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The Danube River is a river in the country of Europe. It is the second longest river in Europe. It begins in the Black Forest of Germany as the small rivers of Brigach and Breg and empties into the Black Sea. The name Danube means “river”. Its boundary includes ten countries; Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Its basin includes the border of the countries of Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Moldova and Albania.
Ocean ships can travel up the Danube as far as Braila in Romania and river ships as far as Kelheim, Bavaria. Smaller crafts can only travel as far as Ulm im Germany. The Rhine-Main-Danube-Canal built in 1992 enabled the Danube to be a trans-European waterway from Rotterdam, Netherlands to Sulina, Romania. This canal provides a gateway to the Black Sea and the industrial hub of Western Europe. Three different manmade shipping canals have been created on the river, the Danube-Tisa-Danube-Canal, Danube-Black Sea Canal and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal enabling easier passage of ships. New locks have been planned, but have been blocked by environmentalists.
Parts of the Danube provide drinking water to millions of people while other parts are too polluted to do much with. |
