The Tisza River (Tisza, Tisza, Theiss) is one of the main water arteries of Central Europe and the largest tributary of the Danube. With a relatively short length of 966 kilometers, it has a large catchment area of 157,186 km². It flows through the territory of Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia (along a very short section of the border), Hungary and Serbia.
Where is the Tissa River
Geographically, the Tisza with numerous tributaries is located in the wide Hungarian valley (Alfeld), stretching for thousands of kilometers. From the west, its basin is bounded by the Danube, and from the north, east and south by the wide horseshoe of the Carpathian Mountains.
Thanks to this topography, the river is full of water due to frequent precipitation in the mountains and low flow speed after its entry into the valley. Before the construction of a complex of dams and dams, devastating floods and flooding of vast areas were a frequent occurrence in the region.
Characteristic
The hydrology of the Tisza River is highly dependent on seasonality andrainfall intensity. During spring floods, the runoff reaches 2,000-3,000 m3/s, while in summer, on the contrary, it is so low that in many places it is possible to ford the channel. According to scientists, the average annual flow fluctuates within 800 m3/s. Navigation is possible during the high water period.
The Tisza flora and fauna is quite rich. Until the middle of the 20th century, fishing on the river was considered one of the best in Europe. However, the development of industry and the intensive use of fertilizers and chemicals in agriculture have led to a decrease in biological resources. The ichthyofauna is typical for the eastern regions of the continent: perch, pike, pike perch, roach, ide, rattan, carp, catfish and other fish. Of the rare species, we note grayling, me, trout, Danube salmon.
Ukrainian section
The Tissa River is born in Transcarpathia, four kilometers above the town of Rakhiv, at the confluence of two mountain streams. Then, in a narrow stream, it descends along the bottom of a narrow valley to the south, bypassing such settlements as Yasiny, Surdok, Kvasy, Balin Rakhov, Pleso and Bulin. Then, “breaking through” through the Khust gates (a narrow passage between two volcanic ridges), it turns sharply to the west, forming a natural 40-kilometer border between Ukraine and Romania. This area is of great historical importance - an ancient path through the Carpathians was laid here. And today there is a road and a railway connecting the Transcarpathian and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
In the upper reaches, the floodplain is absent or is a narrow30-60 meter strip. Intermountain gorge-like areas are characteristic, where the Tisza River narrows, forming rapid rapids. Having reached the Transcarpathian lowland, the current calms down, the channel forks, forming numerous islets. In this section, the river receives many abundant tributaries:
- Shopurka;
- Isa;
- Vis;
- Teresva;
- Tereblya;
- Rika.
Cities such as Sighetu-Marmaciei, Sapanta, Tyachev, Khust, Vinogradov stand in its way. In the area of the settlement Tysabech, a 25-kilometer Ukrainian-Hungarian section of the border begins. Then Tisza “dives” into the territory of Hungary in order to go further downstream to Ukraine again. Bypassing an important transport hub - the city of Chop, the river finally leaves the country.
Hungarian section
Where does the Tisza River flow through Hungary? In the Zahony region, the water flow changes direction from west to southwest. The right bank on a small 5-kilometer section belongs to Slovakia, and then the Tisza completely goes to the Hungarian territory.
Breaking out onto a flat wide plain, the river slows down. Previously, this area was characterized by numerous branches, oxbows, lakes and swamps. For thousands of years, the population of the region suffered from powerful floods, seasonal floods and floods that claimed thousands of lives, destroyed crops and property. In the 19th century, the authorities of Austria-Hungary carried out serious land reclamation work to straighten the channel and regulate the flow. Dams were builtdams, reservoirs. The largest of the latter is the man-made lake Tisza. According to its characteristics, it is comparable to the famous Balaton, therefore it is a popular tourist destination.
After 80 km along Alfeld (the eastern part of the Hungarian Plain), the Tissa River takes in a full-flowing tributary of the Bodrog and changes direction from southwest to south, and then to west. This section is very winding: on a 20-kilometer segment, the actual length of the channel exceeds 40 km. This is a famous wine region producing excellent Tokay wines.
In the area of Tysabor, the stream again rushes to the southwest for hundreds of kilometers, up to the large city of Szolnok. Further, the Tissa's path lies south, to the borders with Serbia. In the Hungarian section, the major tributaries are:
- Bodrog;
- Chiot;
- Keresh;
- Marosh.
Serbian Section
Where does the Tissa River flow in Serbia? Bypassing the Hungarian border city of Szeged, the water flow enters the territory of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. Land reclamation work here was not carried out so actively, so the channel is winding, zigzag-like.
Cities such as Kanjiza, Novi Knezevac, Senta, Padedj, Ada, Mol, Bechey, Titel and Kchananin are located along the banks. There are few tributaries in this section, the largest of them is the Bega. Not far from the settlement of Stary Slank (35 km above Belgrade), the Tisza merges with the Danube.
