| Narew Нараў, Нарев, Narevas | |
|---|---|
 Braided channels of the Narew atStrękowa Góra. | |
 Narew as part of the Vistula watershed. | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Poland,Belarus |
| Cities | |
| Voivodeships / Voblasts | Grodno,Podlaskie,Mazovian |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | north-eastern part of theBiałowieża Forest near Dzikie Bagno,Belarus |
| • coordinates | 52°52′24.68″N24°13′8.87″E / 52.8735222°N 24.2191306°E /52.8735222; 24.2191306 |
| • elevation | 159 m (522 ft) |
| Mouth | Vistula |
• location | Modlin (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki),Poland |
• coordinates | 52°26′01″N20°40′33″E / 52.4335°N 20.6759°E /52.4335; 20.6759 |
• elevation | 70.7 m (232 ft) |
| Length | 499 km (310 mi) |
| Basin size | 74,527 km2 (28,775 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | mouth |
| • average | 313 m3/s (11,100 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | enteringPułtusk |
| • average | 146 m3/s (5,200 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Vistula→Baltic Sea |
TheNarew ([ˈnarɛf];Belarusian:Нараў,romanized: Naraŭ;Lithuanian:Narevas orNaruva) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-easternPoland. It is a tributary of the riverVistula. The Narew is one of Europe's fewbraided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided hair. Around 57 kilometres (35 mi) of the river flows through westernBelarus.
The name of the river is from aProto-Indo-European root*nr primarily associated withwater (compareNeretva,Neris,Ner andNur)[1] or from aLithuanian language verbnerti associated primarily withdiving andflood.[2]
The portion of the river between the junctions with theWestern Bug and theVistula is also known as the Bugonarew, Narwio-Bug, Narwo-Bug, Bugo-Narew, Narwiobug or Narwobug. At theconfluence nearZegrze the Bug is 1.6× longer, drains a 1.4× larger basin, and has a slightly greater averagedischarge (158 m³/s atWyszków vs 146 m³/s atPułtusk for the Narew, both ~25 km above the junction). Thus the Bugonarew was often considered part of the Bug river and the Narew a righttributary of the Bug.
On December 27, 1962, Prime MinisterJózef Cyrankiewicz abolished the nameBugonarew soon after theZegrze Reservoir was constructed.[3] Since then the river Bug has officially been considered part of the river Narew's system, with the Bug being a left tributary of the Narew (by this classification, the River Narew is a right tributary of the River Vistula). The name Bugonarew however is still used in some areas along its course, especially by the inhabitants of local towns, such as Pułtusk.
The Narew flows through the geographical region ofEurope known as theWysoczyzny Podlasko – Białoruskie (English: Plateau of Podlasie and Belarus) located within thePodlaskie Voivodeship andMasovian Voivodeship ofPoland and theHrodna Voblast ofBelarus.
| Country | Length[4] | Basin Area[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Belarus | 57 kilometres (35 mi) | |
| Poland | 443 kilometres (275 mi) | 53,846 square kilometres (20,790 sq mi) |
| Total | 499 kilometres (310 mi) | 74,527 square kilometres (28,775 sq mi) |
The Narew is the fifth longestPolish river.
On August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany signed theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact, agreeing to divide Poland along the Narew, Vistula (Wisła), and San rivers.
On September 6, 1939, Polish military forces attempted to use the Narew as a defense line against German attack during the Germaninvasion of Poland. This was abandoned the next day in favor of theBug as German forces had already penetrated the defenses.
TheBattle of Wizna was fought along the banks of the river between September 7 and September 10, 1939, between the forces of Poland and Germany during the initial stages of Invasion of Poland. Because it consisted of a small force holding a piece of fortified territory against a vastly larger invasion for three days at great cost before being annihilated with no known survivors, Wizna is sometimes referred to as a Polish Thermopylae in Polish culture.
On September 17, 1939, the USSR invaded Poland. By 28 September, the Soviet Army had reached the line of the rivers Narew, Bug River, Vistula and San – completing the division of Poland as negotiated in advance.
Tributaries of theVistula River | ||
|---|---|---|
| Forming rivers |
| |
| Main tributaries of the left bank | ||
| Main tributaries of the right bank | ||
| Distributary | ||
