View source for Daugava

{{Short description|River in Europe}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox river
 | name                 = Daugava
 | name_other           = Western Dvina
 | native_name          = {{native name list|tag1=ru|name1=Западная Двина|tag2=be|name2=Дзвіна|tag3=lv|name3=Daugava|tag4=liv|name4=Vēna|tag5=lt|name5=Dauguva|tag6=et|name6=Väina|tag7=de|name7=Düna|tag8=pl|name8=Dźwina}}
 | image                = Fluss-lv-Düna.png
 | image_caption        = The drainage basin of the Daugava
 | pushpin_map          = 
 | pushpin_map_size     = 
 | pushpin_map_caption  = 
 | pushpin_map_alt      = 
 | mapframe             = yes
 | mapframe-zoom        = 4
 | source1              = [[Valdai Hills]]
 | source1_location     = [[Penovsky District]], [[Tver Oblast]], Russia
 | source1_coordinates  = {{Coord|56.871|32.529|format=dms|display=i}}
 | source1_elevation    = {{convert|221|m|ft|abbr=on}} 
 | mouth                = [[Gulf of Riga]]
 | mouth_location       = [[Riga]], Latvia
 | mouth_coordinates    = {{coord|57|3|42|N|24|1|50|E|display=it}}
 | mouth_elevation      = {{convert|0|m|ft|abbr=on}} 
 | subdivision_type1    = Country
 | subdivision_name1    = [[Belarus]], [[Latvia]], [[Russia]]
| subdivision_type2 = Cities
| subdivision_name2 = {{hlist|[[Vitebsk]]|[[Polotsk]]|[[Daugavpils]]|[[Riga]]}}
 | length_km = 1020
 | length_ref = <ref name=statistics>{{cite web |url = http://landofancestors.com/travel/statistics/geography/237-main-characteristics-of-the-largest-rivers.html |title = Main Geographic Characteristics of the Republic of Belarus. Main characteristics of the largest rivers of Belarus |publisher = Data of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus. |year = 2011 |website = Land of Ancestors |access-date= 27 September 2013 |archive-date=Jan 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115190617/http://landofancestors.com/travel/statistics/geography/237-main-characteristics-of-the-largest-rivers.html}}</ref>
 | discharge1_avg       = {{convert|678|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} 
 | basin_size_km2 = 87900
 | basin_size_ref = <ref name=statistics />
 | extra                = 
}}

The '''Daugava''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|aʊ|g|ə|v|ə}} {{respell|DOW|gə|və}}),{{efn|{{langx|lv|Daugava}} {{IPA|lv|ˈdˠaʊɡɐvˠɐ|}}; {{langx|ltg|Daugova}}; {{langx|pl|Dźwina}} {{IPA|pl|dʑviˈna|}}; {{langx|de|Düna}} {{IPA|de|ˈdyːna||De-Düna.ogg}} (from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Duna}})<ref>[[Johann Georg Theodor Grässe]], ''[[Orbis Latinus]]'', [[Braunschweig]], 1972, [https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0005/bsb00050912/images/index.html?id=00050912&nativeno=674 vol. I, p. 674].</ref>}} also known as the '''Western Dvina'''{{efn|{{langx|ru|Западная Двина|Západnaya Dviná}}; {{langx|be|Заходняя Дзвіна|Zachodniaja Dźvina}}}} or the '''Väina River''',{{efn|{{langx|et|Väina jõgi}}; {{langx|fi|Väinäjoki}}}} is a large river rising in the [[Valdai Hills]] of [[Russia]] that flows through [[Belarus]] and [[Latvia]] into the [[Gulf of Riga]] of the [[Baltic Sea]]. The Daugava rises close to the source of the [[Volga]]. It is {{convert|1020|km|mi|abbr=on}} in length,<ref name=statistics /> of which {{convert|352|km|mi|abbr=on}} are in Latvia<ref>{{cite web |title=Gruberts D. "Daugava". Nacionālā enciklopēdija. |url=https://enciklopedija.lv/skirklis/131859-Daugava |publisher=Nacionālā enciklopēdija |access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref> and {{convert|325|km|mi|abbr=on}} in Russia. It is a westward-flowing river, tracing out a great south-bending curve as it passes through northern Belarus. The city of [[Ķekava]] is located 6 miles south of the west bank of the river.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 20, 1944 |title=Reds in Six Miles of Latvia Capital |url=https://access-newspaperarchive-com./us/texas/harlingen/valley-morning-star/1944/09-20/page-2 |access-date=June 7, 2025 |work=[[Valley Morning Star]] |page=2}}</ref>

Latvia's capital, [[Riga]], bridges the river's [[estuary]] four times. Built on both riverbanks, the city centre is {{convert|15|km}} from the river's mouth and is a significant port.

