Every year, on the first Saturday of July, the International Day of the Dnieper River is celebrated.
The first time when the celebration took place was in 2003, when local ecologists turned public attention to environmental issues of the river, which suffers from moderate pollution – like many rivers located in or near big cities.
Traditionally, nature protection actions on the banks of the Dnieper are held on this day. In particular, measures are being taken to clean and arrange coastal areas.
The country’s largest river and third largest river in Europe has been playing the major part in Ukraine’s history. It was a significant trade route ‘from Varangians to Greeks’, as they called it in the Middle Ages, and the source of water and fish for Kyiv’s residents. Kyiv Rus’ sailors used Dnieper to travel and trade with Constantinople.
The Dnieper (Dnipro)River flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea. Its total length is 2,285 kilometres (1,420 mi). The Dnieper River, is extensively dammed along its course for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes.
Currently, the river remains an important route and the major source of drinking water for two-thirds of Ukrainians.
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