See also: Po (homonymy)

The Po (in Italian Po , in Latin Padus ) is most important so much Fleuve Italy N by its length, 652 km and by its maximum capacity, 10  300 m ³ /s in Pontelagoscuro, a locality on the territory of the commune of Ferrare, that by its catchment area which covers 71.057 km ², are 1/4 of the national territory of Italy.

Geography

Po takes its source with Pian LED Re on the territory of the commune of Crissolo to the foot of the Monte Viso, with 2.022 m of altitude, in the the Western Alps, and is thrown in the Adriatique, by forming vast a delta of 380 km ² beginning near Ferrare, where Po is divided into three branches: The Po principal (in the north of Ferrare), since Ferrare in Po di Volano and Po di Primaro (or Primaro or Po morto di Primaro ), to form the Delta of Po.

The Po principal is subdivided in five principal arms: the Po of Maestra, the Po of Crushed, the Po of the Outcry, the Po of Gnocca and the Po of Goro.

Its medium flow with the mouth is of 1.560 m ³ /s.

It crosses in particular the towns of Turin, Crémone and Plaisance.

The basin of Po interests 3.200 communes and six areas: Piedmont, Valley of Aoste, Lombardy, Venezia, Emilie-Romagna and the autonomous Province of Thirty. It covers most of the Plaine Po, the area richest of Italy. The basin of Po lodges 16 million inhabitants. It is a neuralgic element of the Italian economy which accounts for 40% of the GDP of the country, 37% of industry, 46% of employment, 55% of the livestock productions, 35% of the agricultural production, and 48% of the consumption of electricity.

Hydrology

Po is fed by 141 Affluent S

Principal affluents

• Doire Ripaire
• Doire Baltée
• Sesia
• Tessin
• Trébie
• Adda
• Taro (river)
• Enza
• Oglio
• Mincio
• Panaro

Economy

Navigation on Po

A time Po was the most important transportation route between the Adriatique and the North-West of the country. Since antiquity one joined the heart of the Lombardy, carrying the people and the goods. With the wire of time, the traffic intensified, also interesting the Tessin, the Mincio, the Adda and all the artificial system canal built between the Middle Ages and today.

The river was traversed in the two directions by increasingly many and important boats in dimension. The descent was in many problematic cases and, to maintain the road, it was frequent in addition to the oars and the tiller to let trail chains on the river bed. For the increase of the river, in addition to the veils, one used attachments of horses, asses, oxen and even of men. The boatman also made use of a large pole to push, him even walking of length of the boat of before to the back.

The boats of various types (Bucintori (Bucentaure (Venetian boat), gabarre (Barge), rascone, magàne, barbotte, burchi), varied from their dimensions but had all the raised prow and a flat bottom which enabled them to sail on high funds.

Currently Po is navigable on 389 km since the outlet of the Tessin to the sea. There exist active services of commercial navigation of Crémone to sea (292 km).

History

Po is sometimes identified with the Éridan of Greek mythology, river where Phaéton, wire of Hélios (Sun) and of Clymène, was precipitated by Zeus whereas it led - by causing number of damage! - the tank of his/her father through the vault of heaven…

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1 E7 m ² | William Rotsler | Oskar Hoffmann | National unworthiness | Stefan Vladislav II