieth century, most of the meadows along the banks of the Don River were cultivated. A huge number of wild plants have been preserved near peat bogs - here it is possible to see willow (aka willow), sticky alder, fluffy birch, fragile buckthorn. Reeds, swampy cryptogams, sedge grass, marsh cinquefoil, racemose loosestrife and some other types of grasses are also often found along the river.
Cities
Across the length of the river there are a considerable number of large Russian cities. The largest city is Rostov-on-Don, founded by Catherine II in the middle of the eighteenth century. This city is the largest industrial center and transport hub in the southern part of Russia with a population of 1 million 200 thousand people.
The population of Voronezh is not much smaller than Rostov-on-Don, it is 1 million 35 thousand people.
No less important, albeit a small city on the Don - Novomoskovsk. Compared with Voronezh or Rostov-on-Don, the population is only 130 thousand people. Butdespite this, Novomoskovsk is one of the few comfortable cities in our state. The architectural complex "Source of the Don River" was mounted in this city.
The city of Azov is of particular importance, due to its location it is the center of water trade.
Don tourism
The Don River, together with its channels, attracts tourists. Travelers are very interested in the unique nature of one of the tributaries - Khopra. There are unique species of animals, such as eagles, falcons, elk, gray herons. There are a number of reserves with rich fauna. The steep banks of the river on one side and low ones on the opposite side attract travelers to raft down the river and take many picturesque photos.
Tourist routes pass along the river, allowing not only to see the beauty of the Don, but also to listen to local legends. They are mainly associated with the period of the Cossacks, but there are older ones. Rafting on the river is expensive, but the memories after it remain unforgettable. You can start directly from Rostov-on-Don.
Often the duration of the tour does not exceed several hours, although there are those that last several days. In addition to rafting on the Don, travelers can see the sights of nearby cities, such as Rostov-on-Don. It is worth knowing that often such excursions are paid separately from the tour, so travelers should be prepared for additional expenses. Those interested in the Cossacks will appreciate the opportunity to visit the Starocherkasskaya village, which is essentially the capital of the Cossacks. In summer timetourists are given the opportunity to spend time on the beach and swim in the river. Cruise excursions lasting several days include meals and cabins, the comfort and quality of which depend on the price. The tourism season on the Don begins in May and lasts until early September.
Fishing on the Don
This river is called "Quiet Don" due to its calm disposition. That is why there are so many fish coming to spawn in it. There are at least 90 species of fish stably living in the river and tributaries, because of this, fishing on this river is preferred to fishing in other regions of Russia. Most often, you can catch on the Don River such fish as sabrefish, pike perch, carp, roach, gudgeon, bream. For those who want to catch asp, perch or pike, luck smiles less often. Special luck is considered prey in the form of catfish, eel, carp, burbot. The fishing ban is set from April 1 to May 31, during this period fish spawn.
This is interesting
Don has been mentioned more than once in folk songs, the most common is "A young Cossack walks along the Don".
The people called the river "Don-father", while the Volga of the Russian people "Volga-mother". These nicknames perfectly convey the attitude of people towards these two rivers.
The embankment of Rostov-on-Don is decorated with the sculpture "Father Don".
Don is also sung in songs, depicted in paintings by artists, and his nature more than oncefilmed by directors for their films.
