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Maritsa

January 07, 2023

For other uses, see Maritsa (disambiguation).

Maritsa or Maritza (Bulgarian: Марица [mɐˈrit͡sɐ]), also known as Meriç (Turkish: Meriç [meɾit͡ʃ]) and Evros (Greek: Έβρος [ˈevros]), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of 480 km (300 mi),[3] it is the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkan peninsula, and one of the largest in Europe by discharge. It flows through Bulgaria in its upper and middle reaches, while its lower course forms much of the border between Greece and Turkey. Its drainage area is about 53,000 km2 (20,000 sq mi), of which 66.2% is in Bulgaria, 27.5% in Turkey and 6.3% in Greece.[1] It is the main river of the historical region of Thrace, most of which lies in its drainage basin.

Maritsa
Évros, Meriç
The source valley of the Maritsa river in the Rila Mountains with Marichini Lakes
Native name
Location
Countries
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationRila Mountains, Bulgaria
 • elevation2,378 m (7,802 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Aegean Sea, 14.5 km (9.0 mi) east of Alexandroupoli
 • coordinates
40°43′50″N 26°2′6″E / 40.73056°N 26.03500°E / 40.73056; 26.03500Coordinates: 40°43′50″N 26°2′6″E / 40.73056°N 26.03500°E / 40.73056; 26.03500
Length480 km (300 mi)
Basin size53,000 km2 (20,000 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • averagefor mouth 234 m3/s (8,300 cu ft/s)[2]
Map of the river

It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria, its source being the Marichini Lakes. The Maritsa flows east-southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains, past Plovdiv and Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria to Edirne in Turkey. East of Svilengrad, Bulgaria, the river flows eastwards, forming the border between Bulgaria (on the north bank) and Greece (on the south bank), and then between Turkey and Greece. At Edirne, the river meets it two chief tributaries Tundzha and Arda, and flows through Turkish territory on both banks. It then turns towards the south and forms the border between Greece on the west bank and Turkey on the east bank all the way to the Aegean Sea, which it enters near Enez forming a river delta. The upper Maritsa valley is a principal east–west route in Bulgaria. The unnavigable river is used for power production and irrigation.

Etymology

The earliest known name of the river is Εύρος (Euros, Alcman, 7th–6th century BC).[4] Proto-Indo-European *h₁wérus and Ancient Greek εὐρύς meant "wide".[4] The Proto-Indo-European consonant cluster *-wr- shifted in Thracian to -br-, creating the Thracian name Ebros.[4] Thereafter, the river began to be known as Ἕβρος (Hébros) in Greek and Hebrus in Latin.[5] Rather than an origin as 'wide river', an alternative hypothesis is that is borrowed from Thracian ebros meaning 'splasher'.[6]

While the name Ἕβρος (Hébros) was used in Ancient Greek, the name Μαρίτσα (Maritsa) had become standard before the ancient form Ἕβρος was artificially restituted in Modern Greek as Έβρος (now: Évros).[7] The name Maritsa may derive from a mountain near the mouth of the river known in antiquity as Μηρισός or Μήριζος, Latinized as Merit(h)us.[4][unreliable source?]

History

In 1371, the river was the site of the Battle of Maritsa, also known as the battle of Chernomen, an Ottoman victory over the Serbian rulers Vukašin Mrnjavčević and Jovan Uglješa, who died in the battle.

Migration

See also: European migrant crisis

The Maritsa river as a natural barrier on the border between Turkey and Greece has become a major route for migrants from a variety of countries attempting to enter the EU irregularly.[8] Between 2000 and 2019, 398 bodies were found on the Greek side of the Maritsa river. Up until that time, drowning in the Maritsa was the leading cause of death among migrants trying to enter Greece.[9]

Following the heavy losses Turkish armed forces incurred at the hands of the Russian-backed Syrian government in northern Syria at the end of February 2020, a drastic change in Turkey's policy towards irregular migrants on its territory led to escalation of the situation at the Evros border crossings as well as exacerbation of tension between Turkey on one hand and Greece and the EU as a whole on the other hand.[10][11]

In May 2020, news emerged that Turkish forces occupied a 16 acres (6.5 ha) of Greek territory, Melissokomeio, as shown on maps of 1923, following a change in the flow of the Maritsa river.[12]

Tributaries

 
The middle course of the Maritsa River at Nova Nadezhda, Bulgaria
 
The Meriç River at Edirne

Starting from the river's source, significant tributaries of Maritsa include:

Floods

 
March-2005 Maritsa river floods, Greek side, close to Lavara village.
 
