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See also:TIBER (anc. Tiberis; Ital. Tevere) , a See also:river of central See also:Italy . It traverses the Tuscan See also:Apennines—in which it rises at a point some 12 M . N. of Pieve See also:San Stefano, 416o ft. above sealevel—in a See also:series of picturesque ravines, skirts the See also:west See also:foot of the See also:Sabine Mountains in a broad shallow valley, then crosses the See also:Roman Campagna, cutting its way through See also:Rome, and finally enters the Tyrrhenian (Mediterranean) See also:Sea by two arms at See also:Ostia and Fiumicino, the latter artificial . Its See also:principal tributaries are the Paglia, the Nera and the Anio or Teverone, and it is generally navigable by boats up to the confluence of the Nera, a distance of 104 m., though, owing to the rapidity of the current, there is very little See also:navigation above Rome . The See also:total length of the river is 240 m., of which 21 M. See also:lie between Rome and the sea . This latter portion of the river's course is tortuous, but in spite of this, and although the See also:depth varies from only 7 to 20 ft., and in ,'places at See also:low See also:water does not exceed 4 ft., it is nevertheless navigated by vessels up to 18o tons See also:burden and proposals have been made to embank and dredge it so as to increase this depth to 8 ft. at least, or to build a See also:ship See also:canal up to Rome . The See also:area of the See also:Tiber See also:basin is 6845 sq. m . The stream is heavily charged with sediment, and from that circumstance got its See also:ancient epithet of flavus (tawny) . It does not, however, See also:form a See also:delta proportionate to the See also:volume of its water, owing to a strong sea current flowing northwards See also:close to the See also:shore, to the sudden sinking of the sea to a See also:great depth immediately off the mouth of the river, and possibly also to the permanent subsidence of the See also:Italian See also:coast from the Tiber mouth southwards to See also:Terracina . Still it has advanced at each mouth about 2 M. since Roman times, while the effect of the sediment it brings down is seen on the See also:north-west almost as far as Palo (anc . See also:Alsium), and on the See also:south-See also:east beyond Tor See also:Paterno (see See also:LAURENTINA VIA) in the See also:gradual advance of the coast . The See also:rate of advance at Fiumicino is estimated at 13 ft. per annum .
From Rome to the sea the fall is only 6.5.: See also:I000
.
The See also:arm which reaches the sea at Fiumicino is a canal, dug by See also:Claudius and improved by See also:Trajan (see See also:PORTUS), which partially silted up in the See also:middle ages, and was reopened for navigation by See also:Paul V. in 1612, 22 M. See also:long, 8o-13o ft. wide, and with a minimum depth of 5 ft
.
The See also:lower course of the Tiber has been from the earliest ages subject to frequent and severe inundations; of more See also:recent ones, those of 1598, 1870 and 1900 have been especially destructive, but since the See also:year 1876 the See also:municipality of Rome, assisted by the Italian See also:Government, has taken steps to check, and possibly to prevent these calamities within the See also:city by constructing embankments of See also: |
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[back] TIBBU, or TEBU (" Men of Tu," i.e. " of the rocks "... |
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