Merkys River

Merkys
Confluence of the Merkys and Neman at Merkinė
Origin	18 km (11 mi) southwest from Ašmiany, Belarus
Mouth	Neman River near Merkinė
Basin countries	Lithuania (3,781 km2/1,460 sq mi), Belarus (635 km2/245 sq mi)
Length	213 km (132 mi)
Source elevation	136 m (446 ft)
Avg. discharge	21 cubic metres per second (740 cu ft/s) (near Varėna)
Basin area	4,416 km2 (1,705 sq mi)

The Merkys is a river in southern Lithuania and northern Belarus. It flows for 13 km (8.1 mi) through Belarus, 5 km (3.1 mi) along the Belarusian–Lithuanian border, and 195 km (121 mi) through Lithuania before joining the Neman River near Merkinė.

Merkys is mostly fed by underground streams and therefore is cooler during summers and has smaller fluctuations in water level than other rivers in Lithuania.^[1] Near Žagarinė (128 km before its mouth) the Merkys is connected with Lake Papys by a canal. The Vokė River originates from this lake and consumes most of the Merkys' water. Before the canal average discharge of the Merkys is 3 m³/s and below it only 0.7 m³/s.^[1] At the end of the 19th century the drainage basin of the Merkys grew by some 410 km² as its tributary Ūla River overtook some of the Kotra River's watershed area.^[1]

The Merkys is a popular destination among water tourism enthusiasts as part of it belongs to the Dzūkija National Park and it flows into the Neman near the historical site of Merkinė. Archaeological findings show that people inhabited the area as early as the Mesolithic period. The Merkys is known for its diverse fauna, being declared a reservoir for trout in 1974.^[1]

Name

The name of the river, Merkys, originate from merkti, an appellative word in the Lithuanian language meaning to soak.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} (Lithuanian) Jonas Zinkus, et al., ed (1987). "Merkys". Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija. III. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. pp. 54–55. 
2. ^ Zinkevičius, Zigmas (2007). Senosios Lietuvos valstybės vardynas. Vilnius: Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Institute. p. 48. ISBN 5420016060. 

Coordinates: 54°09′23″N 24°11′07″E / 54.15639°N 24.18528°E / 54.15639; 24.18528