The shortest river in America. One day in Abkhazia. The shortest river in the world. The history of the origin of the shortest river
Said Bargandzhia, Sputnik.
Record river
The shortest river in the world, Reprua, is fed by the waters of the deepest cave in the world, Krubera-Voronya, and is considered one of the coldest rivers on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, its constant temperature is 11°C.
Director of the Institute of Ecology of the Abkhaz Academy of Sciences Roman Dbar said that Reprua actually begins on the beach, and ends there.
He noted that there may be slight fluctuations in the river's length estimate.
“The length of the Reprua River is 18 meters, but it changes periodically. The fact is that the coastline is in a state of dynamics. But in this case this is not significant, since the length of the river does not exceed 20 meters,” said Dbar.
The Reprua River is at least half as long as the world's shortest recorded rivers.
“It is a fairly deep river, and its water flow is on average two cubic meters per second. And about 30 percent of the volume of this river is consumed by the city of Gagra for drinking,” added Dbar.
There were no cases where Reprua dried out completely.
The Reprua River is full of life. It is home to planktonic organisms, algae, fish and zooplankton.
Scientists from the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia will prepare an environmental passport for the Reprua River, after which they intend to send an application to the editors of the Guinness Book of Records to record the fact that the Reprua River is the shortest river in the world.
The rivers of Abkhazia take their sources on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains and all flow into the Black Sea. Many of them are fed by glaciers in the mountains of Abkhazia, whose total area is 77 square kilometers.
The largest rivers of Abkhazia are Ingur, Bzyb, Kodor, each of which is over 100 kilometers long.
Abkhazian river with a French sound
The first records about the Reprua River in scientific literature were recorded during the time of the Prince of Oldenburg in the early 1900s, during the creation of the Gagra climate station.
According to Roman Dbar, director of the Institute of Ecology of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia, despite its French sound, the name of the Reprua River has Abkhazian roots.
He said that he had not come across publications or attempts to etymologize the name of the river, but he believed that it was originally called Rypryua.
“Rypryyua consists of two roots. The root arpra means to dig up, to jump out of the ground. Ayuar is a very widespread hydronym in Abkhazia, which literally means a rain stream,” said Dbar.
Legend of the Reprua River
Legend says that once upon a time, many centuries ago, an underground spirit settled on the shores of the Black Sea along with his children, and he had four of them - a son and three twin daughters. The spirit was busy making swords, which it endowed with powerful power. His son, along with other warriors, used these swords to defend the Gagra mountain pass, through which the enemy could get into the rich Caucasian region - Abkhazia. And since the swords forged by the underground Spirit had magical powers, the defenders were practically invulnerable and invincible.
However, it so happened that the Spirit died, and there was no one to forge swords. At that moment, the enemy attacked Abkhazia, and without magic swords the defenders could not withstand the onslaught of the enemy. In this battle, the son of the Spirit was killed. The daughters were captured. The enemies decided to get rid of the three twin sisters and imprisoned them in a cave, and blocked the entrance with huge boulders. The sisters had no choice but to cry and grieve. Moreover, there were a lot of tears, so many that they accumulated in streams and made their way through the rubble. This is how the three rivers Anykhamtsa, Bagerepsta and Reprua were born.
Bagerepsta and Anykhamtsa are the coldest rivers on the entire Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
The shortest rivers in the world
The United States is home to the Roe River and Dee River. The length of the first is only 61 meters. It flows into the Missouri. But the length of the Dee River is even shorter - only 37 meters. It connects Devils Lake and the Pacific Ocean and is located entirely within the city of Lincoln.
An interesting geographical fact exists in the area of the resort town of Gagra, which is located in the Republic of Abkhazia. The curious thing here is that two opposites meet here. Namely, the city of Gagra is the longest city in Abkhazia, and it flows very close the shortest river in the world, which is called Reprua. This river flows into the Black Sea.
