The Sozh River is one of the most beautiful rivers in Belarus

The Sozh River is one of the most beautiful rivers in Belarus. Its length is 648 km, of which 155 km flows through the territory of Russia. It is the second largest tributary of the Dnieper after the river. Pripyat. The width of its channel in the lower reaches is 230 m.

Basic data

The Sozh River originates in Russia on the Smolensk-Moscow Upland 12 km south of the city of Smolensk, and then flows through the territory of two Belorussian regions - Mogilev and Gomel. The catchment area is asymmetric and clearly defined, which is especially noticeable along the left bank.

The total catchment area is:

• in Russia - 42140 km ² ;

• in Belarus - 21,700 km ² .

The water level in the Sozh River reaches 6 meters at a current speed that sometimes exceeds 1.5 m / s. As a result, on the river section near Gomel, the river carries about 200 cubic meters of water for one minute.

For the most part, the relief of the basin is represented by small hills, whose height does not exceed 20 m. Individual sections are separated by deep ravines and beams. The river bed is quite meandering, which is especially noticeable in Slavgorod, where a rather large bend is observed near the river.

Before Gomel on the river there are even sandy islands, whose length does not exceed 300 m, and width - 50 m. As for lakes, their area on the catchment area is less than 1%. In fact, these are separate mirror water bodies, the area of which does not exceed 1 km ² .

Water level changes

The rising of the water level continues throughout the crescent in the upper course and about a month in the lower reaches. The level of water in the Sozh River has been increasing since the end of March. At the same time, the smallest water height is 4 m, and the largest - 7.5 m. Often in late spring or early summer, the water level may rise by several meters as a result of prolonged downpours and floods, the duration of which sometimes exceeds one month.

The winter level increase in crocheting is only several tens of centimeters above the summer one and in most cases passes almost unnoticeably.

To freeze Sozh begins in the beginning of winter, but it is only opened in the middle of spring, and this process starts from the mouth to the upper part. The average temperature of the water in the Sozh River in summer is 19-28 ° C.

origin of name

This river was the central river for the Eastern Slavs of the Radimich. The influence of the Sozh River in the history of the Radimich land should be viewed through the prism of factors: the role of the Sozh in the socio-economic, political and spiritual life of people. Of course, the role of Sozh in social and economic life was greatest. The Sozh River was a constituent part of the trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks". On the banks of the river and its tributaries, the Slavs founded their rural settlements and cities. Sozh was one of the main factors that influenced the emergence of Gomel.

Fisheries

All sorts of fish are found in Soja, however, its quantity has been significantly affected by the increase in poaching and weather conditions, as a result of a large number of floods, it is sometimes difficult for fish to go to Sozh to spawn.

After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Sozh River was no longer used for commercial fishing, and the grassland is no longer removed. As a result, there is a constant rotting of vegetation, and in the water the content of harmful substances is significantly increased, the last spawning areas and places of mass feeding of many species of fish are destroyed.

Interesting Facts

Broad sandy bands stretch along the coastal areas along the entire length of the river. The bottom in the immediate vicinity to the shore is shallow and sandy, so that adults and children can bathe in the river. In the area of the township of Loev Sozh it flows into the Dnieper, through which the largest waterway from the Baltic Sea to Chernoye, known since ancient times, was formerly the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks".