Danube River

Introduction
Physical features
- Physiography
- Hydrology
The economy
History

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Map showing the Danube River basin across central and southeastern Europe, with the Danube and its tributaries highlighted. Elevation is indicated by color shading, and major cities, country boundaries, and drainage basin limits are marked. An inset locator map shows the basin's position within Europe.

Travel along the Danube River to see how it connects the Balkan region to the rest of Europe

Clear stream marking the source of the Isar River flows through dense green shrubs and pine trees in the Karwendelgebirge mountains, Bavaria, Germany.

A wide river winds through a green valley with forested hills and mountains on both sides, small villages and farmland along the banks, and a dam visible in the distance.

At a Glance

Danube River summary

Quizzes

Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.

Guess the City by Its River Quiz

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Related Questions

How are reeds from the Danube delta used by people?
How did Greek sailors use the lower Danube River in the 7th century BCE?
How did World War II interrupt international navigation on the Danube River?
How did dredging and straightening make the Sulina Channel easier for ships to use?
How did the Iron Gate dam change travel through the Danube River gorge?
How do dams and dikes improve navigation on the upper Danube River?
How do dams change the movement of silt in the Danube River?
How do the Breg and Brigach streams form the Danube River?
How do the Drava, Tisza, and Sava rivers affect the Danube River's flow?
How does melting snow in the Alps affect the Danube River's water level?
How does the Danube River form part of the border between Romania and Ukraine?
How does the Danube River split into channels in its delta?
How does the Danube–Black Sea Canal provide a more direct route to the Black Sea?
How does the Inn River change the upper Danube River at Passau?
How does the Iron Gate project produce electricity and improve navigation?
How does the Main–Danube Canal link the Danube River to the Rhine River and North Sea?
How have pollution and river development affected fishing grounds in the Danube River?
How is the Danube River divided into upper, middle, and lower courses?
How long is the Danube River?
How many locks does the Main–Danube Canal have?
How many tributaries flow into the Danube River?
How quickly does the Danube delta grow toward the Black Sea?
How was the Danube delta formed along the Black Sea coast?
How were the islands near Bratislava formed by the Danube River?
When was the Main–Danube Canal completed?
Where are the Hungarian Gates and the Iron Gate on the Danube River?
Where do the Breg and Brigach headstreams meet?
Where does the Danube River begin and end?
Which Danube delta channel carries the largest share of the river's water?
Which European river is longer than the Danube River?
Which birds and fish live in the Danube delta?
Which capital cities stand on the Danube River?
Which cities are major ports on the Danube River?
Which countries does the Danube River flow through?
Which countries jointly built the Ðerdap High Dam and Iron Gate power station?
Which major tributaries join the Danube River?
Why can ice jams on the Danube River cause floods?
Why can silting make navigation difficult on the Danube River?
Why did the Romans use the Danube River as a northern frontier?
Why do the Danube River's right-bank tributaries supply much of its water?
Why does sand and gravel build up near Bratislava on the Danube River?
Why does the Danube River have such a large drainage basin?
Why does the middle Danube River have high-water peaks in April and June?
Why does water released from Danube River reservoirs erode downstream banks?
Why has pollution made some Danube River water unsuitable for drinking and irrigation?
Why is freight transport the most important economic use of the Danube River?
Why is the Danube River important to central and southeastern Europe?
Why were the Iron Gate rapids once difficult for ships on the Danube River?
Where is Hungary located?
What is the capital city of Hungary?
What language do people speak in Hungary?
What are some important traditions or holidays in Hungary?
How has Hungary’s history influenced its culture today?
What geographic features characterize Austria?
What is the capital of Austria?
What significant political change occurred in Romania in 1989?
Who was the first Roman emperor?
Why did the Roman Empire fall?

Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water Rivers & Canals

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External Websites

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River - The future of the Danube River Basin
International Rivers - Defending the Danube
Livius - Danubius
WWF - The Danube
ABC listen - Saturday Extra - The Danube
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The Danube so colourful: A potpourri of plastic litter outnumbers fish larvae in Europe's second largest river

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Danube River - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Danube River - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Danube River

river, Europe

Also known as: Donau, Dunărea, Duna, Dunaj, Dunav, Dunay

Written by

Patricia Garland Pinka

Professor of English, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia. Author of This Dialogue of One: The Songs and Sonnets of John Donne.

Patricia Garland PinkaAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 8, 2026 •History

Danube River, river, the second longest in Europe after the Volga. It rises in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany and flows for some 1,770 miles (2,850 km) to its mouth on the Black Sea. Along its course it passes through 10 countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. The Danube played a vital role in the settlement and political evolution of central and southeastern Europe. Its banks, lined...

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