The length of this miniature river Reprua is eighteen meters, but from time to time it floods, and when it floods, the width of the river can reach ten meters. It is also interesting that such a small river supplies such a large city as Gagra with fresh water. The Reprua River is filled with waters coming out of the cave of the karst plateau, by the way, from deepest cave on earth, which is called Krubera-Voronya. Then it flows into the waters of the Black Sea.
Considering the fact that the water comes out from a very great depth, it is so cold that it has the right to be called the coldest water on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. And here’s the thing: with all large historical or geographical objects, people, as a rule, associate many legends, passing them on from mouth to mouth. And about the origin Reprua River, says only one legend, although it is worth ten.
It says legend that once many centuries ago, an underground spirit settled on the shores of the Black Sea along with his children, and he had four of them - a son and three twin daughters. The spirit was busy making swords, which it endowed with powerful power. His son, along with other warriors, took these swords and went to defend Gagra passage, along which the enemy could get into Rich Caucasian region– Abkhazia. And since the swords forged by the underground Spirit had magical powers, the defenders were practically invulnerable and invincible.
However, it so happened that the Spirit died, and there was no one to forge swords. At that moment, the enemy attacked Abkhazia, and without magic swords the defenders could not withstand the onslaught of the enemy. In this battle, the son of the spirit was killed. The daughters were captured. The enemies decided to get rid of the three twin sisters, and imprisoned them in a cave, and blocked the entrance with huge boulders. The sisters had no choice but to cry and grieve. Moreover, there were a lot of tears, so many that they accumulated in streams and made their way through the gates. This is how the three rivers Anykhamtsa, Bagerepsta and Reprua.
By definition, there cannot be the shortest river in the world there, because here, traditionally, everything is the largest on the planet, the inhabitants of these vast territories know absolutely for sure.
But seriously, the question is very interesting and informative, even somewhat unusual, since they usually look for the deepest, longest or deepest river, and not a small one, approaching the parameters of streams, but remaining a full-fledged body of water, capable, for example, of giving water to many people living nearby.
Search for applicants
For example, in hot Africa, where there are no idylls to be seen, but the smallest rivers too, although, it would seem, here, due to the climate that can dry up anything, they should not at all amaze with their size, hiding among the lifeless deserts, a little more populated savannas of the Dark Continent.
And, in fact, everything is pretty good with the rivers here. The Nile alone, successfully competing with the South American Amazon for the title of the largest waterway on the planet, is worth it. Therefore, it is worth looking for short rivers on other continents of the Earth.
The contenders for the title of shortest river are:
Kovasselwa also competes with the 20-meter Tamborassi River on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Directly from one of the mountains on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range. It flows along a natural channel of stones and coastal pebbles, flowing into the Black Sea. This river is called Reprua. It is located 2 km from the famous resort of Gagra (formerly Gagra), probably known to all residents of Russia, in the former Soviet, and now recognized and supported in military-political and economic terms only by Russia, the Republic of Abkhazia. Its length is only 18 m.
This is generally accepted by scientists of the Abkhaz Academy of Sciences based on the maximum distance to the confluence with the sea, although at different times of the year, as well as, depending on weather conditions, the line of the coastline after storms, its channel changes its direction, location on the ground and varies from 6 ( !) up to 20 m.
Quite often on the Internet you can find information that near Gagra there is another, shorter river called Reiroa, 6.35 m, measured, apparently, with an accuracy of 1 cm.
In fact, we are talking about the same Reprua, it’s just not clear for what purposes the distorted name is used. However, one should not be surprised here, because, as a rule, such “geographical science experts” seriously claim that this is the shortest river in Russia (!). Comments are unnecessary, although perhaps this can be treated. For example, diligent, systematic reading.
On the question of the name Reprois, which sounds almost French. Sometimes in this regard they mention the famous foreigner - the Prince of Oldenburg, who did a lot for this resort town, which he loved so much. But he, of course, did not name the river, although the first mentions of it, recorded in documents created at the beginning of the 20th century at the climate station in Gagra, are associated with the name of its founder. Abkhaz scientists explain that it was originally called Rypryyua, but over time the name changed slightly.
