The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, rising in Germany and flowing through 10 countries before emptying into the Black Sea. For hundreds of years it has served as an important trade route and transportation artery for the nations along its banks. Today the Danube remains a vital transportation route and source of hydroelectric power, with cities like Vienna, Budapest, and Belgrade relying on the river economically. Maintaining the river's role in both transportation and protecting its biodiversity remains important for the countries it flows through.

1. THE DANUBE RIVER
KIAN HENDRIK SCHMIDT
POWER POINT RESEARCH PROJECT YEAR 6

3. DANUBE RIVER IS
• THE SECOND LONGEST IN EUROPE AFTER THE VOLGA.
• IT RISES IN THE BLACK FOREST MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN
GERMANY.
• IT FLOWS FOR SOME 1,770 MILES (2,850 KM)
• … TO ITS MOUTH ON THE BLACK SEA.

6. SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHICAL
FEATURES
• THE UPPER DANUBE SPRINGS AS TWO SMALL STREAMS
- THE BREG AND THE BRIGACH -
… FROM THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE BLACK FOREST.
• THE HEADSTREAMS UNITE IN DONAUESCHINGEN.

7. SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHICAL
FEATURES
THE UPPER
DANUBE
SPRINGS AS
TWO SMALL
STREAMS
- THE BREG AND
BRIGACH -
IN BLACK
FOREST
MOUNTAINS OF
GERMANY.

8. ALONG ITS COURSE IT PASSES
THROUGH 10 COUNTRIES:
• GERMANY
• AUSTRIA
• SLOVAKIA
• HUNGARY
• CROATIA
• SERBIA
• BULGARIA
• ROMANIA
• MOLDOVA
• UKRAINE

9. SYNONYM / INTERNATIONAL NAMES
• ENGLISH DANUBE RIVER
• GERMAN DONAU
• SLOVAK DUNAJ
• HUNGARIAN DUNA
• SERBO-CROATIAN & BULGARIAN DUNAV
• ROMANIAN DUNĂREA
• UKRAINIAN DUNAY

10. SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHICAL
FEATURES
• THE DANUBE HAS A VAST DRAINAGE OF SOME 315,000 SQUARE
MILES (817,000 SQUARE KM).
• THERE IS A VARIETY OF THE NATURAL CONDITIONS, WHICH
AFFECT THE ORIGINS OF ITS WATERCOURSES.
• THE RESULT OF THIS PHYSIOGRAPHY IS THE FORMATION OF A
BRANCHING, DENSE, DEEPWATER RIVER NETWORK.
• THE RIVER NETWORK OF THE DANUBE INCLUDES SOME 300
TRIBUTARIES, MORE THAN 30 OF WHICH ARE NAVIGABLE.

13. “KAZAN GORGE”, SERBIA (LEFT) & ROMANIA (RIGHT)
A CONSTRICTION IN
THE IRON GATE GORGE
SYSTEM, UPSTREAM OF
THE ÐERDAP DAM,
DANUBE RIVER.
SERBIA IS ON THE LEFT
AND ROMANIA ON THE
RIGHT.

14. CONFLUENCE OF SAVA AND DANUBE RIVERS
IN BELGRADE, SERBIA
THE CONFLUENCE OF THE
SAVA (FOREGROUND) AND
DANUBE RIVERS
(BACKGROUND).
THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN
FROM THE KALEMEGDAN
FORTRESS, BELGRADE,
SERBIA.

15. THE IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE
• THE RIVER’S MAJESTY HAS LONG
BEEN CELEBRATED IN MUSIC.
• THE FAMOUS WALTZ AN DER
SCHÖNEN, BLAUEN DONAU (1867;
THE BLUE DANUBE), BY JOHANN
STRAUSS THE YOUNGER,
… BECAME THE SYMBOL OF IMPERIAL
VIENNA !!

