Prut River - a major waterway in southwestern Ukraine that eventually flows into the Danube River. It is 967 km long (272 km are in Ukraine) and has a basin area of 27,500 sq km (9,327 sq km in Ukraine). Its source is near Mount Hoverla, and it flows through the Carpathian Mountains, Subcarpathia, and the Pokutian-Bessarabian Upland and Moldavian Upland. The river forms a short section of the Ukrainian-Romanian border and almost the entire length of the Romanian-Moldovan border. The first section of the Prut (to Deliatyn) flows through narrow mountain valleys and has rapids and waterfalls (near Yaremche). Beyond that the river widens, although it still has a considerable gradient. Fed by rain and meltwater, the Prut freezes over lightly from January to March. The river was historically used for log rafting. Major centers along its banks include Deliatyn, Kolomyia, Sniatyn, and Chernivtsi. Its tributaries in Ukraine include the Pistynka River, the Rybnytsia River, and the Cheremosh River.
