List of rivers of Lithuania facts for kids

The rivers of Lithuania are like calm, slow-moving streams. They often curve and wind, creating wide valleys. Imagine a giant spiderweb of water – that's how dense the river network is! On average, almost 1 kilometer of river flows through every square kilometer of land. This is because Lithuania gets a lot of rain.

However, these rivers aren't spread out perfectly evenly. You'll find more rivers packed together in the Samogitian Highlands, where it rains a lot. Northern Lithuania also has many rivers because its clay soil holds water on the surface. But in southeastern Lithuania, where the soil is sandy, rainwater quickly sinks underground, so there are fewer visible rivers.

The Šventoji River flows near Vepriai.

Major River Systems

Most of Lithuania's land, about 70%, is drained by the mighty Neman River and its smaller rivers that flow into it. This means that water from a huge part of the country eventually reaches the Neman.

There are five other smaller river systems, mostly found near Lithuania's borders:

• The Mūša-Nemunėlis rivers, which flow into the Lielupe river.
• The Venta river.
• The Daugava river.
• Smaller rivers that flow directly into the Baltic Sea.
• The Pregolya river system.

River Behavior Through Seasons

In winter, all of Lithuania's rivers freeze over, turning into icy pathways. When spring arrives, the snow and ice melt, causing almost all rivers to flood. Usually, only the Neman River delta, which is where the river spreads out before reaching the sea, sees water overflowing its banks.

Today, large floods are less common. Dams help control the water flow, and drainage systems have lowered water levels in most rivers. In western Lithuania, rivers sometimes flood unexpectedly in the fall due to heavy rains. In eastern Lithuania, rivers tend to have a more steady water flow. This is because they are connected to lakes that help regulate the water, and the sandy soil quickly soaks up extra rain or melted snow.

Rivers and Human Impact

Between 1945 and 1990, during the Soviet era, many rivers faced challenges. A lot of swamps were drained, which meant they could no longer feed the rivers with water. Some smaller rivers were even straightened and turned into simple drainage canals, changing their natural flow.

How Many Rivers Are There?

Lithuania has about 29,000 waterways that are longer than 0.25 kilometers (a quarter of a kilometer). If you put all these waterways end-to-end, they would stretch for about 65,000 kilometers!

More precisely, there are 4,418 rivers and small streams that are longer than 3 kilometers. Out of these, 758 rivers are longer than 10 kilometers. Lithuania is home to 21 rivers that are longer than 100 kilometers (about 62 miles).

Longest Rivers in Lithuania

Here is a list of the longest rivers that flow through Lithuania:

The Virvyčia river is almost 100 kilometers long, measuring 99.7 kilometers. There's also some discussion about the exact length of the Žeimena river, which could be up to 114 kilometers.

It's important to know that when we talk about the length of rivers "in Lithuania," this includes any parts of the rivers that form borders with neighboring countries.

See also

• List of drainage basins of Lithuania