We have all heard of the Nile River which is 6650 kilometres long, making it the longest river in the world. But which one is the shortest river in the world?
The Reprua River
Arguably, the Reprua River, located in the Gagra district of the Republic of Abkhazia can be assumed as the shortest river in the world. Unbelievably, the length of this river is only 18 meters.
Previously, the 61-meter-long Roe River in Montana in the United States of America held the title of the shortest river in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records before the category was eliminated in 2006.
The Reprua River is said to be one of the coldest rivers on the Black Sea coast. It originates at the springs in Karst Krubera Cave and flows into the Black Sea.
Nomenclature
The Reprua River derives its name from an old Abkhazian legend, which means ‘tears of the children of the underground spirit’ that supposedly lived on the shores of the Black Sea.
As per an ancient Abkhazian legend, reprua are the tears of the children of the underground spirit. It was believed that an underground spirit lived on the shores of the Black Sea with his son and 3 daughters.
The legend
Suli was forging weapons for his boy and the warriors who guarded the only entrance to Abkhazia, the Gagra Pass. The weapons he forged were invincible while the girls made food and clothes.
After the death of the soul, no one could renew the weapon, and so his son and the warriors who stood by him were defeated in a war against numerous armies that came from distant lands.
Those who went south destroyed the 3 cave entrances through which the sisters came to the surface to see their brother. When the sisters realized that their brother was dead, they started crying. Tears formed small streams, which at the exit of the cave formed rivers Reprua, Anikhamtsa, and Bagarepsta.
Controversy regarding the location of Reprua River
As the Republic of Abkhazia is a disputed territory, we cannot determine which country has ownership of the river.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it declared independence from Georgia during the war in Abkhazia in 1992 and has sought recognition from the international community since then.
During the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, Russia backed the self-proclaimed Abkhazia and South Ossetia republics and considered both independent states alongside four other United Nations (UN) members.
However, Georgia and all other UN members regard them as territories of Georgia that are under Russian occupation.
