Desna (river)
| Desna | |
|---|---|
The Dnieper and the Desna rivers' drainage basin. In this map, Belarus is shown in yellow, Russia in green and Ukraine in deep red. | |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | Russia, Ukraine |
| Cities | Bryansk, Novhorod-Siverskyi, Chernihiv, Kyiv |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Smolensk Upland, Russia |
| • coordinates | 54°35′16″N 33°17′32″E / 54.58778°N 33.29222°E |
| Mouth | Desna Delta |
• location | just north of Kyiv, Ukraine |
• coordinates | 50°33′02″N 30°32′21″E / 50.55056°N 30.53917°E |
| Length | 1,130 km (700 mi) |
| Basin size | 88,900 km2 (34,300 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Kyiv |
| • average | 360 m3/s (13,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Dnieper→ Dnieper–Bug estuary→ Black Sea |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Seym, Oster |
| • right | Sudost |
The Desna (Russian and Ukrainian: Десна) is a river in Russia and Ukraine, a major left-tributary of the Dnieper. Its name in Old East Slavic: деснъ means lit. "right hand". It has a length of 1,130 km (702 mi), and its drainage basin covers 88,900 km2 (34,324 sq mi).
In Ukraine, the river's width ranges from 60 to 250 metres (200 to 820 ft), with its average depth being 3 m (10 ft). The mean annual discharge at its mouth is 360 m3/s (13,000 cu ft/s). The river freezes over from early December to early April, and is navigable from Novhorod-Siverskyi to its mouth, a length of about 535 km (332 mi).
The water level of the river reached its lowest recorded point in 140 years in June 2020. This water level was 5 m (16 ft) below normal for that time of year.