The River Thames in London is the largest and most popular body of water in the UK. Its source is in the Cotswold Hills, in the western part of England. It flows into the North Sea with a funnel-shaped mouth, forming the Thames Estuary. The width of the final section is 16 km, and it is considered one of the largest in Europe. Often the Thames is quite dangerous for England, because the height of the tides can reach 6 meters or more. Because of this, the river in London is undergoing a rise in the water level and flooding the surrounding areas.
In economic terms, the role of the Thames is also great. The main means of distributing drinking water in the capital is the Thames water ring. The river is also navigable, but not along its entire length, only as far as the city of Lechlade.
Fishing for industrial purposes (using traps) has been banned in recent years. But the Thames is very popular among the English. Guest houses and cottages overlooking the river are being built everywhere on the shore.
The Thames is widely used for public transportation. There are several routes. Some of them are used by the state for touristexcursions, the rest - by residents as a regular transport (for example, in order to get to work).
For the 2012 Summer Olympics, a cable car was launched over the river leading to Greenwich. The implementation of this project was carried out by a company specializing in air transport, Emirates. Construction took less than a year (completed in 2012). Currently, 2,500 people per hour are being transported.
The appearance of the hydronym
The origin of the name of the river has two most common options. According to one version, the word "Thames" is of Celtic origin, which means "dark". This theory is supported by the current translations of the word from Irish and Welsh - "darkness", "darkness". According to another version, the name of the river has an even more ancient origin, and from pre-Celtic dialects the word is translated as “thawed”.
The first mention of the Thames goes back to the Roman era. Julius Caesar, making one of his campaigns, founded the trading city of Londinium on the Thames. The river in London was used to transport goods to and from England.
Characteristic
The Thames is 334 km long. On the Cotswold Uplands, the width of the channel is small. The beginning of the reservoir has a height of 108 meters above sea level, and descending from the hill, it spreads through a wide valley. Of particular importance is the fact that the river flows through London - the capital of the Kingdom. This is what plays a big role in economic and economic activity.countries.
The source is often referred to as the "7 Keys". Another body of water, Chern, also originates here. Together with the Thames, it forms a single stream, interrupted only at the Cotswold hill. If we add the length of the Chern (23 km), then the water area of the two rivers will be the largest in England, exceeding the size of the Severn by 14 km.
Coasts and land areas
The bed of the reservoir is winding, often branches, and islands form in the water area. There are about 80 of them. The river in London is fed by tributaries, of which it has more than 20. The main branches are located in the northern part of the Thames. The banks of the river are different. The right one is low-lying, gently sloping, it is a valley with small hills. The left one is tall and steep. However, when the reservoir reaches the limits of the London Basin, both land boundaries are leveled, gentle slopes spread. At this point, the river is 250 meters wide.
Fauna
The current flow of this stream is not entirely natural. In order for the river in London to provide water to the entire capital, special canals were built, which slightly changed the direction of the river. The Thames contains both fresh and s alt water. There is a lot of sea water here because of the wide mouth of the river. Thanks to this feature, the Thames is rich in diversity in flora and fauna.
London stands on a river that is inhabited by both marine and freshwater fish. Of the marine species in the Thames, salmon and eel live, freshwater species are represented by perch, pike, flounder, and dace. An abundance of crustaceans, crabs.
It is quite common for the British - mute swans. They nest and feed on the river everywhere. In England, there is even a special custom - the "census of the swan population." All swan families are recorded in a special book. In addition to these important birds, cormorants, herring gulls, English geese and mandarin ducks nest on the waters of the Thames.
The vegetation on the river is very impressive. Here are collected specimens (rare), which are found in units around the world. Among them there are early flowering species and those that conquer with their beauty in late autumn.
