Neris

The Neris River originates in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital), and as its main tributary, it flows into the Nemunas (Neman) at Kaunas in the country's south-central region. It is 510 kilometers long (320 mi). The river flows through Lithuania for 235 kilometers (146 miles) after passing through Belarus for 276 kilometers (171 miles). It is the eighth longest river in Belarus.

The Neris River connects the Lithuanian capitals of Kernav and Vilnius. Along its banks are pagan Lithuanian burial grounds. Karmazinai's old burial mounds, with many mythological stones and a sacred oak, are located 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Vilnius.

Neris is a Baltic name, a cognate of the Lithuanian nerti, which means "to dive, swim downstream" as well as "to net, crochet." In the beginning, the name most likely had a more general meaning of "flow" or, more specifically, "swift and swirling flow".

The name is etymologically related to a class of hydronyms found throughout the modern and prehistoric Baltic ranges, such as Lithuanian Narotis, Narasa (rivers), Narutis (lake), Old Prussian Narus, and Nara near Moscow. These are related to the Lithuanian words narus, which means "deep," and nerti, which means "to dive."

Length: 510 km (320 mi)