== Etymology ==
[[File:Riga Dom Bruecke Daugava.jpg|thumb|The Daugava flows through [[Riga]] in [[Latvia]]]]
According to [[Max Vasmer]]'s ''Etymological Dictionary'', the [[toponym]] Dvina cannot stem from a [[Uralic language]]; instead, it possibly comes from an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] word which used to mean 'river' or 'stream'.<ref>{{cite book|last=Фасмер|first=Макс|script-title=ru:Этимологический словарь Фасмера|url=http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=%2Fusr%2Flocal%2Fshare%2Fstarling%2Fmorpho&morpho=1&basename=morpho%5Cvasmer%5Cvasmer&first=1&off=&text_word=%D0%94%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0&method_word=substring&ic_word=on&text_general=&method_general=substring&ic_general=on&text_origin=&method_origin=substring&ic_origin=on&text_trubachev=&method_trubachev=substring&ic_trubachev=on&text_editorial=&method_editorial=substring&ic_editorial=on&text_pages=&method_pages=substring&ic_pages=on&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=word&ic_any=on|language=ru|page=161}}</ref> The name ''Dvina'' strongly resembles ''[[Danube|Danuvius]]'' which is itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''*dānu'', meaning 'large river'.

The [[Finno-Ugric languages|Finno-Ugric]] names {{Lang|liv|Vēna}} ([[Livonian language|Livonian]]), {{Lang|et|Väinajõgi}} ([[Estonian language|Estonian]]), and {{Lang|fi|Väinäjoki}} ([[Finnish language|Finnish]]) all stem from [[Proto-Finnic]] ''*väin'', which roughly translates to 'a large, peacefully rolling river'.

==Geography==
The total [[Catchment area (hydrology)|catchment area]] of the river is {{convert|87900|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|33150|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} are in Belarus.<ref name=statistics />

===Tributaries ===
The following rivers are tributaries to the river Daugava (from source to mouth):

*Left: [[Mezha (Daugava)|Mezha]], [[Kasplya]], [[Dysna]], [[Laucesa]], [[Berezauka]], [[Eglona]], [[Pikstere]], [[Ņega]]
*Right: [[Usvyacha]], [[Palata (river)|Palata]], Drysa, [[Dubna (Daugava)|Dubna]], [[Aiviekste]], [[Pērse]], [[Dīvaja]], [[Ogre (river)|Ogre]]

== History ==
[[File:Bombardment of the fortress of Dünamünde by the Swedish army in 1701 during the Great Northern War.jpg|thumb|300px|The Swedish army bombarding the fortress of [[Dünamünde]] at the Daugava's estuary in [[Latvia]]]]
Humans have settled at the mouth of the Daugava and along the shores of the Gulf of Riga for millennia, initially participating in a hunter-gatherer economy and utilizing the waters of the Daugava estuary for fishing and gathering. Beginning around the sixth century CE, [[Viking]] explorers crossed the Baltic Sea and entered the Daugava River, navigating upriver into the Baltic interior.<ref>
Compare: 
{{Cite book
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lVBB1a0rC70C&q=daugava&pg=PA115
|title= Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture
|last= Frucht|first= Richard C.|date= 2005-01-01
|publisher= ABC-CLIO|isbn= 9781576078006|language= en
|access-date= 2017-07-06
|quote= The Daugava was an important transit river (carrying everything from Vikings to floating lumber) for centuries [...].
}}
</ref>

In medieval times, the Daugava was part of the [[trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks]], an important route for the transport of furs from the north and of [[Eastern Roman Empire|Byzantine]] silver from the south. The Riga area, inhabited by the [[Finnic languages|Finnic]]-speaking [[Livs]], became a key location of settlement and defence of the mouth of the Daugava at least as early as the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the now destroyed fort at [[Torņakalns]] on the west bank of the Daugava in present-day Riga.

From the end of the [[Livonian War]] great part of the Daugava formed the northeastern border of [[Duchy of Courland and Semigallia]] separating it initially from the [[Kingdom of Livonia]], later [[Swedish Livonia]] and [[Riga Governorate]].
After the incorporation later in the [[Russian Empire]] the river formed a border between governorates of [[Courland Governorate|Courland]] on the western bank and [[Governorate of Livonia|Livonia]] and [[Vitebsk Governorate|Vitebsk]] on the eastern bank.

