The Po (Italian Po, Latin Padus) is the largest river in Italy (Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Lombardy). It is 652 km long. The catchment area is 75 000 km².
It rises in the Cottian Alps. It flows mainly through the Po plain from west to east. Below the mouth of the Tanara, the bed of the Po is 300 to 350 m wide and is surrounded by dykes to protect it from floods. The beds of many tributaries in the Po Plain are similarly protected. It flows into the Adriatic Sea, forming a marshy delta of 1500 km². This increases by approximately 60 ha each year.
Uses of the Po River
It is used for irrigation. Water transport is possible from the estuary to Piacenza. The river is connected by canals to Milan (which Leonardo da Vinci helped to build) and to the Venetian lagoon. It is connected to the large lakes (Como, Maggiore, Garda) by tributaries (Adda, Ticino) and also by navigable canals. Cascades of hydroelectric power stations have been built on many of their left tributaries. The cities of Turin, Piacenza and Cremona are situated on it.
