Lielupe

Infobox River | river_name = Lielupe River

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caption = Liepupe near Mežotne
origin = Latvia
mouth = Gulf of Riga
basin_countries = Latvia
length = 119 km
elevation =
discharge =
watershed =

The Lielupe River (literally: "Large River", _lv. Lielupe, _de. Kurländische Aa) is a river in Latvia. Its length is 119 km (the length would reach 310 km if the Mēmele River would be counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area of its basin is 17,600 km².

The Lielupe begins at the confluence of the Mēmele and Mūsa Rivers near Bauska. At its lower reaches the river flows parallel to the coast line of the Gulf of Riga; the city of Jūrmala stretches for almost 30 km between the river and the sea. Eventually Lielupe flows into the Baltic Sea, while Buļļupe branch ( _de. Kurische Aa) flows into the Daugava River. The modern outfall appeared in 1755, until then the Buļļupe was the main channel.

About 50-55% of the water discharge of the river is from melted snow. The Lielupe is navigable for a range of 100 km, the longest continuous range among Latvian rivers. Municipalities along the river include Bauska, Mežotne, Jelgava, Kalnciems, Jūrmala and Riga.

Lielupe is also the name of a railway station and a neighbourhood in Jūrmala.

External links

* [http://www.fao.org/ag/AGL/aglw/aquastat/countries/latvia/index.stm Information about Lielupe river basin]