- Iskar
Infobox River | river_name = Iskar (Искър)
caption = Map of the Iskar
origin = under Damga Peak,Rila ,Bulgaria , at coord|42|11|40|N|23|19|50|E|
mouth = north ofGigen ,Pleven Province
basin_countries =Bulgaria
length = 368 km
elevation = 2,500 m
discharge =
watershed = 8,646 km²The Iskar ( _bg. Искър;
Latin : "Oescus") is, with a length of 368 km, the longest river that runs solely inBulgaria , and a tributary of theDanube .The Iskar is formed by three rivers, the Cherni (black) Iskar, Beli (white) Iskar and Levi Iskar (known under the collective name "Iskrove"), with the source being accepted to be the Prav Iskar, a tributary of the Cherni Iskar. After descending from the north slopes of
Rila , it fills theIskar Reservoir —the largest in Bulgaria. The river runs nearSofia and passes through a rocky gorge in theBalkan Mountains . It flows into the Danube near the village ofGigen inPleven Province . The Iskar is the only river to take its source from southern Bulgaria and cross the Balkan Mountains to flow into the Danube.The Iskar flows through seven provinces of Bulgaria: the capital city of
Sofia ,Sofia Province ,Pernik Province ,Vratsa Province ,Pleven Province andLovech Province . This is the main source of water for Sofiyskavoda, the water and sewarage company in Sofia.In terms of geology, the Iskar is the oldest river in the
Balkans and also the only one to have preserved its original direction despite the significant geological changes in later stages.Honour
Iskar Glacier onLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands ,Antarctica is named after Iskar River.
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