Bega River, Romania and Serbia

Bega
Begej / Бегеј
River
Bridge over the Bega in Zrenjanin, Serbia
Countries Romania, Serbia
Tributaries
 - left Bega Luncanilor, Gladna
 - right Bega Poieni, Chizdia
Towns Romania:
Făget, Recaș, Timişoara
Serbia:
Zrenjanin, Ečka
Source
 - location Poiana Ruscă Mountains
Junction of headwaters Bega Luncanilor and Bega Poieni, Romania
Mouth Tisa river near Titel, Serbia
 - coordinates 45°12′30″N 20°18′55″E / 45.20833°N 20.31528°ECoordinates: 45°12′30″N 20°18′55″E / 45.20833°N 20.31528°E
Length 256 km (159 mi)
Basin 2,870 km2 (1,108 sq mi)

The Bega (Romanian: Bega, Serbian: Begej (Бегеј), German: Bega, Hungarian: Béga) is a 254 km long river in Romania (178 km) and Serbia (76 km). It rises in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains in Romania, part of the Carpathian Mountains, and it flows into the Tisa river near Titel, Vojvodina, Serbia.

Course

Romania

The river starts at the junction headwaters: Bega Luncanilor and Bega Poieni. After flowing north, the river bends to the west at Curtea, passing through Făget, Balinţ, and Topolovățu Mare, where it enters the low Banat plains. There, it begins to spill over, so the Bega canal was constructed tracking Bega Veche, which is also channeled for 97 km, as a parallel waterway for 114 km, before the two rejoin northeast of Zrenjanin, Serbia. The Bega canal runs through Timişoara and continues to the southwest, enters Serbia near the village of Hetin.

Serbia

Near Jankov Most, the Begej becomes part of the large canal Danube-Tisa-Danube (or DTD) and turns south, receiveng waters from Novi Begej. There it's separated from DTD route turning west and reaching Zrenjanin. From there it continues to the south, using old river bed of Tisa, passing through Ečka, Stajićevo and Perlez. In this part, it flows through marshlands, some of which are transformed into fishponds, like Belo jezero (Cyrillic: Бело језеро; White lake) and Fishpond Ečka (Serbian: Ribnjak Ečka, Рибњак Ечка), the largest one in Serbia with an area of 25 km². The remaining parts of wetland make the largest bog in Serbia, Carska bara (Cyrillic: Царска бара; Imperial marsh, 11 km²), after which Begej empties into the Tisa.

Characteristics

Through the Tisa and Danube rivers, it belongs to the Black Sea catchment basin. Its own catchment area is 2,878 km².

The channeled parts of both Stari Begej and Novi Begej are navigable.

Settlements on Novi Begej include the villages of Srpski Itebej (with a huge fishpond), Novi Itebej, Torak (formerly Begejci) and Žitište.

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries to the river Bega (in downstream order):

Left: Bega Luncanilor (Bega Mare), Pârâul Carpenului, Şopot, Vădana, Bucovăţ, Zopana, Bălăşina, Gladna, Timişel, Coșteiu-Chizătău Canal, Bistra Orăşenilor

Right: Bega Poieni (Bega Mică), Homojdia, Năndrăneasca, Icui, Zidileasca, Pădurani, Topla, Fântâneaua Rece, Cladova, Nieregiş, Fădimac, Miniş, Hezeriş, Chizdia, Temeşiţ, Mociur, Valea Cărăşiţa, Vale, Gherteamoş, Potoc-Remetea, Rastova, Behela, Bega Veche

Settlements located near the river

Romania

In downstream order: Margina, Făget, Răchita, Mănăștiur, Leucuşeşti, Bethausen, Cutina, Bodo, Balinț, Chizătău, Ictar-Budinţ, Topolovăţu Mic, Recaș, Remetea Mare, Ghiroda, Timișoara, Utvin, Sânmihaiu Român, Uivar, Otelec

Serbia

Bega in Zrenjanin

In downstream order: Hetin, Srpski Itebej, Novi Itebej, Torak, Žitište, Banatski Dvor, Jankov Most, Klek, Zrenjanin, Ečka, Lukino Selo, Stajićevo, Perlez, Titel

References

Maps

Images

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bega/Begej.