Dospat (river)

Dospat (Доспат, Δεσπάτης)
Dospat River at its mouth
Dospat River system
Location
CountriesBulgaria and Greece
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationRhodope Mountains
 • elevation1,610 m (5,280 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Mesta/Nestos
 • coordinates
41°23′25″N 24°5′15″E / 41.39028°N 24.08750°E / 41.39028; 24.08750
 • elevation
366 m (1,201 ft)
Length110 km (68 mi)
Basin size633.5 km2 (244.6 sq mi)
Basin features
ProgressionNestosAegean Sea
Tributaries 
 • leftSarnena
 • rightKochan, Osina

The Dospat (Bulgarian: Доспат; Greek: Δεσπάτης, Despatis) is a river in the Western Rhodope Mountains, the most important tributary of the Mesta.

It takes its source from the 1643-metre-high Rozov vrah ("Rose Peak") in Bulgaria and flows southeast until Dospat Dam, after which it turns southwest to continue generally to the south and flow into the Mesta as a left tributary near the village Mikrokleisoura on Greek territory just south of the Greek-Bulgarian border.

The Dospat has a drainage basin of 633.5 km2. Its length is 110 km,[citation needed] of which 79 km is in Bulgaria[1] and 21 km in Greece. For a small distance of 3 km it forms the Greek–Bulgarian border.

References