From 1936 to 1939 [[Ķegums Hydroelectric Power Station]] was built on the Daugava river in Latvia. [[Pļaviņas Hydroelectric Power Station]] was put into operation in 1968 and [[Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant]] in 1974.

== Settlements ==
[[File:Riga, Daugava River.JPG|thumb|Daugava sunset in [[Riga]]]]
The following are some of the cities and towns built along the Daugava:

=== Russia ===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* [[Andreapol]]
* [[Zapadnaya Dvina]]
* [[Velizh]]
}}

=== Belarus ===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* [[Ruba, Belarus|Ruba]]
* [[Vitebsk]]
* [[Beshankovichy]]
* [[Polotsk]] (home to the [[Boris stones]])
* [[Navapolatsk]]
* [[Dzisna]]
* [[Verkhnedvinsk]]
* [[Druya]]
}}

=== Latvia ===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* [[Krāslava]]
* [[Daugavpils]]
* [[Līvāni]]
* [[Jēkabpils]]
* [[Pļaviņas]]
* [[Aizkraukle]]
* [[Jaunjelgava]]
* [[Lielvārde]]
* [[Kegums]]
* [[Ogre, Latvia|Ogre]]
* [[Ikšķile]]
* [[Salaspils]]
* [[Riga]]
}}

== Environment ==

[[File:Port of Riga on the Daugava river.jpg|thumb|alt=Port of Riga on the Daugava river by findseajobs.com|Port of Riga on the Daugava]]The river began experiencing environmental deterioration in the Soviet era due to collective agriculture (producing considerable adverse water pollution runoff) and hydroelectric power projects.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2012 |title=Daugava River |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Earth |publisher=National Council for Science and the Environment |url=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Daugava_River?topic=78166 |last=C.Michael Hogan}}</ref> This is the river that the [[Vuła (river)|Vula river]] flows into.

=== Water quality ===
Upstream of the Latvian town of [[Jekabpils]], the river's [[pH]] has a characteristic value of about 7.8 (slight [[alkaline]]). In this area, the concentration of ionic calcium is around 43 milligrams per liter, [[nitrate]] is about 0.82 milligrams per liter, ionic [[phosphate]] is 0.038 milligrams per liter, and oxygen saturation is 80%. The high nitrate and phosphate load of the Daugava has contributed to the extensive buildup of phytoplankton biomass in the Baltic Sea; the [[Oder]] and [[Vistula]] rivers also contribute to the high nutrient loading of the Baltic.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

In Belarus, water pollution of the Daugava is considered moderately severe, with the chief sources being treated wastewater, fish-farming, and agricultural chemical runoff (such as herbicides, pesticides, nitrates, and phosphates).<ref>{{cite book |title=Towards water security in Belarus: a synthesis report |url=https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/towards-water-security-in-belarus_488183c4-en#page19 |website=OECDiLibrary |series=OECD Studies on Water |date=2020 |access-date=27 June 2021 |pages=19–20 |doi=10.1787/488183c4-en|isbn=9789264583962 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Water Report 15 |url=http://www.fao.org/3/w6240e/w6240e13.htm |website=fao.org |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVBB1a0rC70C&q=daugava+river&pg=PA115 |title=Latvia |author=Richard C. Frucht |author2=Aldis Purs |work=Eastern Europe |year=2005 |pages=115 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=9781576078006 |access-date=2009-08-01}}
*Francis W. Carter and David Turnock. 2002. Environmental problems of East Central Europe. 442 pages Google eBook
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Dvina | volume= 8 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch |author1-link= Peter Kropotkin| last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas| page = 738 |short= 1}}

==External links==
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/liveriga/galleries/72157626453522628/ Daugava River photos] at [[flickr]]

{{Commons category|Daugava}}

{{Riga Cityscape}}

{{Rivers of Russia}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Daugava River| ]]
[[Category:Daugava basin| ]]
[[Category:International rivers of Europe]]
[[Category:Rivers of Belarus]]
[[Category:Rivers of Latvia]]
[[Category:Gulf of Riga]]
[[Category:Rivers of Smolensk Oblast]]
[[Category:Rivers of Tver Oblast]]
[[Category:Rivers of Vitebsk region]]
[[Category:Belarus–Latvia border]]