Tiber

This article is about the Italian river. For other uses, see Tiber (disambiguation).
Tiber
The Tiber in Rome near the Ponte Sant'Angelo
Native nameTevere (Italian)
Location
CountryItaly
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationMount Fumaiolo
 • elevation1,268 m (4,160 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Tyrrhenian Sea
Length406 km (252 mi)
Basin size17,375 km2 (6,709 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average239 m3/s (8,400 cu ft/s)[citation needed] (in Rome)
Map
View of the Tiber looking towards Vatican City
Rome flood marker, 1598, set into a pillar of the Santo Spirito Hospital near Basilica di San Pietro.
Highest level of Tiber for 40+ years, 13 December 2008, at Tiber Island.

The Tiber (/ˈtaɪbər/ TY-bər; Italian: Tevere [ˈteːvere];[1] Latin: Tiberis[2]) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing 406 km (252 mi) through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the River Aniene, to the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Ostia and Fiumicino.[3] It drains a basin estimated at 17,375 km2 (6,709 sq mi). The river has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of the city of Rome, which was founded on its eastern banks.

The river rises at Mount Fumaiolo in Central Italy and flows in a generally southerly direction past Perugia and Rome to meet the sea at Ostia. Known in ancient times as Flavus (Latin for 'the Blond'), in reference to the yellowish colour of its water, the Tiber has advanced significantly at its mouth, by about 3 km (2 mi), since Roman times, leaving the ancient port of Ostia Antica 6 kilometres (4 miles) inland.[4][5] However, it does not form a proportional delta, owing to a strong north-flowing sea current close to the shore, due to the steep shelving of the coast, and to slow tectonic subsidence.

  1. ^ (in Italian) Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia Archived 2020-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Richard J. A. Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World: Map-By-Map Directory. Vol. I. Princeton, NJ and Oxford, UK: Princeton University Press. p. 630. ISBN 0691049459.
  3. ^ Lazio – Latium | Italy Archived 28 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Tiber River". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006
  5. ^ "Tiber". World Encyclopedia. Philip's, 2005.