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Portage

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	Topics Portage Topic Home Portage refers to the practice of carrying a canoeCanoe A canoe is a relatively small boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed.... or other boatBoat A boat is a structure designed to float on water coupled with a system of propulsion, such as a screw, oars, paddles, a sett... over land to avoid an obstacle on the water route (such as rapidRapid A rapid is a section of a river where it loses elevation over a relatively short distance , causing an increase in water flo... s or a waterfallWaterfall A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-r... in a riverRiver A river is a large natural waterway.... ), or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage, while a person doing the carrying is called a porterPorter Porter can stand for:... . Over time, depending on the importance of the portages, they were sometimes upgraded to canalCanal Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.... s with locks, and even portage railwayFacts About Portage railway A portage railway is a short and possibly isolated section of railway used to bypass a section of unnavigable river or betwe... s. Portaging generally required unloading the vessel and carrying vessel and contents across the portage in multiple trips. VoyageursCoureur des bois Summary A coureur de bois was an individual who engaged in the fur trade without permission from the French authorities.... would often employ a tump line on their head to carry a load armfree on their back. Small canoes can be portaged by carrying them inverted over one's shoulders and the center thwart may be designed in the style of a yokeYoke A bow yoke is a shaped wooden crosspiece bound to the necks of a pair of oxen, occasionally horses.... to facilitate this. Portages can range in length from dozens of meters to many kilometers in length (the famous 19 km Methye PortageMethye Portage The Methye Portage is part of an old fur-trade route across western Canada.... being a good example), and often cover hilly or difficult terrain. Most portages are the result of elevation changes, either changes in elevation from one body of water to another, or changes in elevation of the land in between. This results in most portages involving some measure of climbing or descending. However some, such as Mavis GrindMavis Grind Mavis Grind is the name given to a narrow isthmus joining the Northmavine peninsula to the rest of Shetland Mainland in the ... in Shetland exist on an IsthmusIsthmus An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that is bordered on two sides by water and connects two larger land masses.... where it is easier or safer to transport a boat over-land than round it. In these cases the climbing or descending required is often minimal. History In Africa Portages played an important part in the economy of some African societies. For instance, BamakoBamako Bamako, population about 1,500,000 , is the capital of Mali, and is the biggest city in the country.... was chosen as the capital of MaliMali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked nation in Western Africa.... because it is located on the Niger RiverNiger River The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending over 2500 miles .... near the rapids that divide the Upper and Middle Niger Valleys. In Europe In Greece The DiolkosDiolkos Greek times. Periander In 627 B.C., Periander, the son of the first tyrant of Corinth - Cypselus, succeeded his fathe... was a paved trackway in Ancient GreeceAncient Greece Ancient Greece is the period in Greek history which lasted for around one thousand years and ended with the rise of Christia... which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of CorinthIsthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow landbridge which connects the Peloponnesos peninsula with the mainland of Greece, near ... from the Gulf of CorinthGulf of Corinth The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western m... to the Saronic GulfSaronic Gulf The Saronic Gulf or Gulf of Aegina in Greece forms part of the Aegean Sea and defines the eastern side of the isthmus... . The 6 to 8.5 km long roadway was a rudimentary form of railway, and operated from ca. 600 BC until the middle of the 1st century AD. In Russia In the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries, the VikingFacts About Viking The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors of the Norsemen who originated in Scandinav... merchants-adventurers exploited a network of waterways in Eastern EuropeEastern Europe Eastern Europe is the eastern region of Europe variably defined.... , with portages connecting the four most important rivers of the region: Volga, Western Dvina, Dnieper, and DonDon River (Russia) Summary The Don is one of the major rivers of Russia.... . The portages of present-day RussiaFacts About Russia Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia.... were vital for the Varangian commerce with the Orient and ByzantiumByzantium Byzantium was an ancient Greek city-state, which according to legend was founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC an... . At the most important portages (such as GnezdovoGnezdovo Gnezdovo or Gnyozdovo is an archeological site located near the village of Gnyozdovo in Smolensk Oblast, Russia.... ) there were trade outposts inhabited by a mixture of Norse merchants and native population. The KhazarsKhazars Summary The Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia, many of whom converted to Judaism.... built the fortress of SarkelSarkel Sarkel was a large limestone-and-brick fortress built by the Khazars with Byzantine assistance in the 830s.... to guard a key portage between the Volga and the Don. After the Varangian and Khazar power in Eastern Europe waned, Slavic merchants continued to use the portages along the Volga trade routeVolga trade route In the Middle Ages, the Volga trade route connected Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea.... and the Dnieper trade route. The names of the towns VolokolamskVolokolamsk Volokolamsk is the administrative center of Volokolamsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia.... and Vyshny Volochek may be translated as "the portage on the Lama RiverLama River Lama River is a river in the Moscow and Tver Oblasts in Russia.... " and "the upper portage", respectively (the word "volok" means "portage" in Russian, derived from the verb "to drag"). In North America Places where portaging occurred often became temporary and then permanent settlements (such as Hull, QuebecHull, Quebec ... ; Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario; New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans is a major United States port city and historically the largest city in the U.S.... ; and Chicago, Illinois). Sometimes the settlements were named for being on a portage, particularly in North AmericaNorth America Summary North America is a continent in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost fully in the western hemisphere.... . Some places so named are: Cranberry Portage, ManitobaCranberry Portage, Manitoba Summary Cranberry Portage was an important part of the pre-European contact trade routes of the North American Cree peoples.... Grand Portage, MinnesotaGrand Portage, Minnesota Grand Portage is an unorganized territory in Cook County, Minnesota, on Lake Superior, at the northeast corner of the state ... Portage, WisconsinPortage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States.... Portage la Prairie, ManitobaPortage la Prairie, Manitoba Portage la Prairie is a city in the Canadian province of Manitoba.... Portage, MichiganPortage, Michigan Portage is a city in Kalamazoo County in the U.S.... Portage, Montana Portage, IndianaPortage, Indiana Portage is a city in Porter County, Indiana, United States.... (named so indirectly, since there has been never any portage) Portage, PennsylvaniaPortage, Pennsylvania Portage is a borough within Portage Township in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, seven miles southeast of Ebensburg and 16 mile... Portage County, OhioPortage County, Ohio Portage County is a county located in the U.S.... Portage Park, ChicagoPortage Park, Chicago Portage Park is a neighborhood located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois.... Portage-du-Fort, QuebecPortage-du-Fort, Quebec Portage-du-Fort is a village and municipality in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality in the southwest corner of the Out... Seton Portage, British ColumbiaSeton Portage, British Columbia Overview Seton Portage is a historic rural community in British Columbia, about 25km west of Lillooet, located between Seton Lake and... Giscome PortageFacts About Giscome Portage The Giscome Portage was a portage between the Fraser River and Summit Lake in British Columbia, Canada.... , British Columbia