| San | |
|---|---|
 San River inSolina | |
 San River in Vistula watershed | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Poland (457 km),Ukraine (1 km) |
| Cities | Lesko,Sanok,Przemyśl,Jarosław,Stalowa Wola |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Uzhok Pass |
| • location | Piniashkovy Mount,Bukovec Mountains, Ukraine |
| • coordinates | 49°00′19″N22°52′43″E / 49.00528°N 22.87861°E /49.00528; 22.87861 |
| • elevation | 900 m (3,000 ft) |
| Mouth | Vistula |
• location | Dąbrówka Pniowska,Sandomierz Basin, Poland |
• coordinates | 50°44′15″N21°50′43″E / 50.73750°N 21.84528°E /50.73750; 21.84528 |
| Length | 458 km (285 mi), S → N |
| Basin size | 16,877 km2 (6,516 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 129 m3/s (4,600 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Vistula→Baltic Sea |
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TheSan (Polish:San;Ukrainian:СянSian;German:Saan) is ariver in southeasternPoland and westernUkraine. It is a tributary of the riverVistula. With a length of 458 kilometres (285 mi), the San is the 6th-longest Polish river. It has a basin area of 16,877 km2, of which 14,426 km2 is in Poland.[1]
*San in proto-Indo-European languages means 'speed' or 'rapid stream'. InCeltic languages,san means 'river'.[2][3][4][5][6]
The San arises in theCarpathian Mountains near the village ofSianky, at an elevation of 900 metres (3,000 ft), exactly on the Polish-Ukrainian border[7] (49°00′10″N22°52′30″E / 49.00278°N 22.87500°E /49.00278; 22.87500) and on the continental watershed, and forms the border between Poland andUkraine for approximately its first 50 km (31 mi). Poland's largestartificial lake,Lake Solina, was created by adam on the San River nearLesko.
The San flows into the Vistula nearSandomierz.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2008) |
Left tributaries | Right tributaries |
Historical records first mention the river in 1097 asSanъ,reku Sanъ,k Sanovi; then asnad Sanomъ (1152) andSanu (1287). On the old maps of theRuthenian Voivodeship, Poland 1339–1772 it was referred to as "San" (1339), San (1372), "Szan" (1406), "Sanok" (1438), "Saan" (1439), "Sayn" (1445), "San" (1467), "Szan" (1517), and "Schan" (1526).[8]
Humans had first settled the southeastern region of present-day Poland (theSubcarpathian Voivodeship orPodkarpacie) in prehistoric times. In the pre-Roman era various tribes, including theCelts,Goths andVandals (Przeworsk culture andPuchov culture)[9]overran the area. After the fall of the Roman Empire,Hungarians and Slavs invaded the area.
The Sanvalley must have become an important trade-route and axis of human settlement as early as the 9th or 10th century.[citation needed] The region subsequently became part of theGreat Moravian state. Upon the invasion of theHungarian tribes into the heart of the Great Moravian Empire around 899, theLendians of the area declared their allegiance to the Hungarian Empire. The region then became a site of contention betweenPoland, Kievan Rus andHungary starting in around the 9th century. This area was mentioned for the first time in 981 (byNestor), whenVolodymyr the Great ofKievan Rus took the area over on his way intoPoland. In 1018 it returned to Poland, in 1031 reverted to Rus, and in 1340 was recovered byCasimir III of Poland.
During the years 966–1018, 1340–1772 (theRuthenian Voivodeship) and 1918–1939, the region was part of Poland. Between 1772 and 1918 it belonged to the Austrian empire, which became the Austro-Hungarian empire when the double monarchy was introduced. This region, including the area west and east of theSubcarpathian Voivodship, was controlled byAustria for almost 120 years. During that time it was known asGalicia.
Ukrainians traditionally associated the San with their ethnographic western frontier: this is reflected in theState Anthem of Ukraine (which describes Ukraine as extending from the San to theDon) and theMarch of Ukrainian Nationalists (which calls for a Ukraine from the San to theCaucasus). ThePoland–Ukraine border today follows the San for approximately the first 50 km of its course.
The San River, which has seen many battles in its history, was a battle site at the beginning ofWorld War II in 1939. At the outset of the Germaninvasion of Poland, Polish forces attempted to defend a line along the San from September 6, until German forces broke out of theirbridgeheads on September 12.
Tributaries of theVistula River | ||
|---|---|---|
| Forming rivers |
| |
| Main tributaries of the left bank | ||
| Main tributaries of the right bank | ||
| Distributary | ||
 Rivers of Poland by watershed | |
|---|---|
| Vistula | |
| Odra | |
| Vistula Lagoon | |
| Baltic Sea | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