16. JOHANN STRAUSS THE YOUNGER
Vienna

17. THE IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE
• THE DANUBE PLAYED
A VITAL ROLE IN THE
… SETTLEMENT AND
POLITICAL EVOLUTION
OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEASTERN
EUROPE.

18. THE IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE
• THE BANKS ALONG THE DANUBE
FORMED THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN
GREAT EMPIRES.
• THE BANKS ARE LINED WITH CASTLES
AND FORTRESSES.
• ONCE THEY PROTECTED THESE
GREAT EMPIRES.
• SOME OF THEM NOW DRAW TOURISTS
TO THE AREA.

19. THE IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE
• WE REMEMBER:
THE DANUBE RIVER IS THE SECOND LONGEST RIVER IN EUROPE.
• FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS IT HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT ROUTE FOR
TRADE AND TRAVEL THROUGHOUT CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN
EUROPE.

20. Rafts and boats at the
„Ferdinandsbrücke“ in Vienna,
Austria, 1825

21. THE IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE
• THE WATERS OF THE DANUBE SERVED AS A VITAL COMMERCIAL
HIGHWAY BETWEEN NATIONS ALONG ITS BANKS.
• AND THIS HAS NEVER CHANGED!
IN THE 21ST CENTURY THE DANUBE RIVER HAS CONTINUED ITS
ROLE AS AN IMPORTANT TRADE ARTERY.

22. FOR TRADE ...
… AND FOR TRAVEL !!

23. THE IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE
• THE DANUBE HAS BEEN HARNESSED FOR HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER,
PARTICULARLY ALONG THE UPPER COURSES.
• THE MOST FAMOUS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION IS IRON GATE II
… A LARGE DAM ON THE DANUBE RIVER, BETWEEN ROMANIA AND SERBIA,
… BUILD IN A NATURAL CONSTRICTION IN THE IRON GATE GORGE SYSTEM.
• THE PROJECT STARTED IN 1977. AT THE TIME OF COMPLETION IN 1984 THE DAM
HAD 16 UNITS GENERATING A TOTAL OF 432 MW.

24. IRON-GATE II - HYDROELECTRIC POWER-
STATION

25. IRON GATE II
HYDROELECTRIC
POWER STATION
GENERATING HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

26. SIGNIFICANT HUMAN GEOGRAPHICAL
FEATURES
• THE WATERS OF THE DANUBE SERVED AS A VITAL COMMERCIAL
HIGHWAY BETWEEN NATIONS.
• THE CITIES ALONG ITS BANKS, HAVE DEPENDED UPON IT FOR THEIR
ECONOMIC GROWTH
… INCLUDING THE NATIONAL CAPITALS OF VIENNA (AUSTRIA),
BUDAPEST (HUNGARY), AND BELGRADE (SERBIA).
CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ON THE
DANUBE STILL RELY HEAVILY ON THE RIVER
FOR TRADE !!

27. DANUBE RIVER & CANAL, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
DANUBE RIVER (LEFT) AND DANUBE CANAL (RIGHT) IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA.

28. DANUBE RIVER, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
HUNGARY’S PARLIAMENT
BUILDING,
ON THE DANUBE RIVER,
BUDAPEST.

29. DANUBE RIVER, BELGRAD, SERBIA

30. PLANTS AND ANIMALS ALONG THE DANUBE
• THE DANUBE IS THE MAJOR RIVER OF EUROPE, CONNECTING
CENTRAL EUROPE TO THE SOUTH-EASTERN PARTS.
• BECAUSE OF ITS LARGE AREA AND VERY DIVERSE HABITATS
 GRAVEL ISLANDS ON THE UPPER RIVER
 LARGE REMAINING FOREST FLOODPLAINS
 EXTENDED WETLANDS ON THE LOWER RIVER –
… IT PROVIDES SUITABLE LIVING CONDITIONS FOR A LARGE NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT SPECIES.

