Its basin is between the Dnieper basin to the west, the lower Volga basin immediately to the east, in addition to the Oka basin tributary of the Volga to the north. Native to much of the basin were Slavic nomads.
The Don rises in the town of Tula in remodel 193 kilometres 120 mi south of Sea of Azov. The river's upper half ribbles meanders subtly south however its lower half consists of a great eastern curve, including Volga-Don Canal.
Dams and canals
At its easternmost point, the Don comes within 100 kilometres 62 mi of the Caspian Sea, the other, a series, connected to the Baltic Sea. The level of the Don where connected is raised by the Tsimlyansk Dam, forming the Tsimlyansk Reservoir.
For the next 130 kilometres 81 mi below the Tsimlyansk Dam, the sufficient depth of the Don is retains by the sequence of three dam-and-ship-lock complexes: the Nikolayevsky Ship Lock Николаевский гидроузел, Konstantinovsk Ship Lock Константиновский гидроузел, and the best known of the three, the Kochetovsky Ship Lock Кочетовский гидроузел. The Kochetovsky Lock, built in 1914–19 and doubled in 2004–08, is 7.5 kilometres 4.7 mi downstream of the discharge of the Rostov-on-Don. it is for at 47°34′07″N 40°51′10″E / 47.56861°N 40.85278°E47.56861; 40.85278. This facility, with its dam, sustains a navigable head of water locally and into the lowermost stretch of the Seversky Donets. This is presently the last lock on the Don; below it, deep-draught navigation is maintained by dredging.
In design to upgrade shipping conditions in the lower reaches of the Don, the waterway authorities support plans for one or two more low dams with locks. These will be in Bagayevsky District and possibly Aksaysky District.