Satellite image of floods along the river in 2006.

The lower course of the river Maritsa, where it forms the border of Greece and Turkey, is very vulnerable to flooding. For about 4 months every year, the low lands around the river are flooded. This causes significant economic damage (loss of agricultural production and damage to infrastructure), which is estimated at several hundreds million Euro.[13]

Recent large floods took place in 2006, 2007, 2014, with the largest flood taking place in 2021. Several causes have been proposed: more rainfall due to climate change, deforestation in the Bulgarian part of the catchment area, increased land use in the flood plains and difficult communication between the three countries.[13]

Honours

Maritsa Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Maritsa River.

La Maritza is also a 1968 song written by Jean Renard and Pierre Delanoë and interpreted by Sylvie Vartan.

Hebrus Valles on Mars is named after this river.

The Bulgarian Maritsa motorway, which roughly follows the course of the river from Chirpan (where it branches out of the Trakia motorway) to the Turkish border at Kapitan Andreevo, is also named in honour of the river.

Gallery

  •  

    Spring freshet of Maritsa River at Harmanli

  •  

    View from the river, Edirne.

  •  

    The river viewed from Turkey. Greek land visible on the right.

  •  

    Boat on the delta.

Notes

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maritsa.
  1. ^ a b (in Greek). Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change. p. 90. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020.
  2. ^ inweb.gr
  3. ^ Statistical Yearbook 2017, National Statistical Institute (Bulgaria), p. 17
  4. ^ a b c d Georgiev, Vladimir Ivanov Georgiev (1981). Introduction to the History of the Indo-European Languages (1981, p. 351). ISBN 9789535172611.
  5. ^ Florov, Nicholas; Florov, Irina (2001). Three-thousand-year-old Hat. Michigan University. ISBN 9780968848708.
  6. ^ Duridanov, Ivan (1985). Die Sprache der Thraker. Neuried: Hieronymus Verlag. ISBN 978-3-88893-031-7. OCLC 18925921.
  7. ^ Schramm, Gottfried (1981): Eroberer und Eingesessene. Geographische Lehnnamen als Zeugen der Geschichte Südosteuropas im ersten Jahrtausend n. Chr. Stuttgart: Hiersemann, pp.290f. Referenced in Carsten Peust, How Old Are the River Names of Europe?, Linguistik Online, 2015
  8. ^ Evros: The immigrants' gateway. PBS.org, May 16, 2011.
  9. ^ Pavlidis, Pavlos; Karakasi, Maria-Valeria (2019). "Greek land borders and migration fatalities - Humanitarian disaster described from the standpoint of Evros". Forensic Science International. 302: 109875. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.109875. ISSN 1872-6283. PMID 31378400. S2CID 199438113.
  10. ^ Turkish police bolster Greek border to stop migrants' return. 6 March 2020.
  11. ^ Greece Defends Borders as Erdogan Opens the Gates: Live Updates. 1 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Athens lodges demarche with Ankara over Evros dispute". ekathimerini.com. 22 May 2020.
  13. ^ a b Environmental management of big riverine floods: the case of Evros River in Greece, Z. Nivolianitou, B. Synodinou

References

  • "МАРИЦА (антично име: Хеброс, Хебър)". Българска енциклопедия А-Я (in Bulgarian). БАН, Труд, Сирма. 2002. ISBN 954-8104-08-3. OCLC 163361648.

