Urka

This article is about river in Lithuania. For Russian fertilizer producer, known as Urka, see Uralkali.

Urka
The lower course of the Urka in Labūnava surroundings
Location
Country	Lithuania
Region	Kaunas County
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Bitvanas Forest, Kaunas District Municipality
Mouth	Barupė in Labūnava
• coordinates	55.1846°N 23.8936°E / 55.1846; 23.8936
Length	22.2 km (13.8 mi)[1]
Basin size	76.9 km^2 (29.7 sq mi)[1]
Discharge
• average	0.39 m³/s[2]
Basin features
Progression	Barupė→ Nevėžis→ Neman→ Baltic Sea
Tributaries
• left	Taurupė, Tiltinis, Vinkšnupys
• right	Statupis

The Urka is a river of Kaunas County, central Lithuania. It flows for 22 kilometres (14 mi) and has a basin area of 77 square kilometres (30 sq mi). It is a left tributary of the Barupė.

The Urka river starts in the Bitvanas Forest, in Kaunas District Municipality. It flows towards north western direction through Kaunas District Municipality and Kėdainiai District Municipality, then empties into the Barupė river next to Labūnava village.

Karaliūnai, Butkūnai, Užumiškiai, Kačergiai, Pakapiai, Labūnava villages and Vandžiogala town are located on the shores of the Urka. A small pond is dammed on the Urka nearby its mouth.

The hydronym is of uncertain origin. One version is that it derives from Lithuanian verb urkioti ('to scold, to wig'), another version that it could be of Finno-Ugric background (as Estonian: urg 'rivulet').[3]

References

1. B. Gailiušis, J. Jablonskis, M Kovalenkovienė (2001). Lietuvos upės (in Lithuanian). Kaunas: Lietuvos energetikos institutas. p. 507.
2. Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 4. Vilnius: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. 1988. p. 386.
3. Vanagas, Aleksandras (1981). Lietuvių hidronimų etimologinis žodynas (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslas.