Sozh
Sozh | |
---|---|
Native name |
|
Location | |
Country | Belarus, Russia, Ukraine |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Russia |
Mouth | |
• location | Dnieper |
• coordinates | 51°56′50″N 30°48′24″E / 51.94722°N 30.80667°E |
Length | 648 km (403 mi) |
Basin size | 42,140 km2 (16,270 sq mi) |
Discharge | |
• average | In Gomel: 207 m3/s (7,300 cu ft/s) |
Basin features | |
Progression | Dnieper→ Dnieper–Bug estuary→ Black Sea |
The Sozh (Belarusian: Сож, romanized: Sož,[1] IPA: [sɔʐ]; Russian: Сож; Ukrainian: Сож) is a river flowing in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. It is a left bank tributary of the Dnieper. The Sozh passes through Gomel, the second largest city in Belarus.[2]
The river is crossed by the
Etymology
The original name was Sozh' (Russian: Сожь), from Old East Slavic Съжь. With the previously suggested Baltic and Finnic etymologies considered unsatisfactory, Vadim Andreevich Zhuchkevich proposed that the name is derived from Old Russian/Old Belarusian sozhzh' (сожжь) 'burned parts of a forest prepared for plowing,' which has parallels to other place names.[4]
Geography
The Sozh rises in Russia and is mostly snow fed. The river freezes over between November and early January. The ice thaws from late March or April. The Vikhra and Pronia, on the right, and the Ostyor, Besed, Iput and Uts on the left are its main tributaries.[2] It is one of the six tributaries longer than 500 km that join the Dnieper – the third longest river in Europe at 2,201 km.[5]
The Sozh has
The mouth of the river is 150m broad and swampy. The catchment area of the river is 42,140 square kilometres (16,270 sq mi) along its 648 kilometres (403 mi) length, 21,700 square kilometres (8,400 sq mi) and 493 kilometres (306 mi) within Belarus.[6] The mean discharge recorded at Gomel, 100 kilometres (62 mi) upstream from the mouth, is 207 m3/s.[2][7]
Important historical towns on the banks of the main river and its tributaries are:
In Russia, the Sozh has its source in Smolensky District and flows through Pochinkovsky and Khislavichsky Districts of Smolensk Oblast. The urban-type settlement of Khislavichi is located on the banks of the Sozh. It flows further south, making the border between Khislavichsky and Shumyachsky District of Smolensk Oblast in the east, and Mogilev Region of Belarus in the west.
History
Many of the cities and towns located in the river valley are part of the river's history of events. Several centuries ago, the
Anthropomorphized forms of Russian myths include tales of rivalry between the Sozh, described as wild and turbulent, and the Dnieper, which is described as quiet and leisurely.[16]
Archaeological excavations
Excavations have unearthed a
Economy
Sozh River deposits that extend into Smolensk Oblast providing a supply of ground phosphate to Krychaw and Klimavichy rock plants.[20] Phosphorite is found along the river between Mstislavl and Krichev. Many other construction materials, such as chalk, clay, sand, and gravel are also distributed in the river region as are many mineral water springs.[9] The Sozh is one of the two chief rivers of Mogilev in the Smolensk Oblast where the trade in the early part of the 20th century, involving primarily paper, oil, wire nails, flour, glass, and matches, was predominantly in the hands of the large Jewish population.[21]
Tributaries
Main tributaries: Vihra, Oster, Pronya, Besed, Iput, Khmara, Peschanka.
References
- ^ official transliteration
- ^ a b c d e "Sozh". The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970–1979). Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Bridges of Belarus". FSU Postage Stamps Catalogue. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ Pospelov, Evgenij Michajlovič (1998). Geograficeskie nazvanija mira : toponmiceskij slovar (in Russian). Moskav: Russkie Slovari. p. 390.
- ISBN 978-0-12-369449-2. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ "Main Geographic Characteristics of the Republic of Belarus. Main characteristics of the largest rivers of Belarus". Land of Ancestors. Data of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus. 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ "Dnieper River". Encyclopedia of Ukraine. 1984. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84162-207-1. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Belarus City". Belaruscity.net. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Gomel: Then & Now: Gomel's History". Gomel.lk.net. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "The levee of the Sozh River". Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble. 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Homyel". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Gomel". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Vetka". Belarus tourism- A national Tourism Agency. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ "Vetka District". chernobyl.info. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-292-79158-9. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ "Heavenly Bodies and Phenomena in the Baltic Religion". Romuvainfo. Archived from the original on 6 September 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ Tage Skogsberg; Austin Phelps (1938). Hydrography of Monterey Bay California: Thermal conditions. American Philosophical Society. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-306-46158-3. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-8047-0474-8. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ New international encyclopedia. Dodd, Mead. 1916. p. 95. Retrieved 7 February 2011.