!!!Drau

Drau, River, also: Drava, east Tirol, Carinthia, western tributary of 
the River Danube, 749 km long (261 km lie on Austrian 
territory), third-largest (11.828 km%%sup 2/% ) catchment area in 
Austria after the rivers Donau and Inn. 310 m%%sup 3/%/second average 
annual flow rate of the River Drau at Lavamuend (incl. the River 
Lavant); the stretch before the mouth of the River Gailitz (at 
Arnoldstein) offers very high to high water quality. The Drau rises 
close to the Toblacher Heide region (South Tyrol) in the Pustertal 
valley (Val Pusteria); below Oberdrauburg the Drau flows through 
Carinthia until it reaches Slovene territory just before Unterdrauburg 
(Dravograd); called Drava on its further course, it flows through the 
lowland of the Podravina area in Croatia and into the Danube just 
below the town of Osijek. Most important tributaries of the Drau in 
Austria are the southern Weissenbach, Gail and Vellach and northern 
Isel, Moell, Lieser, Afritzer Bach, Gurk and Lavant rivers. The 
Oesterreichische Draukraftwerke AG in Klagenfurt (OeDK) operates 10 
hydroelectric power stations in Carinthia. Until 1785 the River Drau 
formed the border between the dioceses of ( Diocese) Salzburg and 
Aquileia.

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The Drau Valley is U-shaped and composed of several smaller valleys: 
Pustertal valley (above the Lienzer Klause), Oberdrautal valley (from 
the "Tiroler Tor" to the narrow passage at Sachsenburg),  Lurnfeld 
Basin (between the mouths of the rivers Moell and Lieser), 
Unterdrautal valley (from Spittal to Villach),  Rosental (between 
Rosegg and the mouth of the River Vellach) and  Jaun Valley (between 
Vellach and Schwabegg). The Drau valley is an important road and rail 
connection between east and west. Major Austrian cities on the river: 
Lienz, Spittal an der Drau and Villach; most important business 
activities in the Drau Valley: tourism, mechanical engineering, 
manufacture of footwear, electrotechnical industry, supply of 
electricity and agriculture.


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