Ep. 134: The Danube River – 10 Countries

April 21, 2024 Peter Jans

Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on the second-longest river in Europe, the Danube.

Beginning in Germany and running in a south-easterly direction all the way to the Black Sea the Danube has helped shape the history, trade, and culture of much of Europe. It winds its way through a myriad of landscapes, countries, small towns, and major cities. The river provides drinking water to approximately 20 million people, and also supports agriculture, trade, energy production, and of course tourism.

Along with this it has inspired artists to write songs, poetry, and books, and also paint its beauty. Some notable works include the composition “The Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss, the poem “In Memoriam A.H.H.” by Lord Alfred Tennyson, and the painting “The Passage of the Danube by Napoleon before the Battle of Wagram” by Jacques Francois Joseph Swebach.

If you are wondering why, you keep hearing the reference the blue Danube, this does not refer to the water colour, rather Johann Strauss’s composition “The Blue Danube” which was composed in 1866, and its use to describe the river has endured since.

Today’s mnemonic will be on the ten countries that the Danube flows through in order.

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_from_Gell%C3%A9rt_Hill_to_the_Danube,_Hungary_-_Budapest_(28493220635).jpg

Wikipedia Summary

The Danube (/ˈdæn.juːb/ DAN-yoob; known by various names in other languages) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important river, it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire. In the 21st century, it connects ten European countries, running through their territories or marking a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for 2,850 km (1,770 mi), passing through or bordering Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. Among the many cities on the river are four national capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade. Its drainage basin amounts to 817,000 km² and extends into nine more countries.

The Danube's longest headstream Breg rises in Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, while the river carries its name from its source confluence in Donaueschingen onwards. Since ancient times, the Danube has been a traditional trade route in Europe. Today, 2,415 km (1,501 mi) of its total length are navigable. The Danube is linked to the North Sea via the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, connecting the Danube at Kelheim with the Main at Bamberg. The river is also an important source of hydropower and drinking water.

The Danube river basin is home to such fish species as pike, zander, huchen, Wels catfish, burbot and tench. It is also home to numerous diverse carp and sturgeon, as well as salmon and trout. A few species of euryhaline fish, such as European seabass, mullet, and eel, inhabit the Danube Delta and the lower portion of the river.

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wachau_vom_Gochelberg_20220519_01.jpg

Mnemonic

The Danube – 10 Countries (in order) Mnemonic – GASH Causes Severe Redness & Bleeding and requires Medical Unit

(Picture yourself on a cruise down the Danube when you dive off for a swim and hit a floating log that causes a large gash on your arm that requires medical attention by the medical unit on the boat)

1. Germany

2. Austria

3. Slovakia

4. Hungary

5. Croatia

6. Serbia

7. Romania

8. Bulgaria

9. Moldova

10. Ukraine

Five Fun Facts

1. The Danube is the second longest river in Europe at 2,857 kilometres long and up to 1.5 kilometres wide. While the longest river in Europe is the Volga at 3,531 kilometres long.

2. The largest tributary of the Danube is the Tisza at 966 kilometres in length. This tributary also has the largest catchment by area.

3. The Danube has many relics from the second world war. Towards the end of that war in 1944 hundreds of German ships were scuttled in the Danube to avoid capture by the Soviet Union. To this day they can still be seen when the river level is low during the summer.

4. The Danube begins in the Black Forest in Germany and empties into the Black Sea. But before it gets to the Black Sea it splits into three. These sub-rivers are known as the Chila, Sulina, and Sfântu Gheorghe.

5. The Danube is a fresh water river which is a critical supply of drinking water throughout Europe. This river environment is home to approximately 5,000 types of animals and approximately 2,000 types of plants.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Budapest_Parlament_by_night_WUXGA.jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Where does the Danube River start, and what sea does it empty into?

Q.2. The Hungarian capital Budapest was formed by the joining of two cities which were on either side of the Danube. What were the names of these two cities?

Q.3. What is the largest city by population along the Danube? Options are Vienna, Belgrade, or Budapest

Bonus Q. The Danube River runs through the largest number of countries in the world. Is that True or False

Mnemonic Recap

The Danube – 10 Countries Mnemonic – GASH Causes Severe Redness & Bleeding and requires Medical Unit

(Picture yourself on a cruise down the Danube when you dive off for a swim and hit a floating log that causes a large gash on your arm that requires medical attention by the medical unit on the boat)

1. Germany

2. Austria

3. Slovakia

4. Hungary

5. Croatia

6. Serbia

7. Romania

8. Bulgaria

9. Moldova

10. Ukraine

Three Question Quiz Answers

Q.1. Where does the Danube River start, and what sea does it empty into?

A. Starts in the Black Forest and empties into the Black Sea

Q.2. The Hungarian capital Budapest was formed by the joining of two cities which were on either side of the Danube. What were the names of these two cities?

A. Buda & Pest which became Budapest in 1873

Q.3. What is the largest city by population along the Danube? Options are Vienna, Belgrade, or Budapest

A. Vienna with just over 2 million as of the start of 2024 (It was Budapest in the past)

Bonus Q. The Danube River runs through the largest number of countries in the world. Is that True or False

A. True

Now, one of those countries that the Danube runs through has experienced a new craze that has swept through this Eastern European nation.

That sport is not a new one, but the existing sport of rowing. Apparently, every man and his dog, has taken up the sport which has helped grow the sport by a massive five-thousand percent. People are doing it before work, after work and on rivers, lakes and seas. The phenomenon has been unprecedented and as stated previously has only been limited to one country. Hence, the people of Romania are currently investigating!

Word of the Week

totality

[ toh-tal-i-tee ]

noun

Astronomy. total obscuration or darkening in an eclipse.

Example

As they were cruising down the Danube, they had the extra pleasure of witnessing a breathtaking totality as the moon completely blocked out the sun.

Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]

Website:

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