31. THE DANUBE RIVER – EUROPE’S BACKBONE
OF BIODIVERSITY
THE COMPLETE RIVER BASIN,
INCLUDING TRIBUTARIES, IS HOME
TO AROUND
• 2,000 PLANT AND
• 5,000 ANIMAL SPECIES,
… INCLUDING NUMEROUS
ENDANGERED OR NEARLY EXTINCT
SPECIES.

32. THE AIM: CONSERVATION OF NATURAL
PROCESSES
THE INCREDIBLE BIODIVERSITY IN
FLOODPLAINS IS BASED ON THE
… WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT HABITATS
… DEVELOPED BY THE PERMANENT
CHANGE OF PARAMETERS OF THE WATER
REGIME.
HIGHLY DYNAMIC RIVER HABITATS - LIKE
GRAVEL BANKS AND SANDY ISLANDS - ARE
SOME OF THE MOST ENDANGERED
ECOSYSTEMS.
 NATURE PROTECTION ON A RIVER
HAS TO BE BASED ON RIVER
DYNAMICS.

33. SIGNIFICANT HUMAN GEOGRAPHICAL
FEATURES
• NOWADAYS THE DANUBE IS STILL OF GREAT ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE TO THE
10 COUNTRIES THAT BORDER IT.
UKRAINE, MOLDOVA, ROMANIA, SERBIA, CROATIA, HUNGARY, BULGARIA, SLOVAKIA, AUSTRIA, AND
GERMANY.
• ALL OF WHICH VARIOUSLY USE THE RIVER FOR:
• FREIGHT TRANSPORT
• THE GENERATION OF HYDROELECTRICITY
• INDUSTRIAL AND RESIDENTIAL WATER SUPPLIES
• IRRIGATION
• AND FISHING.
• THE MOVEMENT OF FREIGHT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC USE OF THE
DANUBE.

34. CONCLUSION:
THE BEST STRATEGY FOR THE NATIONS ALONG THE
DANUBE IS
TO FOCUS ON BOTH - TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT !!

35. SOURCES
• HTTP://WWW.BRITANNICA.COM/PLACE/DANUBE-RIVER
• HTTP://KIDS.BRITANNICA.COM/ELEMENTARY/ARTICLE-439434/DANUBE-RIVER
• HTTP://WORLDTRADESCANNER.COM/DANUBE%20FREEZES%20HAMPERING%20TRADE.HTM
• HTTPS://EUOBSERVER.COM/TRANSPORT/28387
• HTTP://WWW.RAILTOURS.AT/SONDERANGEBOTE/DEUTSCHLAND/PASSAU/SCHIFFFAHRT-IN-PASSAU-6-
10628-1.HTML
• HTTP://WIRTSCHAFTSBLATT.AT/HOME/NACHRICHTEN/EUROPA_CEE/1460074/DONAUSCHIFFFAHRT-
ERHAELT-RUCKENWIND-AUS-DER-TURKEI
• HTTP://MAGAZIN.WOXIKON.DE/29286/BUDAPEST-HISTORISCHES-JUWEL-IM-HERZEN-EUROPAS/
• HTTPS://DE.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/DONAU
• HTTP://I.YTIMG.COM/VI/MZI5AIJW7WO/MAXRESDEFAULT.JPG
• HTTP://WWW.WRMJOURNAL.COM/INDEX.PHP?OPTION=COM_CONTENT&VIEW=ARTICLE&ID=151:MONITO
RING-OF-THE-IRON-GATE-HYDROPOWER-AND-NAVIGATION-SYSTEM-ON-THE-DANUBE-
RIVER&CATID=45:NO-9&ITEMID=182
• HTTP://FISHINGLIFESTYLE.NET/2010/08/5-THINGS-YOU-MUST-KNOW-ABOUT-PIKE-FISHING/
• HTTP://WWW.ICPDR.ORG/MAIN/PUBLICATIONS/DANUBE-RIVER-EUROPES-BACKBONE-BIODIVERSITY
• HTTP://IAG.ME/SOCIALMEDIA/STOP-SAYING-THANKS-ON-SOCIAL-MEDIA/