Nestos

Nestos is a river that flows through Bulgaria and Greece. It flows into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos after rising in the Rila Mountains. Through primarily metamorphic strata, it plunges down towering canyons, reaching the Aegean Sea. The main stream eventually stretches across Chrysoupolis' coastal plain, forming the Nestos delta as a deltaic system with freshwater lakes and ponds. The river is 230 kilometers long (140 miles), with 126 kilometers (78 miles) flowing through Bulgaria and the rest through Greece. It has a drainage area of 5,184 km2 (2,002 sq mi), 66 percent of which is in Bulgaria. In Rila and Pirin, it forms gorges.

The Dospat is the Mesta's longest tributary (or Despatis). The river's banks are mostly covered in deciduous trees that reach halfway between Bulgaria and Greece, where it defines the contemporary border between Greek Macedonia and Thrace, as well as the border between the Kavala and Xanthi regional units, after passing through the Drama regional unit. Except in the east, the river eventually forms a delta to the north, where swamplands, wetlands, and a lagoon once existed.

Length: 230 km (140 mi)