This very small river is interesting not only in its length and name:
Apparently, because the inhabitants of Abkhazia are wise people who live a correct, happy life in fabulous places given to them by nature and fate, and, of course, are very different from the bustling antipodes from overseas, then the question of submitting an application to some The book of records is being considered, but no one is in a hurry on this issue.
Anyone who is going to relax in Sochi can be recommended to visit, located just a few tens of kilometers from it, the beautiful mountainous “country of the soul”, as the locals call it, Abkhazia, so that the shortest river in the world appears in person, remains in photographs as a memory of these amazing places.
Have you ever wondered what the smallest river in the world is? It is possible that there are several such water bodies. But the most famous small river is Reprua.
And now more about what the smallest river in the world is.
Abkhazia - the birthplace of a small river
An interesting natural object in the form of a short river is located on the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia, and more specifically, in the area of the resort town of Gagra.
It is paradoxical that Gagra is the longest Abkhaz city, and Reprua is the shortest river in the world.
Description
Reprua is a rather modest river, occupying an area of 18 meters. Its width is also quite small - only 10 meters. Needless to say, the depth of Reprua is quite insignificant - only a few centimeters.
It originates from the gushing spring of underground rivers, which flow at a depth of several meters in underground caves. It is also worth noting that Reprua consists of the waters of an underground river, which flows in the deepest cave in the world, Krubera-Voronya. Since the shortest river in the world is filled with underground water, it can be noted that the temperature of the river water is not at all high - only 11 o C, so it is impossible to stay in it for a long time.
Research evidence has shown that the waters of the smallest river are clean and suitable for drinking. They are even compared to pure spring waters.
18 meters after its beginning, the river flows into the Black Sea. But it is worth noting that the river “carries” its beginning and its end within the beach.
Local legend
It would seem that such a tiny body of water doesn’t receive a lot of attention? However, in Abkhazia there is even a legend dedicated to the river. It says that Reprua is nothing more than the tears of one of the daughters of the spirit of the underworld. This spirit lived on the shores of the Black Sea with his son and his three daughters, who were similar to each other. The daughters were engaged in cooking and sewing clothes, and the father was engaged in making weapons for his son and for other warrior-defenders of the Gagra Pass. Thanks to these weapons, the soldiers were invincible. But when the spirit died, there was no one to make weapons, and the son, along with his comrades, died at the hands of the attacking enemies. When enemy troops captured almost the entire Black Sea coast, they walled up the passages of three underground caves, which served as the sisters’ exit to their father and brother. Having learned about the death of their brother, the sisters, imprisoned in caves, began to shed bitter tears, which formed streams, and then rivers - Reprua, Anyakhamtsu and Bagerepstu, which are located close to each other.
This is how the indigenous Abkhazians, having composed a beautiful legend, told about the appearance of Reprua. Although scientific sources do not contain any information about its true origin and the time of its origin.
All these three rivers have cold waters with the same temperature as the springs. By the way, the name Bagerepsta translates as “cold river”.
The importance of the river for the city and population
Despite such modest parameters of the river, it still benefits the entire city. Reprua serves as a conductor for water intake throughout Gagra.
What else can you learn about the river?
Despite the fact that the river is shallow, it has never dried up during its entire existence. This is understandable, because it is replenished by groundwater.
The current of the Reprua is strong. Large stones protrude from its entire surface.
The river is home to representatives of aquatic flora and fauna: algae, plankton, single-celled organisms and small fish.
If we compare the Abkhazian Reprua with other small rivers of the world, we can note that this river is several times shorter than the others. For example, the Row River, which flows in the USA and also claims to be the smallest river in the world, has a length of 61 meters, which is not much for a river.
Name of the river: what does "reprua" mean?
