TheMorava (German:March) is ariver inCentral Europe, a left tributary of theDanube. It is the main river ofMoravia historical region in theCzech Republic, which derives its name from the river. The Morava originates on theKrálický Sněžník mountain in the north-eastern corner ofPardubice Region, near the border between the Czech Republic andPoland and has a vaguely southward trajectory. The lower part of the river's course forms the border between the Czech Republic andSlovakia and then betweenAustria and Slovakia.
The root of the river's name,mor-, is derived from theProto-Indo-European word for 'water', 'marsh', from which the Latin wordmare arose. The suffix-ava is a Slavic form of theProto-Germanic wordahwa, meaning 'water', 'river'. The name of the river was first documented asMaraha in an 892 deed. The river gave its name to the entire historical land ofMoravia, yet the oldest surviving record of the land (from 822) is older than the record of the river. The German name of the Morava,March, was derived from the Slavic name.[1]
The banks of the Morava have been inhabited for a very long time. The village ofStillfried [de], on the Austrian part of the river, was already the location of a human settlement 30,000 years ago. Agriculture began to be practiced in the Morava valley approximately 7,000 years ago, and fortified settlements began to appear during theNew Stone Age.[2]
In July 1997, the Morava basin (especially its northern and eastern part) was affected by heavystratiform rain, which lasted several days and causedcatastrophic floods.
Source of the Morava onKrálický SněžníkConfluence of the Morava and the DanubeThe Morava in OlomoucConfluence of the Morava and Thaya on thetripoint of the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia
In the Czech Republic, several larger cities and towns lie on the Morava, particularlyOlomouc,Kroměříž,Otrokovice,Uherské Hradiště,Veselí nad Moravou andHodonín.Brno, the second largest city of the Czech Republic, lies within the river basin. As of 2009, the catchment area of the river had a population ofc. 3.5 million people.[2] Downstream of Hodonín, the river flows along a sparsely inhabited, forested border area, all the way to its outfall into the Danube, just belowDevín Castle on the outskirts of the Slovak capitalBratislava.
The total length of the Morava is 352 km (219 mi)[4], of which 269.4 km (167.4 mi) is in the Czech Republic (including the Czech-Slovak border),[3] making itthe third longest river in the Czech Republic. The Morava feeds theDanube with an average discharge rate of 110 m3/s (3,900 cu ft/s), collected from a drainage area of 26,658 km2 (10,293 sq mi),[4] of which 20,692.4 km2 (7,989.4 sq mi) is in the Czech Republic.[3]
The Morava is a lowland river with a basin that consists of 51%plains; mountains make up only seven percent of the basin while thirty five percent are considered highland. The average slope of the river is 1.8‰ and at the confluence 4‰. The bedrock of the river basin is mostly crystalline bedrock andflysch.[2]
The longesttributary of the Morava is theThaya, flowing in at thetripoint of the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. The longest tributaries of the Morava are:[5]
The Morava River forms an important link between the Danube Valley and the plains ofnorthern Europe, for animals as well as, at least historically, for humans. Its weak slope across flat plains furthermore means that the river is prone tomeander and flood, creating vastfloodplains. Because of these reasons, the floodplains of the Morava River are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in Europe.[2] Its richness in plant and animal species (some 12,000 species have been identified) ranks it second in diversity only to theDanube Delta. During the 20th century however, large tracts of the river, especially downstream fromLitovel, have been regulated with the ensuing effect of loss of inundation areas (floodplains). Since the river basin is densely populated and, especially the Czech part, industrialised, the river also receives a lot of wastewater. Agriculture also contributes to spreadingnitrogen and other nutrients into the river. Nevertheless, the central part of the river has retained much of its natural character and in later years conscious efforts have been made to protect the nature and ecosystem of the river basin.[2]
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