Rioni

Coordinates: 42°11′3″N 41°38′10″E / 42.18417°N 41.63611°E / 42.18417; 41.63611
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the river in Georgia. For the Italian municipal subdivisions, see rione.
Rioni
Rioni River in Racha Region
Rioni is located in Georgia
Rioni
Native nameრიონი (Georgian)
Location
CountryGeorgia
Cities
Physical characteristics
SourceMain Caucasian Range
Caucasus Mountains
MouthBlack Sea
 • location
Poti
 • coordinates
42°11′3″N 41°38′10″E / 42.18417°N 41.63611°E / 42.18417; 41.63611
Length327 km (203 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftTekhuri, Qvirila
 • rightTskhenistsqali

The Rioni (

Ancient Greek: Φᾶσις, Phᾶsis) is the main river of western Georgia. It originates in the Caucasus Mountains, in the region of Racha and flows west to the Black Sea, entering it north of the city of Poti (near ancient Phasis). The city of Kutaisi, once the ancient city of Colchis, lies on its banks. It drains the western Transcaucasus into the Black Sea while the river Kura, drains the eastern Transcaucasus into the Caspian Sea
.

History

Herodotus considered the Rioni river as a boundary between Europe and Asia.[1]

Ancient authors

Known to the

boundary between Europe and Asia.[1] The famed voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, though semi-mythological, was said to have occurred by the Argonauts sailing up the river Phasis from its outlet to the Black Sea at Poti, to Colchis (modern Kutaisi in Georgia).[citation needed
]

Pheasant

The term "

Phasianus colchicus are derived from "Phasis" and "Colchis",[2] as this was said to be the region from which the common pheasant was introduced to Europe[3] (the ring-necked pheasants were introduced later from East Asia
).

Draining

It is said that "the failure of Colchis to emerge as a strong kingdom or to be maintained as a province of Rome has been blamed on the pestilential climate of the Phasis Valley, a situation remarked upon by travelers down to modern times, when the swamps were finally drained."[4] Wetlands around Rioni River has been drained through a large reclamation-drainage project commissioned by government in 1960. After that, the area was cleared and converted to agricultural land.[5]

Description

The Rioni is the longest river wholly within the borders of Georgia. The river is 327 kilometres (203 mi) long, and its drainage basin covers about 13,400 square kilometres (5,200 sq mi).[6] It starts on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains at 2,960 metres (9,710 ft) above sea level, north of the town Oni. Its largest tributaries are, from source to mouth: Jejora (left), Qvirila (left), Khanistsqali (left), Tskhenistsqali (right) and Tekhuri (right).

Phasis river at Taprobana

Ancient Greek: Φᾶσις ἐν τῇ Ταπροβάνῃ) (Ceylon or Sri Lanka).[7]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rioni.
  1. ^
    ISBN 3515087400
  2. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4
    .
  3. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Draft Revision, September 2009
  4. ^ Robert H. Hewsen, Armenia: A Historical Atlas, 2001, page 38
  5. ISBN 9789535100331
    .
  6. ^ Statistical Yearbook of Georgia: 2020, National Statistics Office of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2020, p. 12.
  7. ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, § Ph660.2


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