TheTisza,Tysa orTisa (seebelow) is one of the major rivers ofCentral andEastern Europe. It was once called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the territory of theKingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tiszadrains an area of about 156,087 km2 (60,266 sq mi)[4] and has a length of 966 km (600 mi)[6] Its mean annualdischarge is seasonally 792 m3/s (28,000 cu ft/s) to 1,050 m3/s (37,000 cu ft/s). It contributes about 13% of the Danube's totalrunoff.[4]
Attila the Hun is said to have been buried under a diverted section of the river Tisza.[7]
The river was known as theTisia inantiquity; other ancient names for it includedPathissus (Ancient Greek:Πάθισσος; laterLatin:Tissus).[8] It may be referred to as theTheiss in older English references, after the German name for the river,Theiß. It is known as theTibisco in Italian, and in older French references (as for instance in relation to the naval battles on the Danube between theOttoman Empire and theHabsburg Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries) it is often referred to as theTibisque.[citation needed]
The length of the Tisza in Hungary used to be 1,419 km (882 mi). It flowed through theGreat Hungarian Plain, which is one of the largest flat areas in central Europe. Sinceplains can cause a river to flow very slowly, the Tisza used to follow a path with many curves and turns, which led to many largefloods in the area.
After several small-scale attempts,István Széchenyi organised the "regulation of the Tisza" (Hungarian:a Tisza szabályozása) which started on August 27 1846, and substantially ended in 1880. The new length of the river in Hungary was reduced to 966 km (600 mi) in total, with 589 km (366 mi) of dead channels and 136 km (85 mi) of new riverbed.[9]
In the 1970s, the building of theTisza Dam atKisköre started with the purpose of helping to control floods as well as storing water for drought seasons. However, the resultingLake Tisza became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hungary since it had similar features toLake Balaton at drastically cheaper prices and was not crowded.
The Tisza is navigable over much of its course. The river opened up for international navigation only recently; previously, Hungary distinguished "national rivers" and "international rivers", indicating whether non-Hungarian vessels were allowed or not. After Hungary joined theEuropean Union, this distinction was lifted and vessels were allowed on the Tisza.[10]
The Tisza has a rich and varied wildlife. Over 200 species of birds reside in the bird reserve of Tiszafüred. The flood plains along the river boast large amounts of diverse plant and animal life. In particular, the yearly "flowering" of the Tisza is considered a local natural wonder. The flowering attracts vast numbers ofmayflies which is a well known spectacle.[11][12]
In early 2000, there was a sequence of seriouspollution incidents originating from accidental industrial discharges in Romania. The first, in January 2000, occurred when there was a release of sludge containingcyanide from a Romanian mine and killed 2000 tons of fish. The second, from a mine pond at Baia Borsa, northern Romania, resulted in the release of 20,000 m3 (710,000 cu ft) of sludge containingzinc,lead andcopper occurred in early March 2000. A week later, the third spill occurred at the same mining site at Baia Borsa, staining the river black, possibly including heavy metals.[14]
This series of incidents were described at the time as the most serious environmental disaster to hit central Europe since theChernobyl disaster. Usage of river water for any purpose was temporarily banned and the Hungarian government pressed the Romanians and theEuropean Union to close all installations that could lead to further pollution.[14]
Examination of river sediments indicates that pollution incidents from mines have occurred for over a century.[15]
The Tisza River is part of theDanube River catchment area. It is the tributary with the largest catchment area (~157,000 km2). It accounts for more than 19% of the Danube river basin. The Tisza water system is shared by five countries:Ukraine (8%),Slovakia (10%),Hungary (29%),Romania (46%) andSerbia (7%).
The Tisza River Basin area and average discharge (period from 1946–2006) by country[16]
The 1800–2500 m high ridge of theCarpathian Mountains create in a semi circle the northern, eastern and southeastern boundary of the Tisza catchment. The western - southwestern reach of the watershed is comparatively low in some places – on its Hungarian and Serbian parts it is almost flat. The area is divided roughly along the centreline by the Carpathian Mountains, east of which lies the 400–600 m high plateau of theTransylvanian Basin, and the plains to the west. The highest summits of the river basin reach 1948 m in theLow Tatras (Kráľova hoľa), 2061 m in theChornohora Mountains (Hoverla), 2303 m in theRodna Mountains (Pietrosul Rodnei) and even higher in theRetezat Mountains of theSouthern Carpathians (Peleaga, 2509 m). Areas above elevations higher than 1600 m occupy only 1% of the total; 46% of the territory lies below 200 m. The Tisza River Basin in Slovakia is predominantly hilly area and the highest mountain peak inKráľova hoľa - in theLow Tatras Mountain Range at 1948 m. The lowland area lies in the south, forming the northern edge of theHungarian Lowland. The lowest point in Slovakia is the village ofStreda nad Bodrogom in the eastern Slovak lowland (96 m) in theBodrog River Basin. The Hungarian andVojvodina (Serbia) part of the Tisza River Basin is a flat area bordered by small ranges of hills and mountains from the north and dominated by the Hungarian lowland.[16]
Important hydrographic stations along the Tisza River (full list)[17][18][2]
^abcTockner, Klement; Uehlinger, Urs; Robinson, Christopher T., eds. (2009).Rivers of Europe (First ed.). London: Academic Press. Sec. 3.9.5.ISBN978-0-12-369449-2.
^H. L. Nguyen; M. Braun; I. Szaloki; W. Baeyens; R. Van Grieken; M. Leermakers (2009). "Tracing the Metal Pollution History of the Tisza River".Water, Air, and Soil Pollution.200:119–132.doi:10.1007/s11270-008-9898-2.hdl:2437/310231.S2CID94627373.
