43 Po River Facts: Learn About The Longest River In Italy!

As we all know, the Po River is the longest river in northern Italy, but did you know that the word Po is derived from a Latin word, 'Padus'? 

The water body flows from Monviso, in the Cottian Alps, to the Adriatic Sea, located near Venice. It flows near about 405 mi (652 km), and the Po basin is 4411 mi (71,000 km), making the Po River basin the longest river in Italy. 

Read about Chenab River Facts and Cape Fear River Facts for more interesting facts. 

Fun Facts About The Po River

Po River is attached through Navigli, which is a net of channels. And it will shock you that Leonardo da Vinci helped to design it. 

• This river creates a wide delta with five main channels: Po della Pila, Po di Goro, Po delle Tolle, Po di Maestra, Po di Gnocca, and a hundred other small channels.
• This attracts thousands of eels which makes this place famous for another cause.
• You can find large fish in the waters during the summer. 
• The source of the river is the Cottian Alps.
• The Po River ends in the Adriatic Sea.
•  Po delta is easily one of the most complex and complicated among all the other rivers of Europe. It has a minimum of fourteen mouths or origins which are generally arranged in five groups from both south and north.
• The Po valley divides the river, forming Transpadane Gaul (north of Po River) and Cispadane Gaul (south of Po River).  
• The Po River mainly receives water from the Dora Baltea, just below Turin and Dora Riparia. 
• Po Della Tolle is a channel of the Po River.
• Sesia, Adda, oglio, Mincio Ticino are the main tributaries from of north.
• The whole Po River is subject to a special authority called Magistrato delle Acque because the vast Pianura Padana (entire valley) surrounds the Po River so effectively that the valley has become the primary industrial area of Italy.
•  Many roman poets referred to the Po River as Eridanus, which has versatile meanings.
• Around the Po River, the primary farm product is cereal. There is also a huge variety of large fish in the river, but it can be found only in the summertime.
• The Po River provides fresh fish and also floating mills.
• Also, people carry different types of goods and transport them via this river. This helped Po to become a trade waterway.
• The average temperature of the Po River remains a steady 84°F (29°C).
• As of May 4, 2007, few spots of Po dried up completely, which led to a state emergency in both North Italy and South Italy. During 2007, the Italians went through the warmest winter, which may have caused or affected global warming.
• The Po River's average discharge is 48,400 cu ft/s (35,314 cu m/s).
• In 1951, due to heavy floods, the estimated discharge was 424,000 cu ft/s (12,006 cu m/s). In 1150, 1882, 1957, 1438, 1917, 1996, 1951, and 1926, Italy has faced some devastating and heavy floods and co-incidentally all in the autumn season.
• The Po River carries sediment loads from approximately 3.12 sq. mi (8.09 sq. km) in a single year.
• The Po River's silt load and heavy floods have always challenged hydraulic engineers. And for diverting silts and controlling floods, Venetian Republic built dikes.
• In 1953, Italian land reform started a project solely focused on the reclamation of marshy parts and soil improvements.
• They also created small peasant farms near the Po River delta, affected by devastating floods in 1951 and 1966.
• During the Neolithic and Paleolithic periods, those making houses on piles near the swampy banks captured the lower Po valley.
• At Roman times, river rules and regulations were made. Still now, in many places, rectangular divisions of the land or ground can be noticed. Most of the protective systems were hampered during the barbarian invasions.
• Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the work resumed or restarted so that the current arrangements could exist.
• Before 2002, no sewerage treatment plant led to raw sewer flowing directly in the Po.
• Due to this, around 2005, the whole Po River was contaminated by chemicals like benzoylecgonine. This particular chemical was found in the urine of drug users.
• Very recent pollution took place in 2010 when a refinery in Villasanta spilled oil into the Po River.
• Most of the time, the Po River gets identified with the Eridanus river, part of Greek mythology. 
• That's why many people believe the Po is a mythical river that is the namesake of the constellation Eridanus.
• Po Della Pila is a small channel of the river.
• The river channel Po di Levante carries the largest amount of water.
• Po River's drainage area is 27,413 sq. mi (71,000 sq. km). Po di Goro is a branch that marks the river's border to the sea.

Po River Cruises

If you want to enjoy the genuinely scenic beauty of the Po River and the vast valley, what can be better than traveling on a cruise. Having its source in the beautiful hills of Pian Del Re, the Po River has captured the attention of many travelers. Here are some facts on the Po River cruises

• The beginning point of the Po River cruises is the canals of Venice, as different waterways connect the city of Venice to the Po River. You must know that the Po River flows to the Adriatic sea in Venice.
• You can travel from Venice to Polesella, and a large cruise will allow you to travel to the west beyond Mantua.

Facts About The Po River's Importance

Po River starts from the Cottian Alps and flows through multiple important cities, including Turin, Piacenza, Cremona, and Ferrara. The waterbody is an important water body of the central regions for numerous reasons. Some of the important facts related to its importance are as follows.

• For small craft, the Po River is important for navigation. However, navigation is hindered due to the seasonal variations in flow.
• The Po River is quite densely populated and is a major industrial hub of Italy.
• Also, the Po River is important because it is the producer of hydroelectricity.
• Po River has a lot of contribution to the country's agriculture as the water of the Po River is primarily used for irrigation.
• Po delle Tolle, the branch of the Po, is famous for eels.

Po River Fishing Facts

Fishing in large lakes has been an eternally enjoyable activity, and the bank of the Po River is the perfect place to lay your fishing rods. This river boasts of multiple species of fish, and it will surely give you ample opportunity to enjoy your time fishing in the southern part of the Po River.

Also, you can enjoy the scenic beauty of the Po River view while fishing.

• You can mostly catch a bowfin, Largemouth bass, chain pickerel from the waterbody.
• Po River provides a lot of flexibility with fishing. You can target different fishes on different days and fish from multiple locations.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 91 Po River Facts: Learn About This Longest River In Italy! why not look at the Change Jang River or Chenab River Facts?