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Tiber (Tevere)
River
Fiume tevere.JPG
The Tiber in Rome
Country Italy
Regions Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio
Provinces Forlì-Cesena, Arezzo, Perugia, Terni, Viterbo, Rieti, Roma
Comuni Pieve Santo Stefano, Sansepolcro, Città di Castello, Umbertide, Orte, Rome
Tributaries
 - left Chiascio, Nera, Aniene
 - right Nestore, Paglia
City Rome
Source Mount Fumaiolo
 - location Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
 - elevation 1,268 m (4,160 ft)
 - coordinates 43°47′13″N 12°04′40″E / 43.78694°N 12.07778°E / 43.78694; 12.07778
Mouth Tyrrhenian Sea
 - location Ostia, Lazio, Italy
 - elevation m (0 ft)
 - coordinates 41°44′26″N 12°14′00″E / 41.74056°N 12.23333°E / 41.74056; 12.23333
Length 405 km (252 mi)
Basin 17,375 km² (6,709 sq mi)
Discharge for Rome
 - average 231 /s (8,158 cu ft/s)

The Tiber (Latin: Tiberis, Italian: Tevere) is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing mainly through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Ostia and Fiumicino.

The river is well-known because the city of Rome was founded on its eastern banks.

Geography

The Tiber river has a length of 405 km (252 mi), and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 17,375 km2 (6,709 sq mi), almost 5% of the territory of the country.

It is the third longest river of Italy, after the Po and the Adige rivers, and the second by drainage basin after the Po.

River Length (km) Watershed (km²)
Po 652 74,970
Adige 410 12,200
Tiber 405 17,375

Course

The Tiber starts near the town of Balze, Verghereto comune in the southwestern end of the Forlì-Cesena province, in the southern side of Monte Fumaiolo. The source of the river is formed by two springs that are 10 m (33 ft) from each other in a forest on the mountain at an elevation of 1,268 m (4,160 ft) above sea level.

The Tiber flows through Emilia-Romagna about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) and then it gets into Tuscany where flows through Pieve Santo Stefano and Sansepolcro. Between these two localities there is a dam with a large reservoir that is named as Montedoglio Lake (Italian: Lago di Montedoglio). From here, the river flows through a wide plain (Val Tiberina) and gets in the Perugia province (Umbria) and flows through the towns of Città di Castello and Umbertide.

To the south of Torgiano, it is joined by its left side by the Chiascio river and then, in the Marsciano dam, by the Nestore river by its right side. Soon another right tributary, the Paglia, joins the Tiber.

The river forms the border between the Umbria (province of Terni) and Lazio (province of Viterbo) regions. Near the city of Orte, it is joined by the left side by its main tributary, the Nera river.

It flows through the Lazio region (Viterbo, Rieti and Rome provinces) and is joined by the Aniene river, flows through the city of Rome and, finally, into the Tyrrhenian Sea between Ostia and Fiumicino.

Main tributaries

The main tributaries are:

Tributary Length Discharge
Left tributaries
Chiascio 82 km 19 m³/s
Nera 116 km 168 m³/s
Aniene 99 km 35 m³/s
Right tributaries
Nestore 64 km 11 m³/s
Paglia 86 km 11 m³/s

Discharge

The average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) of the Tiber is 240 m3/s (8,500 cu ft/s) at its mouth.

The mean monthly discharges (in ) for 2011 in Rome were:

644 548 491 316 205 175 97 84 91 324 897 840
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dic

Gallery

Comune di Fiumicino and the Tiber River, near Rome
Comune di Fiumicino and the mouth of the Tiber, May 2013

Related pages

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See also

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