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| Aurajoki | |
|---|---|
 Aurajoki in central Turku | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Finland |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Oripää |
| Mouth | |
• location | Turku |
| Length | 70 km (43 mi) |
| Basin size | 885 km2 (342 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 7 m3/s (250 cu ft/s) |
Aurajoki ([ˈɑu̯rɑˌjoki];SwedishAura å) is ariver in south-westernFinland. It originates inOripää, and flows throughPöytyä,Aura,Lieto, and ultimately the city ofTurku before discharging into theArchipelago Sea. The total length of the river is about 70 kilometres (43 mi), and it contains elevenrapids, the biggest of which is Nautelankoski at Lieto. The reservetap water for Turku Region is drawn from Aurajoki, the city's secondary waterworks being situated by the Halinen rapids.[1]
The waters of the Aurajoki are brown. Situated in an agricultural zone, the river is made turbid bysurface runoff from nearby farms witheutrophication as the biggest threat. Its condition has been improving since the 1970s and Aurajoki is now clean enough to supportsalmon.
The banks of the river have been inhabited for at least 6,000 years. The area is notable for thecultural heritage in Finland. Thearchdiocese of Finland has been situated near the river since the thirteenth century.
There several theories for the origin of the nameAura. The most widely accepted explanation traces the name back to an Old Scandinavian word,*āþra, 'waterway'. This word corresponds to the modern Swedishåder, which means 'vein' or 'artery' but can also refer to a watercourse.[2][3] Another prominent theory connects the name to the Finnish wordaura, 'plough', which may have been a descriptive name for one of the rapids in the river.[4]
Other theories have also been put forward over the years. These include a connection to the Old West Norse wordaurr, meaning 'gravel' or 'sand';[4] a link to an East-Baltic Finnish wordaura meaning 'haze' or 'steam', which could have described the fog in the river valley or the spray from its rapids;[2] and a suggestion that the name might derive from a Finnish short form of the personal nameAbraham.[4]
Reijo Solantie has suggested thatAurajoki derives from aSámi nameOarrijohka, 'Squirrel River'.[5]
![Wintery View Downstream from Aura Bridge by Johan Jakob Reinberg [fi], c. 1880](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aJohan_Jakob_Reinberg_-_Wintery_View_Downstream_from_Aura_Bridge_.jpg)
60°39′44″N22°35′27″E / 60.66222°N 22.59083°E /60.66222; 22.59083
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