January 07, 2023
maritsa, other, uses, disambiguation, maritza, bulgarian, Марица, mɐˈrit, also, known, meriç, turkish, meriç, meɾit, evros, greek, Έβρος, ˈevros, river, that, runs, through, balkans, southeast, europe, with, length, longest, river, that, runs, solely, interior. For other uses see Maritsa disambiguation Maritsa or Maritza Bulgarian Marica mɐˈrit sɐ also known as Meric Turkish Meric meɾit ʃ and Evros Greek Ebros ˈevros is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe With a length of 480 km 300 mi 3 it is the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkan peninsula and one of the largest in Europe by discharge It flows through Bulgaria in its upper and middle reaches while its lower course forms much of the border between Greece and Turkey Its drainage area is about 53 000 km2 20 000 sq mi of which 66 2 is in Bulgaria 27 5 in Turkey and 6 3 in Greece 1 It is the main river of the historical region of Thrace most of which lies in its drainage basin MaritsaEvros MericThe source valley of the Maritsa river in the Rila Mountains with Marichini LakesNative nameMarica Bulgarian Ebros Greek Meric Turkish LocationCountriesBulgariaGreeceTurkeyPhysical characteristicsSource locationRila Mountains Bulgaria elevation2 378 m 7 802 ft Mouth locationAegean Sea 14 5 km 9 0 mi east of Alexandroupoli coordinates40 43 50 N 26 2 6 E 40 73056 N 26 03500 E 40 73056 26 03500 Coordinates 40 43 50 N 26 2 6 E 40 73056 N 26 03500 E 40 73056 26 03500Length480 km 300 mi Basin size53 000 km2 20 000 sq mi 1 Discharge averagefor mouth 234 m3 s 8 300 cu ft s 2 Map of the river It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria its source being the Marichini Lakes The Maritsa flows east southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains past Plovdiv and Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria to Edirne in Turkey East of Svilengrad Bulgaria the river flows eastwards forming the border between Bulgaria on the north bank and Greece on the south bank and then between Turkey and Greece At Edirne the river meets it two chief tributaries Tundzha and Arda and flows through Turkish territory on both banks It then turns towards the south and forms the border between Greece on the west bank and Turkey on the east bank all the way to the Aegean Sea which it enters near Enez forming a river delta The upper Maritsa valley is a principal east west route in Bulgaria The unnavigable river is used for power production and irrigation Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Migration 4 Tributaries 5 Floods 6 Honours 7 Gallery 8 Notes 9 ReferencesEtymology EditThe earliest known name of the river is Eyros Euros Alcman 7th 6th century BC 4 Proto Indo European h werus and Ancient Greek eὐrys meant wide 4 The Proto Indo European consonant cluster wr shifted in Thracian to br creating the Thracian name Ebros 4 Thereafter the river began to be known as Ἕbros Hebros in Greek and Hebrus in Latin 5 Rather than an origin as wide river an alternative hypothesis is that is borrowed from Thracian ebros meaning splasher 6 While the name Ἕbros Hebros was used in Ancient Greek the name Maritsa Maritsa had become standard before the ancient form Ἕbros was artificially restituted in Modern Greek as Ebros now Evros 7 The name Maritsa may derive from a mountain near the mouth of the river known in antiquity as Mhrisos or Mhrizos Latinized as Merit h us 4 unreliable source History EditIn 1371 the river was the site of the Battle of Maritsa also known as the battle of Chernomen an Ottoman victory over the Serbian rulers Vukasin Mrnjavcevic and Jovan Ugljesa who died in the battle Migration EditSee also European migrant crisis The Maritsa river as a natural barrier on the border between Turkey and Greece has become a major route for migrants from a variety of countries attempting to enter the EU irregularly 8 Between 2000 and 2019 398 bodies were found on the Greek side of the Maritsa river Up until that time drowning in the Maritsa was the leading cause of death among migrants trying to enter Greece 9 Following the heavy losses Turkish armed forces incurred at the hands of the Russian backed Syrian government in northern Syria at the end of February 2020 a drastic change in Turkey s policy towards irregular migrants on