Slowly and measuredly carries its waters on the plains of Central Russia the legendary Moscow River. It flows through the capital past ancient houses, granite parapets of embankments, periodically diving under the delicate arches of beautiful bridges. Where is the source of the Moscow river? Where does she go? And what interesting can you tell about her?
Moscow River: photo and description
The length of the watercourse is 502 kilometers, the width does not exceed 200 meters, the total height of the water fall is 155 meters. At the same time, the Moscow River collects its waters from an area of 17.6 thousand square kilometers.
About one sixth of the total length of the river falls on the city of Moscow. Moreover, within the metropolis, it is actually turned into a chain of regulated reservoirs. Within the city on the Moscow River there are several well-maintained beaches. In addition to the capital, on the banks of the river there are nine more cities, as well as a number of villages and historical monasteries. Among the latter are Novodevichy, St. Andrew, Novospassky and Novo-Golutvin Monastery.
The etymology of the word "Moscow" is controversial and ambiguous. According to one theory, its origin is associated with the ancient Baltic word forms. In this case, it can be translated as "swamp" or as a "winding river."
Where is the source of the Moscow river? Where does it flow and how does its course change? You will learn more about this later.
Moscow River: source and mouth
At first , the river flows strictly eastward to the city of Moscow . Then it changes to the southeast. Where is the source of the Moscow river? Scientists still cannot put an end to this issue. However, most geographers believe that the river originates in the Starkovsky swamp, 3 kilometers from the Drovnino railway station. For this place, the people have a specific name - Moskvoretskaya puddle. In 2004, at the source of the river, a chapel was erected according to a project created by the architect Vasnetsov in the early twentieth century.
In its upper reaches, the Moskva River flows through ridges of sandy moraine hills. After Mozhaisk, its shores become very steep and steep: here, the channel cuts through harder layers of limestone. In the middle reaches, the river expands significantly. Here its shores are predominantly occupied by forests.
Having passed the capital, the Moscow River is expanding its channel even more. Vast meadows, elders and small lakes appear in the floodplain. The Moscow River flows into the Oka River near Kolomna. Here the width of its channel reaches 200 meters.
Hydrological regime, ecology and current state of the river
The Moscow River is fed mainly by snowmelt. At the same time, spring flood accounts for about 65% of its total annual runoff. The river freezes somewhere in late November, and opens in late March. Within the capital, freezing on the riverbed can be unstable, since in the city limits a huge amount of warm water is discharged into the river.
The banks of the Moskva River have been inhabited by man since ancient times. In many settlements along its course, archaeologists have discovered Neolithic sites. In ancient times, the river was part of the most important waterway that connected Novgorod with Smolensk.
The current ecological state of the Moscow River is assessed as unsatisfactory. Especially within the capital and downstream. Doctors do not recommend fishermen to fish in the river in the city. A section of the channel in the area of the Kuryanovsk aeration station is too polluted with elements of biogenic origin (phosphates, nitrites and ammonium).
Interesting facts about the river
We offer readers some more amazing facts about this Russian river:
- in the capital, in the Moscow River, there are at least 30 species of bone fish;
- the ichthyofauna of the waters of the Moscow River includes even exotic representatives, for example, gobies and guppy fish. The first, according to scientists, migrated from the lower reaches of the Volga, and the second - from the aquarium of some Muscovite;
- the hydronym "Moscow" is not unique: at least two more rivers of the same name can be found on a geographical map (one of them is in the Omsk region of Russia, and the other in Ukraine, in Transcarpathia);
- where the source of the Moscow river is located - hydrologists and local historians still argue about this. Some of them claim that it is not located at all in the Starkovo tract in the Moscow region. Many experts call the beginning of the river Mikhalevskoe Lake, located in the neighboring Smolensk region;
- water transparency in the river varies seasonally;
- within the capital, the Moscow River makes 6 deep bends;
- In the summer of 2010, marine jellyfish were spotted in the waters of the Moscow River .
Finally…
Now you know where to find the source of the Moscow River on the map. It is located within the Starkovsky swamp, which is near the borders of the Moscow and Smolensk regions. Further, the river overcomes 502 kilometers along the plains and moraine hills of Central Russia, after which it flows into the channel of the Oka River.