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A river is a natural watercourse along a channel from source to mouth, which is fed by surface or underground sources. In articles, encyclopedias and documentaries, most often they talk about the largest rivers: stormy, overflowing, full-flowing, navigable, rich in inhabitants. “Not every bird will fly to the middle of the Dnieper”, – as N.V. Gogol.
Meanwhile, small rivers do their small but important work: they remain a link in the water cycle, give animals drink, and carry water. They will be the focus of this article. We present to your attention the 10 smallest rivers in the world.
10 Vrelo, 365 m
Area information: Serbia.
It’s hot – the right tributary of the Drina River in the village of Perucac, in Serbia. The stream flows down from the stone, forming a small waterfall, and then slowly carries its waters to the Drina. Closer to the mouth, on its way there are obstacles from branches and stones, the water begins to murmur and foam, after the waterfall it flows into the main river. Because of its length of 365 m, some call the river Godinareferring to the year.
But despite its short length, Vrelo has all the attributes that are characteristic of a full-fledged river: a powerful source from which whitish water flows, a pond on the right bank, a water mill on the left, a tributary in the form of a small stream, a village on the bank and two bridges.
9. Fiumilatte, 250 m
Area information: Italy.
Fiumilatte a river in northern Italy. It starts in Grigny, in the Bergamo Alps, and carries its waters to Lake Como, just south of Varenna. Its name is translated from Italian as “milky water“. The river received it because of the whitish color of the water.
One of the features of the river is that it periodically dries up. This usually happens in mid-October and the water returns in March. Therefore, the river was given the nickname Fiume delle due Madonne (“river of the two Madonnas”), in honor of the feasts of the Annunciation (March 25) and Madonna del Rosario (October 7). This phenomenon may mean that the river originates in an unexplored cavity, which periodically fills up.
8. Aril, 175 m
Area information: Italy.
Ariel flows in Venice, Italy. It is fed by powerful underground springs under the village of Cassone, Malcesine, and it flows into Lake Garda. A small tributary, only 175 meters long, flows under three bridges and foams in a small waterfall before flowing into the Garda.
Aril is famous for its rainbow trout, which swims along the river to the lake, in which Aril originates to lay their eggs. Tourists who come to the Garda are sure to go to see the Aril, the smallest river in Italy.
7. Rowe River, 61 m
Area information: USA.
Roe River is a small river in Cascade County, Montana. It originates in Giant Springs, a large spring near Great Falls fed by melting ice. The river flows into the Missouri after only 61 meters.
In 1987, students from a local school decided to campaign for the Guinness World Record for the shortest river in the world. It didn’t have a name then, and the students first applied to the US Board of Geographic Names (yes, there is one). The river was named Roe, which means in translation “kosulya”.
The title was awarded, but a lot of controversy broke out over the measurement of length, and some spoke of the Roe River as a drainage ditch.
6. Jezernitsa, 55 m
Area information: Slovenia.
Jezernitsa flows through the city of Idrija, in western Slovenia. It is fed by springs in the hills and flows into the Idrija river of the same name with the city, the length of which is 60 km. But you won’t surprise anyone with a normal river, while Jezernitsa has a length of only 55 m. A wild lake is also located south of the city.
5. Dee, 36 m
Area information: USA.
Dee River (D River) is a river in Lincoln City, Oregon, which for some time was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest at a height of 130 m. In 1989, she lost her title, since Guinness called the shortest river Row in Montana. The residents of Lincoln City were outraged, measured the length and got a record 36 m. But Guinness didn’t do anything for me, and since 2006 the position “the shortest river” has disappeared from the book altogether.
The Dee flows out of Lake Devlis, passes under Highway 101, and flows into the Pacific Ocean without leaving Lincoln City. The D River Holiday Home off Highway 101 is home to one of the world’s largest hot air balloon festivals twice a year, summer and fall.
4. Ombla, 30 m
Area information: Croatia.
Ombla – the shortest river in Croatia, its length is about 30 m. It flows northeast of Dubrovnik and flows into Rijeka Dubrovac, a bay of the Adriatic Sea. In fact, Ombla is part of a flooded river valley, formed as a result of rising sea levels. It feeds on underground sources, on the way to the bay it receives the waters of one tributary and flows to the sea.
From Ombla they draw water for the city needs of Dubrovnik. The possibility of building a small hydroelectric power plant has been discussed for a long time, but the project is feared by environmentalists.
3. Kovasselva, 20 m
Area information: Norway.
norwegian river Kovasselva It originates in Lake Kovassvatnet and flows into the Norwegian Sea, flowing only 20 m. It is located on Hitra, the seventh largest island in Norway. It is located between the Trondheimsley Strait and the Freyfjorden River.
Today this island is one municipality of Hitra, although it used to contain as many as four municipalities. The closest towns from which you can get to Kovasselva are Kristiansund and Orkanger.
2. Tamborashi, 20 m
Area information: Indonesia.
River Tamborasi flows in the city of the same name in the regency of Kolaka, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its length is only 20 m, and its width is 15 m. It carries its waters into the Flores Sea, into the Bay of Bon. Tamborasi boasts a picturesque setting: rocky shores and rugged vegetation make these places a real find for tourists.
In the river itself, cool but pleasant water, and at the mouth there are beautiful beaches with fine white sand. Numerous small tributaries flow into Tamborasi, which collect water from all over Sulawesi and carry it into one of the shortest rivers in the world.
1. Reprua, 18 m
Area information: Abkhazia.
The shortest river in the world flows in the Gagra region of Abkhazia (in foreign sources – in the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic in Georgia).
The river is of karst origin. It literally breaks out of the Krubera-Voronya cave (which is considered the deepest in the world) and carries its waters to the Black Sea. Usually karst waters pour directly into the sea, but in this case they come to the surface and flow along it for some time, forming a full-fledged, albeit short, river.
The water here is very cold and clean, its composition is close to spring water. Reprua became part of the local legend, according to which, a spirit lived in the underworld. The spirit had a son and three daughters, and he forged magnificent weapons for his son and his associates to fight with enemies.
But when the spirit died, there was no one else to create weapons, the warriors weakened, the son was defeated, and the enemies filled the caves with stones. And after a while, streams broke out, tears of lonely underground beauties.