View source for Váh

{{short description|River in Slovakia}}
{{redirect2|Vah|Vah River|the Russian river|Vakh|the script of the Bassa language|Bassa Vah}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Váh
| name_native        = 
| name_native_lang   = 
| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = Rieka_Vah_-_Piestany.jpg
| image_size         = 
| image_caption      = The Váh near [[Piešťany]].
| map                = {{superimpose|align=center|width=275px
 | float=Váh River (SVK) - location and watershed.svg
 | base=Slovakia - background map.png
 }}
| map_size           = 
| map_caption        = The current and watershed of the Váh from its Čierny Váh (Southern) and Biely Váh (Northern) sources until it enters the [[Danube]] (magenta)
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 
| pushpin_map_caption= 
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[Slovakia]]
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = 
| subdivision_name5  = 
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{convert|403|km|mi|abbr=on}} 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= 
| discharge1_min     = {{convert|22.3|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|196|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = {{convert|1825|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = Čierny Váh
| source1_location   = [[Kráľova hoľa]], [[Nízke Tatry]]
| source1_coordinates= 
| source1_elevation  = 
| source2            = Biely Váh
| source2_location   = Važecká dolina, [[Vysoké Tatry]]
| source2_coordinates= 
| source2_elevation  = 
| mouth              = [[Danube River]]
| mouth_location     = [[Komárno]]
| mouth_coordinates  = 
| mouth_elevation    = {{convert|106.5|m|abbr=on}}
| progression        = {{RDanube}}
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = {{convert|15075|km2|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left   = 
| tributaries_right  = 
| extra              = 
}}

The '''Váh''' ({{IPA|sk|ʋaːx}}; {{langx|de|Waag}}, {{IPA|de|vaːk|pron|De-Waag.ogg}};<ref>''The Cambridge Ancient History''. [[Cambridge University]] Press. 1970. {{ISBN|0-521-26335-2}}</ref> {{langx|hu|Vág}};<ref>{{cite book |last= Kocsis |first=Károly |title= Ethnic Geography of the Hungarian Minorities in the Carpathian |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-zZ_NVM9mNEC&dq=Kom%C3%A1rno+Hungarians+census&pg=PA73 |section= Towns in Slovakia with absolute Hungarian majority |pages=73 |isbn= 1-931313-75-X |year=2001 |access-date= 2008-07-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Felbermann|first=Louis|title=Hungary and Its People|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrwJAAAAIAAJ&q=V%C3%A1g+river|access-date=2008-07-02|year=1892}}</ref> {{langx|pl|Wag}}<ref>[http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_XII/888 Wag] w Słowniku geograficznym Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich (''in Geographical Dictionary of Polish Kingdom and other Slavic countries'').</ref>) is the longest [[river]] within [[Slovakia]]. Towns on the river include [[Liptovský Hrádok]], [[Liptovský Mikuláš]], [[Ružomberok]], [[Vrútky]], [[Žilina]], [[Bytča]], [[Považská Bystrica]], [[Púchov]], [[Ilava]], [[Dubnica nad Váhom]], [[Nemšová]], [[Trenčín]], [[Nové Mesto nad Váhom]], [[Piešťany]], [[Hlohovec]], [[Sereď]], [[Šaľa]], [[Kolárovo]] and [[Komárno]].

==Etymology==
The name is of Germanic or Slavic origin. It could be derived from old Germanic ''wȃg'' (stream) or proto-Slavic ''vagъ'', ''vaga'' (pole, stick, carved branch) referring to reinforced riverbanks. Several Slavic river names with a similar motivation exist, but pre-Slavic origin of larger rivers in Slovakia is assumed in general.<ref name = "krsko">{{cite journal | first = Jaromír | last = Krško | title = Praslovanské apelatíva ako motivanty hydroným povodia Váhu | journal = Slavica Slovaca | year = 2009 | issue = 1 | page = 12 | language = sk | url = http://www.akademickyrepozitar.sk/sk/repozitar/Praslovanske-apelativa-ako-motivanty-hydronym-povodia-Vahu.pdf}}</ref> The earliest mentions are ''flumen Vvaga'' (1111) and ''aqua Vvac''' (1113).<ref name="krsko"/>

==Geography==
A left [[tributary]] of the [[Danube]] river, the Váh is {{convert|406|km|mi}} long, including its Čierny Váh branch. Its two sources, the ''Biely Váh'' (White Váh) and the ''Čierny Váh'' (Black Váh), are located in the [[Vysoké Tatry]] (High Tatras) and [[Nízke Tatry]] (Low Tatra) mountains, respectively, and it flows over northern and western Slovakia and finally feeds into the Danube near [[Komárno]] at the [[border]]. The [[Left tributary|left tributaries]] are Demänovka, Revúca, Ľubochnianka, [[Turiec River (Váh)|Turiec]], [[Rajčanka]] and [[Nitra River|Nitra]] rivers, and the [[Right tributary|right tributaries]] are [[Belá River|Belá]], [[Orava River|Orava]], Varínka, [[Kysuca]], Biela voda, Vlára, Dubová, [[Dudváh]] and [[Malý Dunaj]] rivers. In late medieval time it was a property of [[Stibor of Stiboricz]] and his son Stibor of Beckov of the [[Clan of Ostoja]], later passing to [[Maurice Benyovszky]] as a gift of [[Maria Theresa]].

It includes canals, artificial dams ([[Čierny Váh]], [[Liptovská Mara]], Bešeňová, Krpeľany, [[Žilina Dam|Žilina]], Hričov, [[Nosice]], [[Sĺňava]], Madunice, [[Kráľová]] and Selice) and 16 hydropower stations, whose construction started in the 1930s and increased after [[World War II]]. The main Slovak [[Motorway D1 (Slovakia)|limited-access motorway]] is along the Váh ([[Bratislava]] – [[Trenčín]] – [[Považská Bystrica]] – [[Žilina]] and [[Ružomberok]] – [[Poprad]]), as well as the main railway Bratislava – Žilina – [[Košice]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.land.gov.sk/en/download.php?fID=19 Rural Development Programme of the SR 2007-2013]

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Váh}}

{{Danube}}
{{Hydrography of Slovakia}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|47|55|N|18|01|E|display=title|region:SK_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vah}}
[[Category:Rivers of Slovakia]]
[[Category:Tributaries of the Danube]]
[[Category:Váh basin| ]]