Meanders on the headwaters of the River Hron. Photo: P. Plesník

Geological and geomorphological evolution gave rise to a centrifugal drainage pattern. The Slovak territory is divided into three main watersheds drained by the following rivers: the Danube (tributaries Váh, Hron), Tisa (Bodrog and Slaná) and the Dunajec (Poprad).

Water from the major part of the country is drained by the Danube through its affluents, from a minor part in the north by the rivers Poprad and Dunajec. The rate of flow of our rivers depends principally on climatic and substrate-orographic conditions. The Danube flowing only through our frontier territory has an Alpine flow regime with the highest rate between May and July, as it is essentially fed by the snowmelt and glaciers in the Alps. The other Slovak rivers (with the exception of streams in Vysoké Tatry Mts.) have a flow regime adequate to lowland and middle elevation rivers, with the highest flow rate towards the end of winter (February or March).

A successful hunter of Slovak streams, kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Photo: P. Áč

Rivers fed with waters from mountainous areas have their maximum flow rate in spring (March, April) - depending on whether they receive most of their waters from lower or higher elevations. The lowest monthly rates of flow occur towards the end of summer and in early autumn. Ground water supplies depend primarily on substrate conditions. These waters accumulate most readily in loose granular rocks (especially riverine gravels). Considerable ground water resources extending across the Danube Lowland are fed by the River Danube. In the case of solid rocks, larger supplies of water may be found in tectonically disrupted permeable carbonaceous rocks, from which they reach the surface as abundant karst springs. Abundance of mineral springs is generally associated with major tectonic faults.

Lots of lakes are found in high mountain ranges where they were formed by glacial action. In flysh and volcanic mountain ranges they occur at sites where a rock block had slid. Diminutive and shallow lakes are occasionally found also in karst areas and on sand blown sites.

The Dunajec River had carved its way through the Klippen Belt in Pieniny. Photo: P. Plesník

An antecedent valley with meanders of the River Váh - Domašínsky Meander. Photo: P. Plesník

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