its territory led to escalation of the situation at the Evros border crossings as well as exacerbation of tension between Turkey on one hand and Greece and the EU as a whole on the other hand 10 11 In May 2020 news emerged that Turkish forces occupied a 16 acres 6 5 ha of Greek territory Melissokomeio as shown on maps of 1923 following a change in the flow of the Maritsa river 12 Tributaries Edit The middle course of the Maritsa River at Nova Nadezhda Bulgaria The Meric River at Edirne Starting from the river s source significant tributaries of Maritsa include Left tributaries Topolnitsa flows into Maritsa near Pazardzhik Luda Yana near Ognyanovo Stryama near Sadovo Sazliyka near Simeonovgrad Tundzha Tunca in Edirne Ergene near Ipsala Right tributaries Chepinska reka near Septemvri Vacha near Stamboliyski Chepelarska reka near Sadovo Harmanliyska reka near Harmanli Arda Ardas near Edirne Erythropotamos Luda reka near Didymoteicho Floods Edit March 2005 Maritsa river floods Greek side close to Lavara village Satellite image of floods along the river in 2006 The lower course of the river Maritsa where it forms the border of Greece and Turkey is very vulnerable to flooding For about 4 months every year the low lands around the river are flooded This causes significant economic damage loss of agricultural production and damage to infrastructure which is estimated at several hundreds million Euro 13 Recent large floods took place in 2006 2007 2014 with the largest flood taking place in 2021 Several causes have been proposed more rainfall due to climate change deforestation in the Bulgarian part of the catchment area increased land use in the flood plains and difficult communication between the three countries 13 Honours EditMaritsa Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands Antarctica is named after Maritsa River La Maritza is also a 1968 song written by Jean Renard and Pierre Delanoe and interpreted by Sylvie Vartan Hebrus Valles on Mars is named after this river The Bulgarian Maritsa motorway which roughly follows the course of the river from Chirpan where it branches out of the Trakia motorway to the Turkish border at Kapitan Andreevo is also named in honour of the river Gallery Edit Spring freshet of Maritsa River at Harmanli View from the river Edirne The river viewed from Turkey Greek land visible on the right Boat on the delta Notes Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maritsa a b Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment in Greek Ministry of Environment Energy and Climate Change p 90 Archived from the original on 15 February 2020 inweb gr Statistical Yearbook 2017 National Statistical Institute Bulgaria p 17 a b c d Georgiev Vladimir Ivanov Georgiev 1981 Introduction to the History of the Indo European Languages 1981 p 351 ISBN 9789535172611 Florov Nicholas Florov Irina 2001 Three thousand year old Hat Michigan University ISBN 9780968848708 Duridanov Ivan 1985 Die Sprache der Thraker Neuried Hieronymus Verlag ISBN 978 3 88893 031 7 OCLC 18925921 Schramm Gottfried 1981 Eroberer und Eingesessene Geographische Lehnnamen als Zeugen der Geschichte Sudosteuropas im ersten Jahrtausend n Chr Stuttgart Hiersemann pp 290f Referenced in Carsten Peust How Old Are the River Names of Europe Linguistik Online 2015 Evros The immigrants gateway PBS org May 16 2011 Pavlidis Pavlos Karakasi Maria Valeria 2019 Greek land borders and migration fatalities Humanitarian disaster described from the standpoint of Evros Forensic Science International 302 109875 doi 10 1016 j forsciint 2019 109875 ISSN 1872 6283 PMID 31378400 S2CID 199438113 Turkish police bolster Greek border to stop migrants return 6 March 2020 Greece Defends Borders as Erdogan Opens the Gates Live Updates 1 March 2020 Athens lodges demarche with Ankara over Evros dispute ekathimerini com 22 May 2020 a b Environmental management of big riverine floods the case of Evros River in Greece Z Nivolianitou B SynodinouReferences Edit MARICA antichno ime Hebros Hebr Blgarska enciklopediya A Ya in Bulgarian BAN Trud Sirma 2002 ISBN 954 8104 08 3 OCLC 163361648 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Maritsa amp oldid 1116872347, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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