Oder
Oder is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 51.68°, 16.26°
About Oder
The Oder ( OH-dər; Czech and Polish: Odra) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows 742 kilometres (461 mi) through western Poland, later forming 187 kilometres (116 mi) of the border between Poland and Germany as part of the Oder–Neisse line. The river ultimately flows into the Szczecin Lagoon north of Szczecin and then into three branches (the Dziwna, Świna and Peene) that empty into the Bay of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Oder (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Oder in Depth
Geography
The Oder is 840 kilometres (522 miles) long: 112 km (70 miles) in the Czech Republic, 726 km (451 miles) in Poland (including 187 km (116 miles) on the border between Germany and Poland). It is the third longest river located within Poland (after the Vistula and Warta); however, it is the second longest river overall taking into account its total length, including parts in neighbouring countries.
The Oder drains a basin of 119,074 square kilometres (45,975 sq mi), 106,043 km2 (40,943 sq mi) of which are in Poland (89%), 7,246 km2 (2,798 sq mi) in the Czech Republic (6%), and 5,587 km2 (2,157 sq mi) in Germany (5%). Channels connect it to the Havel, Spree, Vistula system and Kłodnica.
History
Under Germania Magna, the river was known to the Romans as the Viadrus or Viadua in Classical Latin, as it was a branch of the Amber Road from the Baltic Sea to the Roman Empire. In Germanic languages, including English, it was, and still is called the Oder, written in medieval Latin documents as Odera or Oddera. Most notably, it was mentioned in the Dagome iudex, which described territory of the Duchy of Poland under Duke Mieszko I in A.D. 990, as a part of Poland's western frontier, however, in most sections the border ran west of the river.
Before Slavs settled along its banks, the Oder was an important trade route, and towns in Germania were documented along with many tribes living between the rivers Albis (Elbe), Oder, and Vistula.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Oder (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Oder: Key Facts
| Length | 854 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 480 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 125,000 km² |
| Mouth | Baltic Sea |
| Drainage system | Oder Basin |
| Tributaries | Psina, Osobłoga, Oława, Kaczawa, Bóbr, Lusatian Nysa, Welse, Warta |
Facts from Wikidata Q552 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Oder: Quick Answers
- Where is Oder?
- Oder is located in Poland and Czechia and Germany, at 51.6810° N, 16.2617° E.
- Are there dams on the Oder?
- No dam on the Oder is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.