The smallest river in the world has a name of Abkhazian origin, but with a French sound. "Reprua" is translated as "jumping". But this name does not carry any semantic meaning regarding the river, since Reprua is the name of not only a small river, but also a huge natural complex. The name represents “the outlet of fresh water into the coastal marine zone,” which is why the indigenous people call the river Reprua. By the way, cave exits open not only on the shore, near the sea, but also in the sea itself, at a depth of 5-10 meters. To more accurately imagine the “reprue” process, you can simply fill a bath full of water, place it on the bottom of the shower with the holes facing up and turn on the powerful water pressure. “Springs” are formed on the surface of the water, simulating the release of groundwater to the earth’s surface.
Conclusion
Even the smallest body of water does not go unnoticed by scientists and tourists. Reprua is a famous Abkhaz river, which has acquired its own legend. It has become a place where tourists come every year to look at the river, whose proportions do not exceed the size of a standard swimming pool.
It is surprising that such a “river” record was set in a small republic. Several dozen reservoirs can lay claim to the title of the smallest river in Russia. In total, there are about 3 million small rivers in the Russian Federation.
We present to your attention a list of the 10 shortest rivers in the world:
1 place. The Reprua River is the smallest river in the world, it is located in Abkhazia, its length is only 18 meters. It is a powerful outlet of an underground karst river, which is fed by water accumulating in deep caves, including the deepest cave in the world, Krubera-Voronya.
As the ancient Abkhaz legend says, Reprua are the tears of the daughters of the underground spirit. The spirit had three daughters and one son, the spirit forged armor and weapons that made the Abkhaz warriors invincible. After the spirit died, there was no one to make weapons and the son, along with other warriors, died in battle with the enemies. Enemy warriors blocked the passage from the three caves in which the sisters lived. Realizing that their brother was dead, the sisters began to cry and the river Reprua and others began to flow from the entrances.
2nd place. The length of the Kovasselva River on the island of Hitra (Norway) averages 20 meters. The length of the river may vary depending on the tide.
3rd place. The length of the Ombla River in Croatia is only 30 meters. It flows northeast of the city of Dubrovnik. Despite its small size, the river supplies the city with drinking water. The average annual flow of the river is more than 24 cubic meters per second. They plan to build a hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 68 megawatts on the river, however, due to the possible danger to the environment, the project has its opponents.
4th place. D River is located in Oregon. Its length at the most favorable moment for setting a record is 37 meters. However, its actual length is 130 m, and this is the figure recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Until 1989, the Book considered Dee River the smallest river in the world.
5th place. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Roe River in Montana is currently the smallest river in the world. Its length is 61 meters. It is not known why the staff of the Guinness Book of Records still considers it the shortest, because obviously it is not so. Most likely they just don’t get around to it.
6th place. The Aril River flows in Verona (Italy). Its length is 175 meters, and the discharge rate is 14 cubic meters per second every second. This is the smallest river in Italy. It is fed from underground sources. Despite the small length, 3 bridges have been built across the Aril; there is also an oil mill and several mills.
7th place. The Fiumelatte River in northern Italy flows for a distance of 250 meters, after which it flows into Lake Como. The name consists of two Italian words fiume (river) and latte (milk). Interestingly, in mid-October the river dries up and reappears only in the second half of March. Leonardo da Vinci himself mentioned Fiumilatta.
8th place. The Vrelo (or Godina) River is located in Serbia and is 365 meters long. The second name of the river was not given by chance, because its length coincides with the number of days in a year. The Guinness Book of Records considers it the shortest river in Europe. There is a trout breeding farm and a mill on it. 3 bridges were built across the river. The small river ends with a beautiful waterfall that flows into the Drina River.
9th place. The River Bain is located in North Yorkshire (England). Its length is 3.95 km and it is the shortest river in England. Despite its size, a small hydroelectric power station was built on the river, which began operating in May 2011. The station's power is 45 kilowatts, which is enough for 40 houses.