List of longest rivers of Ukraine facts for kids

Ukraine is a country with many rivers, about 23,000 of them! This article will tell you about the most important ones. Most of these rivers flow south into the Black Sea and Azov Sea. These seas are part of the larger Mediterranean Sea area. They usually flow south, but some rivers, like parts of the Pripyat and Dniester, flow in different directions. A few rivers in western Ukraine flow northwest through Poland and end up in the Baltic Sea. The Western Bug is one of these.

The biggest and most famous rivers are the Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Buh, and Siverskyi Donets. The Dnieper is the longest river in Ukraine. Its longest branch, or 'tributary', is the Desna. Even though the Danube itself only flows a short distance in Ukraine, two of its Ukrainian branches, the Prut and Tysa, are longer than the Danube within Ukraine.

Hydrographic zones in Ukraine

A NASA satellite image of the Dnieper and its branches.

River Basins in Ukraine

Ukraine's land can be split into nine main areas based on where its rivers flow. These areas are called river basins. Think of a basin as a giant bowl where all the rain and melted snow eventually flow into one main river.

The main river basins in Ukraine include:

• The Wisła basin (which includes the Western Bug and San rivers).
• The Danube basin.
• The Dniester basin.
• The Southern Bug basin.
• The Dnieper basin.
• The Don basin.
• Rivers that flow directly into the Black Sea.
• Rivers that flow directly into the Sea of Azov.
• Rivers found only in Crimea.

The largest river basin in Ukraine is the Dnieper basin. It's so big that it's divided into smaller parts, like the Pripyat basin, the Desna basin, and the Middle and Lower Dnieper basins. The Danube basin is also divided into smaller parts, such as the Tysa basin, the Prut and Siret basin, and the Lower Danube basin.

Major Rivers of Ukraine

Here is a list of Ukraine's major rivers. We've included rivers that are longer than 150 kilometers (about 93 miles). The lengths are given in kilometers.

Black Sea basin

•      Dnieper's tributaries
•      Southern Bug's tributaries
•      Dniester's tributaries
•      Danube's tributaries
•      Black Sea estuaries' tributaries

Sea of Azov basin

•      Siverskyi Donets' tributaries
•      Kalmius's tributaries
•      Salhir's tributaries
•      Mius' tributaries

Baltic Sea basin

•      Western Bug's tributaries

Fun Facts About Ukraine's Rivers

• The Dnieper river carries the most water in Ukraine. Every year, it moves about 52.42 cubic kilometers of water!
• The Danube river, which flows through many countries in Central Europe, only runs for 174 kilometers in Ukraine. But it's still a huge river, moving about 123 cubic kilometers of water each year.
• The Dniester is the deepest river in Ukraine. In one part, near the Dniester canyon, it can be up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) deep!
• The biggest river delta in Ukraine belongs to the Dnieper. A delta is a landform that forms at the mouth of a river, where it flows into an ocean, sea, or lake. The Dnieper's delta is about 350 square kilometers (about 135 square miles) in size. The Danube Delta within Ukraine is smaller, at 120 square kilometers.

Images for kids

• 

  The Dnieper River passes through many cities — notably Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. In Kyiv, more than seven bridges cross the river.

• 

  A map of the Southern Buh flowing through Ukraine (in Lithuanian).

• 

  Kalmius river, Donetsk

See also

• Waterfalls of Ukraine
• List of rivers of Europe
• Category:Rivers of Ukraine