Neman (river)
| Neman (Nemunas) | |
 The Nemunas near Alytus
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| Countries | Belarus, Lithuania, Russia |
|---|---|
| Cities | Grodno, Kaunas |
| Source | |
| - location | Southwest of Minsk, Belarus |
| - elevation | 176 m (577 ft) |
| - coordinates | 53°15′10″N 27°18′21″E / 53.25278°N 27.30583°E |
| Mouth | Curonian Lagoon |
| - location | West of Šilutė, Lithuania |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | 55°20′12″N 21°14′50″E / 55.33667°N 21.24722°ECoordinates: 55°20′12″N 21°14′50″E / 55.33667°N 21.24722°E |
| Length | 914 km (568 mi) |
| Basin | 98,200 km2 (37,915 sq mi) |
 Map highlighting Neman
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The Neman, Nemunas, Nyoman, Niemen or Memel, a major Eastern European river, rises in Belarus and flows through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon, and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It begins at the confluence of two smaller tributaries (map coordinates 53.348194,27.108377), about 15 kilometers (9 mi) southwest of the town of Uzda in central Belarus, and about 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Minsk. In its lower reaches it forms the border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. It also, very briefly, forms part of the border between Lithuania and Belarus. The fourteenth-largest river in Europe, the largest in Lithuania, and the third-largest in Belarus, the Neman is navigable for most of its 900 km (560 mi) length.
The Neman/Nemunas river basin formed during the Quaternary period, and is located roughly along the edge of the last glacial sheet, dating from about 25,000 to 22,000 years BC. Its depth varies from 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) in its upper courses to 5 meters (16 ft) in the lower basin.
From west to east, the largest settlements are Sovetsk/Tilsit, Neman/Ragnit, Kaunas, Alytus, Druskininkai/Druskieniki, Hrodna/Grodno (Gardinas), and Masty/Mosty.
The river has lent its name to a Neolithic subculture; originally based on hunting, fishing, and gathering, its inhabitants gradually adopted domesticated plants and animals.
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Wikipedia