Daugava in the context of "Balts"

Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, 360 kilometers (220 mi) west-southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 316,570 (2021 census).

First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of the past millennium, beginning as the capital of the Principality of Smolensk in the 11th-15th centuries, then the Smolensk Voivodeship of Lithuania and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Smolensk Governorate and Oblast within Russia. It was the main stronghold of the Smolensk Gate, a geostrategically significant pass between the Daugava and Dnieper rivers, and as such was an important point of contention in the struggle for dominance in Eastern Europe, passing at various times between Lithuania, Poland and Russia. In more recent history, it was the site of two battles in 1812 and 1941 during the French invasion of Russia and Operation Barbarossa respectively on their paths towards Moscow. It was the place of the Smolensk air disaster of 2010.

The Balts or Baltic peoples (Lithuanian: baltai, Latvian: balti) are a group of peoples inhabiting the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea who speak Baltic languages. Among the Baltic peoples are modern-day Lithuanians (including Samogitians) and Latvians (including Latgalians) — all East Balts — as well as the Old Prussians, Curonians, Sudovians, Skalvians, Yotvingians and Galindians — the Western Balts — whose languages and cultures are now extinct, but made a large influence on the living branches, especially on literary Lithuanian language.

The Balts are descended from a group of Proto-Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the lower Vistula and southeast shore of the Baltic Sea and upper Daugava and Dnieper rivers, and which over time became differentiated into West and East Balts. In the fifth century CE, parts of the eastern Baltic coast began to be settled by the ancestors of the Western Balts, whereas the East Balts lived in modern-day Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. In the first millennium CE, large migrations of the Balts occurred. By the 13th and 14th centuries, the East Balts shrank to the general area that the present-day Balts and Belarusians inhabit.

In the Middle Ages, the Volga trade route connected Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea and the Sasanian Empire, via the Volga River. The Rus used this route to trade with Muslim countries on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, sometimes penetrating as far as Baghdad. The powerful Volga Bulgars (cousins of today's Balkan Bulgarians) formed a seminomadic confederation and traded through the Volga river with Viking people of Rus' and Scandinavia (Swedes, Danes, Norwegians) and with the southern Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) Furthermore, Volga Bulgaria, with its two cities Bulgar and Suvar east of what is today Moscow, traded with Russians and the fur-selling Ugrians. Chess was introduced to Medieval Rus via the Caspian-Volga trade routes from Persia and Arabia.

There was a second route from the Baltic Sea to the Dnieper, which ran along the Western Dvina (Daugava) between Lovat and Dnieper in the Smolensk region and along the Kasplya River to Gnezdovo. The Volga trade route functioned concurrently with the Dnieper trade route, better known as the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, and lost its importance in the 11th century.

The Dnieper-Oka language (Eastern Peripheral Baltic, Dnieper-Baltic) is one or several extinct Baltic languages, the existence of which is indicated by toponymic data. It occupied the upper reaches of the Daugava, the basins of the upper Dnieper and Desna, the upper and middle Oka and the Seym. Beginning in the 7th and 8th centuries, the Baltic dialects of the region were replaced by Old East Slavic. The only known subdivision of the Dnieper-Oka language is the Golyad language.

The Kasplya (Belarusian and Russian: Каспля) is a river in Smolensky, Demidovsky, and Rudnyansky Districts of Smolensk Oblast of Russia and in Vitebsk Region of northern Belarus. It is a major left-bank tributary of the Daugava. Of its total length of 136 kilometres (85 mi), the first 116 kilometres (72 mi) are in Russia, and the rest in Belarus. It joins the Daugava in the urban-type settlement of Surazh. The town of Demidov is situated on the Kasplya.

The Kasplya originates from Lake Kasplya in Smolensky District. It flows north, crosses the border with Demidovsky District and turns northwest. It flows through Demidov, and next to the selo of Boroda turns west, crosses Rudnyansky District and enters Belarus. There, it turns northwest again and enters the Daugava.

Krāslava (Latvian pronunciation; Latgalian: Kruoslova, German: Kreslau, Belarusian: Краслаўка, Polish: Krasław, Russian: Краслава, Креславль) is a town and the administrative centre of Krāslava Municipality. The town lies on the Daugava, upstream and to the east of the city of Daugavpils. Most of the town is situated on the right bank of the Daugava. As defined by Latvian law, Krāslava belongs partially to the Latgale region (on the right side of the Daugava) and partially to the Selonia region (on the left side of the Daugava).

The Aiviekste is a river in Latvia. It begins at Lake Lubāns (the largest lake in Latvia) and drains into the Daugava (the largest river in Latvia). The Aiviekste is the largest tributary of the Daugava in Latvia. The Aiviekste, along with the Pededze, forms the unofficial border between two historical Latvian regions Vidzeme and Latgale, although the administrative border was slightly different. The river is 114 kilometers long, with annual drainage 1.81 km. The Aiviekste is between 10,000 and 12,000 years old, formed at the end of the last ice age. Nearly a quarter of the river's flow is unregulated, but most of the river has been excavated, including with explosions.

The Aiviekste flows from the northern end of Lake Lubāns, where it does a wide semicircle and then turns southwest. At this stage is the smallest drop, in addition, here Aiviekste receives the largest tributaries Pededze, Bolupe and Iča. Furthermore, it was straightened and deepened for 83 km. At the lower end, Aiviekste flows through a slightly undulating area. There are several islands, sandbars and about 15 stone sills here in the river. The small Aiviekste hydroelectric power plant (1.4 MW) was built on one of these island groups. After the construction of the Pļaviņu hydroelectric power plant, the lower end of Aiviekste is flooded with a reservoir. It flows through the towns of Lubāna and Pļaviņas (estuary). Near Krievciems - a dolomite quarry.